Shudokan
Karate
Kids Say it is "Our Turn" in Artern
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July 6, 2011, Vancouver - On July
2, 2011, students of the
Shudokan Karate and Education Canada
Society
arrived
in the Federal Republic of Germany for a sports/cultural exchange
with
German youth. The purpose of the visit is to promote respect, understanding and
the sharing of culture through
sport. They are staying in the small town of
Artern in
the historic region and state of
Thuringia
(German:
Thüringen).
While Thuringia is a region of great natural beauty and old culture, it is known for it high international excellence in sport--being the province that coordinates the country's participation in the Winter Olympics. In fact, the involvement of Thuringia in Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is the connection to Shudokan's visit Artern.
In Artern, Shudokan is being hosted by Athletenclub “Germania” Artern e.V., a 110 year old wrestling club with a storied history of creating champions and excellence in youth. Shudokan students are able to enjoy the gym/dormitory facilities in the club and have engaged daily with German youth in pick up games of soccer in addition to karate training.
The President of the club is Gerd Pillep.
Artern e.V. hosts top level wrestling teams from all over the world. Mr. Pillep
himself received the highest honour Germany has to offer having being awarded
the Federal Cross of Merit for his distinguished
volunteer work with his club . In honour
of the visit, the club was proudly flying flags of Thuringia, the European
Economic Community, Germany and Canada.
On the first day of visiting Artern, Shudokan
students were warmly received by Athletenclub "Germania" Artern e.V. and are
being treated daily to wonderful German traditional food by the women of the
club. The arrival of Shudokan in Artern was announced in a local newspaper
that ran a good news story entitled "The Indians are Coming." They then toured
the beautiful little town of Artern, and were delightfully surprised when three
firefighting trucks from the local department arrived in the middle of the town
square to provide transportation to and from a local fire fighting competition.
Students then were taken to a local mineral spa and swimming facility where they
were able to swim and enjoy a most unique facility. Travelling to and from
destinations students frequently travel on the German autobahn where drivers in
the fast lane can legally exceed speed of 200 kilometers per hour.
Would like to Give Special Thanks:
Unique opportunities such as this are not possible without the generosity, support, dedication and hard work of key people. The Board of Directors of Shudokan would like to specifically thank:
Mrs. Gisela Waibel
Werner Schonberger, and Blair Lockhart & Tony Fogarassy, and
Dr. Nicola James, Michael Joseph Holtman and Dr. Arthur L. Ross
for the much appreciated financial contributions. In addition, the society would like to thank the organizations of SOS Children’s Village British Columbia (Canada) Society, and Landessportbund Thüringen e.V. Germany for their sponsorship. Finally, Shudokan's Board wishes to extend a special thank you to Mr. Pierre Mueller and Reinhart Aulinger of Stewart, Aulinger & Company for their hard work and unwavering support in making this opportunity a reality.
About:
SOS BC operates a SOS Children Village consisting of five family homes in the Fraser Region area attending 25 children onsite. At the same time SOS BC supports over 100 children through its therapeutic, literacy, and recreational programs and caregiver support services.
For More Information:
SOS Children’s Village
British Columbia (Canada) Society
102 – 5830 176 A Street
Surrey, B.C. V3S 4H5
Tel: 604 – 574 – 2964
Fax: 604 – 574 – 2967
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For further information on Shudokan go to: http://www.shudokan.ca/ or Call (604) 275-6670
Shudokan is a non-profit society whose purpose is to help Aboriginal and inner city children and youth move forward in education and life through the practice of martial arts. Since its inception, it has had over 1000 students join, and is now in its 9th year of operation.
Shudokan Website is Now Available in Japanese Language
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Touchstone Webworks Inc. the Society website is now available in Japanese.