News: Woman uses business and martial arts for community

When Gerry Ebalaroza-Tunnell settled in Bellingham after her divorce, she vowed to weave herself firmly into her new community.

In her five years here she has done just that. She's a successful businesswoman, a strong supporter of women's groups, and an advocate for turning people's throwaways into other people's treasures.

"I decided when I moved here I would make something of myself," she said. "It's so important to give back to the community when you can."

Ebalaroza-Tunnell, 42, grew up in Hawaii, where she learned Shaolin kung fu, a graceful form of self-defense from her father, a martial arts instructor. The mother of two grown sons, she served in the U.S. Navy for six years, including a stint on Whidbey Island that introduced her to the Northwest.

"I was always drawn to Bellingham," she said. "I knew I was going to live here."

On two occasions she found herself in situations where her martial arts skills proved valuable.

Continue with the full story here.

Etiquette

"Karate begins and ends with courtesy" - Gichin Funakoshi

When was the last time you came home and said, I can't believe how nice everyone was today. Sometimes it seems we have come to the point where if no one was extremely rude we had a good day. On the flip side, if someone is nice, the first thing people ask is "What do you want?". Nobody likes the lack of courtesy; but, most do not seem to do much to change it.

Why should martial artists be different? One of the top reasons people start martial arts besides self defense is for self improvement. Since courtesy is defined as the excellence of manners or social conduct, we should strive to be courteous in all we do. Also, since martial arts requires physical contact with the potential for injuries, we need to respect and trust our instructor and training partners. Being courteous forces us to let our ego go and creates the mind set needed for training.

Etiquette being the proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion, establishes another level of safety in the dojo. You can not have people cutting lines or other unexpected behavior or accidents will happen. This becomes even more important in a weapons class. Bowing in and out of class is a way of re-enforcing you are here for training. In the dojo this becomes ingrained and then a habit that carries over to the rest of our daily activities.

So, try to be more courteous and see the changes in yourself and the changes in others. Post your observations in the comments.