I was born and raised in Central New Jersey and attended North Carolina State University where I met my husband. In 1982 I left college and married James "Jeb" Stewart who at that time was an Air Force Officer stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, located 30 miles south of the Canadian border. Brrrr! It was c-c-cold! In 1985, we moved to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri located 50 miles east of Kansas City. I finished my education at Central Missouri State University earning a B.S. in Mathematics minoring in Computer Information Systems. Our daughter Randi was born. In 1988, we moved to Okinawa, Japan for 3 years. During our time overseas, we traveled to Hawaii, South Korea, Guam, Mainland Japan, and my dream destination Australia. In 1991, my husband was discharged from the Air Force and we moved to St. Augustine, Florida. In 1996 we bought a house in Mandarin and have lived there ever since. It feels great to be settled, finally, a place to call "home."
For 5 years, I was a customer care consultant for America Online (AOL). During my time there I was troubleshooting customers hardware and software difficulties via telephone or electronic mail regarding the CompuServe and AOL service brands. I was also the original and most senior consultant for the Compuserve 2000 support team that launched in February 1999. However, in November 2000 I left the company because I was burning out, the building was making me ill, and I was an "absentee mom." I had 4 relapses of acute bronchitis and every time I walked into the door to start my shift, I was coughing non-stop. It states in our Student Creed, "avoid anything that would reduce my mental growth or physical health." I departed on good terms and still correspond with my former coworkers and supervisors to this day. I am living a life of retirement for now.
Last year I enrolled in Webmaster Certification courses at Florida State University and currently seeking my final project. I have been the webmaster for the web site of the Mandarin school for 3½ years. As I was taking the courses last year I applied what I learned changing the web site's appearance at least 5 times. The terminology page I consider my masterpiece. It contains hearing the terms both in English by Master Johnson and Korean by Grandmaster Pak. That page had Master Johnson launch the idea of transferring the contents onto a disk. The final product is the Interactive Terminology CD for the PC that is selling at the Mandarin School, which I created.
Master Johnson snaps many pictures when we have special events. He is always armed with a camera. After the pictures are developed, he displays them in the dojang. I discretely scan them to upload to the web site's photo gallery and to the slideshow I work on all year to present at our annual awards banquet. This past year I had 167 slides that took 20 minutes to view. I already started on 2003's slideshow.
In addition, this past year I found out that from my days at NC State being manager of the swimming team there, one of those swimmers named Beth Harrell moved on to become a swimming coach. No surprise there to me. However, to my shocking and happy surprise, she is the University of North Florida's Head Women's Division I Swimming Coach. I missed her first season, but we reunited at the start of her second season and I volunteered to run her swim meets by working the electronic timer, scoreboard, and computer so she and her staff can coach the team. A blast from the past! The same job I did 20 years ago, however, the personal computer was not invented yet, and the other equipment has been slightly upgraded.
At the latter part of the season, UNF hosted the Southern States Championships for 3 days in which 12 schools attended. I worked those 3 days from 7 a.m to 9 p.m., constantly on my toes but I had the best seat in the house. I was right in the middle of the action and saw some great swimming. I was the first one to see the swimmer's times and how they placed. The entire meet went smoothly and to top it off, UNF Women won the Championship, totally unexpected, and Beth won the Women's Coach of the Year Award. "Awesome!" And in the second year of existence.
I started karate for various reasons. Back in the summer of 1999, I wanted to go to a Spacecamp weekend session in Titusville, Florida. The only sessions available were parent/child weekends where I needed a child to accompany me. I took my daughter Randi. We had an awesome time going on their astronaut training equipment, however, I found out how much I was out of shape. I knew I had to do something quickly. I love to swim, however, it was very difficult to find a year-round swimming facility available at my convenience and working a full-time job. "Hmm?" I regularly take Randi to karate class, definitely not an inconvenience.
I remember the night very well. It was a hot Friday night in July and Randi goes to the Friday Night Family Class. That night only 6 children attended the class and one parent sitting on the side in the "peanut gallery!" ME! Master Johnson made a comment about it and gave me an interesting look. I asked if he would like to talk after class, meanwhile Master Nathan disappears to grab me a uniform. The rest is history. I allowed myself to be snookered! Later I realized that with Randi already a black belt and I am chauffeuring her to work at the color belt tests. I need something to do while waiting anyway.
Enrolling in karate is not just a sport it's also a social life. We are participating in some activity at least one weekend per month. We have attended the annual family picnics in the spring at Gold Head State Park in Keystone Heights. It is a great place to take a family for a day of recreation, fresh air and escape the city's hustle and bustle. My daughter Randi was a regular of the Parents Night Out Lockin at New Years. I was one of the parents at the lockin to ring in the year 2001, 3 months later I became Student of the Month for March 2001. Purely coincidental, of course! Earlier this year I was awarded the UTF Certificate of Commendation (No. 3B-02).
I was a Black Belt Club Mom prior to becoming a Black Belt Club member. For the last 3 autumns my daughter and I have gone to the Black Belt Club Campout Weekends to pitch our own tent and camp at Gold Head State Park. I look forward to this event every year. "My no technology camping trip," no laptop, pager, nor cell phone. The laptop stays home while the cell phone and pager are both turned off because we are in a desolate area that they cannot function properly anyway.
