LYNDONVILLE — Karate is more than learning to defend yourself. It is about character development, drive and learning to push yourself to do one more kick.
That was one of the messages Sensei George Kiefer, owner of Lakeside Karate in Lyndonville, gave to his students and on-lookers gathered at the studio Wednesday night after a kick-a-thon to benefit the ARC of Orleans County’s Camp Rainbow, a five-week day program for children with and without disabilities. Part of Kiefer’s message was not only are the students learning to give of themselves physically, they are also learning to give to others through donation.
“You need that drive,” he said. “Something like this, you’re doing double duty.”
Each contestant turned in a “Kicks for Camp Rainbow” pledge sheet, many with flat donations for the camp and some with pledges per kick.
“I think it’s great,” said parent Annette Allis of Medina. “It’s all part of the karate code.”
Children from the age of 5 up to adult students competed against themselves for the most waist-high kicks in a three-minute period as parents, grandparents, siblings and others shouted words of encouragement — “You can do it! Get that leg up there!”
Encouragement also came in the form of a hand-held blocker — a foam bat that Kiefer used to swat the kids on the bottom, to get them to kick a little higher.
“My grandmother kicks faster than that,” he said, a comment that brought laughter from the audience and determination to speed it up from the student.
Each student kicked two three-minute rounds, could not do the same kick for more than 10 kicks in a row and the kick had to — or was at least supposed to — be as high as their belt. Giving it their all, the students kicked enthusiastically in round one. During round two, while all were a little fatigued, a majority of the kickers beat their first count.
Molly Lonigan, 8, of Lyndonville, completed the first round with 162 kicks. While catching her breath, she sat at the edge of the mat watching as her classmates in the second group took their turn.
“It’s fun. It’s good exercise,” she said about taking karate. “I’ve never done a kick-a-thon before.”
Her first time doing a fundraiser with Lakeside Karate, Lonigan said she got pledges from her parents and her sister. In the second round, like many other students, Lonigan went above her first total and had 184 kicks.
Little Ian Wagner, 5, the youngest of the bunch waited excitedly to hear his total kick count after round two.
“I got over a hundred!” he exclaimed after learning he had beat his first count by 12 kicks, making his best of the evening 178 kicks.
Not quite breaking the 300 mark, the most kicks of the evening went to Madison Gardepe, 11, with 290. She received a $50 Wal-Mart gift card and there were many more door prizes to be given throughout the night.
While kicking the most is important, and the theory behind a kick-a-thon, 13-year-old Sterling Allis had another reason for being involved in his first kicking event.
“I just like raising money for people,” he said. Allis had 137 kicks in the first round and 184 in the second.
According to Pattie Kepner, director of family support services at the ARC of Orleans, the money raised “will enhance the opportunities for the children by buying any needed supplies” for camp. It takes a lot of money to run Camp Rainbow and it depends on many fundraisers to continue giving children the opportunity to be involved in the activities at camp, she said.
“Usually we use it toward program materials,” Kepner said. “It all depends on what the funding stream wants us to do with it.”
The total number of kicks will be tallied in the coming week so students can collect the money they raised. According to Kiefer, once all the money is turned in at the end of the month it will be presented to the ARC of Orleans. Two years ago, the studio completed Kicks for Megan, raising approximately $4,000 for Megan Rapp who was undergoing radical cancer treatment for rhabdoid tumors. Kiefer said in the future, he hopes to do a kick-a-thon every other year to benefit a different organization.
Contact reporter Miranda Vagg at 798-1400, ext. 2225.
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February 21, 2008
LYNDONVILLE: Lakeside Karate students give it their all to give to Camp Rainbow
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