We have also participated in most Black Belt Club Workouts. Earlier this year was the election of officers. My daughter made her fourth attempt to run for Vice President and finally won. Dr. Betty Bennett suggested that I should run for Secretary because I do fulfill all the requirements. I got nominated and won.
For the last 2 years, I have been a member of the adult power team with Penny Petty, Dr. Betty Bennett, Linda Ewer, Karen Dixon, and Malcolm Tyson. We call ourselves "Team BIHO" because of our white tiger-striped uniforms. We even have our own business cards, I drop them in fishbowls at restaurants. We perform at various functions around town and our annual awards banquet. We all have a lot of fun together but I just have fun making a fool out of myself. At last year's banquet I did a high kicking board break and landed on my bum in front of 250 people. Talk about life's most embarrassing moments, however I did land on the karate mat. It is much better to fall on the mat than a hard floor. That mat prevented me from serious injury. The videotape showed that I just bounced off the floor. It was funny!
Many times I have written articles for the school's newsletter. Sometimes Master Johnson gives me a pen and paper and asks me to write something. Other times I write an article on my own, and he inserts them where and when he sees fit. One article in particular I wrote was attending Black Belt tests as a spectator and view what it entails. Master Johnson put the article in the February 2001 newsletter and quite a few people were at the next test. Another article, which appeared in the April 2002 newsletter, was the day Randi and I tested together at a Black Belt Test for the first time as mother and daughter. It was also our last. After the newsletter is completed and ready for print I obtain a soft copy to upload to the web site every month. Sometimes it's on the web site before it reaches the recipient's mailbox.
With Randi in tow, or, does Randi have me in tow? We participate in most of the events together hosted by the Federation. We compete in the UTF Tournament every year. As soon as I became a red belt, we both attend the UTF Forms Clinics together, which I definitely learn a lot. Regularly attending the various events, as either a spectator or a participant gives us a great opportunity to meet students and Masters from other schools within the United Tang Soo Do Federation. Eventually when its time to test, either color or black belt tests these people are not strangers to you nor you are strangers to them. At the February 2002 Black Belt Test, for example, I went there for my Deputy 1st Dan test. I knew the names of all the Masters in attendance because I have seen them at previous events. A majority of those Masters either knew my name or my face. However many people there asked me the same question, "Where's Randi?" She was out of town for the weekend.
Since "day one" of my karate path my intention was to enjoy the sport, which I have. I stated to Master Johnson and Master Nathan that I do not renege on many things and I plan to "GO FOR IT!" However, I cautioned them of my idiosyncrasies, I have a tendency to point my toes, and that anyone who deals with me either becomes prematurely gray or bald. Look at my gray-haired husband of 20 years. I have to congratulate Master Nathan for preserving his dark hair and Master Johnson for keeping his hair.
When I first started karate, I kept referring to my swimming background. Some of the karate kicks are similar to the swimming kick techniques we use in the water. However, the most exciting similar technique is that the brick breaking technique I use is similar to the underwater freestyle pull. I just twist the wrist, make a very tight fist, and scream "KIA!" All those years of swimming laps has paid off and given me the shoulder power to break those bricks easily with either hand. Seven years ago I got a boxer fracture in my left hand, which is my strongest. I first started the brick breaking training with my right hand because I have nothing to lose. However in December 2001 I got a boxer fracture in my right hand. I wore a cast for 3½ weeks that totally immobilized my hand and was restricted from lifting more than 5 pounds for the following 2 weeks. Fearing that my right hand was still weak I decided to attempt breaking the brick with my left hand at the February 2002 Black Belt test and succeeded. Whew! My toughest decision at my 1st Dan test is going to be which hand to use to break the brick.
I enjoy the belt testing. As I got higher in belts, my tests were improving and I received fewer bruises. The February 2002 Black Belt test was my best one. I am sure my 1st Dan test is going to be bittersweet. I have been looking forward to it for weeks.
At the beginning of the year 2002, my college friend Beth invited me to the swimming pool to workout. She stated that it is overall great conditioning and good rehabilitation for my hand. She was right! Thanks to karate, I got back into good swimming condition within 3 weeks. Thanks to swimming, I have more endurance in karate training. I swim 2,000 yards per day, 3 days per week.
I would like to thank several people who have helped me in my quest for my 1st Dan, my daughter Randi, who enjoys having me for a karate classmate. She offered to postpone her 2nd Dan test, but I encouraged her to stay on track. My husband Jeb for accepting the fact I started taking karate, he had no choice in the matter anyway. Masters Johnson and Nathan for tolerating me, I tried to drive them crazy but failed to do so. Last but not least, Beth Harrell, who brought me back to the "cement pond" (swimming pool) and to the sport I love, which has definitely assisted my karate training.
I plan to do the same activities after I test for my 1st Dan. I will continue my karate training and seek the 2nd Dan test. I will finish my webmaster certification as soon as possible and continue to maintain the 3 websites I currently have now. The college swimming season returns in the late fall and I will help Beth Harrell and her UNF Women's Swim Team at the home meets as long as she wants me to. I plan to continue my swimming workouts, however, it will soon be time to look for a job. I wonder, could "breaking bricks with hand" be considered a skill to list on my résumé?
I enjoy karate and I have enjoyed writing this paper.
Janice Stewart
thesis@janicestewart.net