Member Spotlight
Kate Webster
 Martial arts and violence prevention are both common threads in all aspects of my personal and professional lives—as it is deeply embedded within the academic courses on gender based violence I teach at the university, within the junior, youth, teen, and adult Seido Karate classes I teach, and within the Self-Defense Empowerment workshops I lead. However, it wasn’t always that way. When I began training in karate and teaching self-defense over 12 years ago, both were more of a physical practice and a way to feel and keep myself more safe. It was only three or four years into my training that, while I wasn’t 100% sure what a martial artist was, I started to feel that I could call myself one. Over time, and in training for my black belt ranks, I learned about and felt that my practice embodied much more than the physical—it became a unique way to open up and connect my mind, body, and spirit, and to integrate these aspects more deeply within my day-to-day life.
While this was truly revelatory, these deeper understandings of my art continued to remain my own and incorporated within my own practice. It wasn’t until the first time I attended NWMAF in 2006 that I connected to the wider community of martial artists and saw how universal my mind, body, spirit language of martial arts truly is. I interacted with those that have been with the organization from the beginning and were there for the first time and learned how martial arts for some is their way of life, for others a daily practice, and still for others something they turn to from time to time. Yet, the common thread among us all is the love for our art, love for ourselves, and love for the community that has sustained itself over the numerous years. I am so grateful for NWMAF to be a place that someone like myself who is relatively new to the art can find a place for her own, and still be able to connect to the wider community that keeps the magic of martial arts for women alive. The question remains though, why did I wait so long to attend?
 Kate Webster teaches and trains at Thousand Waves Self-Defense Martial Arts & Self Defense Center. She is their Associate Director of Violence Prevention programs and holds a 2nd degree black belt in Seido Karate. At Thousand Waves, she teaches in the junior, youth, teen, adult, and self-defense empowerment programs and was a prior instructor in Chimera's Self-Defense for Women program and student of Shotokan Karate. She holds a PhD in Comparative Education from the University of Chicago and teaches at the university level in sociology, economics, education, and women’s studies.
Kim Rivers
 I began studying the martial arts in 1997. I met my current aikido Instructor, Mary Eastland when I took a self-defense class at the local community college in 1996. Sensei Eastland (then of Aikido Kokikai) and a few of her students gave an aikido demonstration that radically changed my perception of possibility. I watched Mary and her students move with such grace; seeing how easily Mary diverted the seemingly stronger males with such ease and powerful throws, my whole being went "Yes, I want to do that!"
In the courses of my training I discovered that although I am legally blind, I had unrealized abilities that were rapidly coming to the fore in these arts. Growing up I had always been told that because of my disability I could never be an athlete and was discouraged from pursuing any type of physical activity. In the dojo however I was capable, strong, soft, centered and athletic. My teachers and fellow aikidoka encouraged and supported this. In turn I was able to give back in ways I had not expected.
When I earned the rank of Shodan, I was also invited to become an instructor. Our Aikido organization, (now Berkshire Hills Ryu Aikido) encourages instructors to open their own satellite dojos, which I did. Now ranked as Nidan, I teach one Aikido class a week in my dojo, which I named “Eibara (Eternal Center) Aikido.” In 2000 I began to assist Mary Eastland with teaching self-defense at the local community college. In 2006 Mary decided to stop teaching, I was asked to take over as the instructor. I teach 2 courses each semester (Intro to Aikido and Self-defense).
I have just joined the NWMAF, feeling ready to step further beyond the familiar. I have been sharing my knowledge of self-defense locally, but recently have decided it is time to expand. I feel the NWMAF will offer good opportunities for me to both learn and share. I know that there are many strong, capable women and girl martial artists out there. I want to be one among those many. In this respect I think NWMAF is a place to adventure into that possibility. I am beginning to start my own self-defense school (Labrys Self-defense), which has at its core radical lesbian feminist philosophies. I just completed a 10-week self-defense group for young girls under that name this past winter.
My goal is to become certified as a self-defense instructor. NWMAF has a good reputation for this process and I know that what is required will not just give me commendable credentials, but will offer me a true process for defining, and refining my concepts of women’s self-defense. I hope in turn for all that I gain I will also be able to offer my experience and understanding of what it means to approach martial arts and self-defense with a disability, both as a student and as an instructor.
At 41 I still feel the joy and exhilaration as the day I first walked onto the mat.
  
Lee Sinclair
 "I'm Worth Defending" (IWD) was founded by Lee Sinclair, a writer/activist living in San Francisco. In 2001 she and her husband Dr. Jake Sinclair had been coordinating a child care and sponsorship program for AIDS orphans in Kenya through their non profit organization "Manasseh's Children." It was her experiences with these vulnerable children and their stories of rape, incest and sexual abuse that led Lee to realize that her own Self-Defense training could be lifesaving when applied to children living in the area.
Lee began teaching Self-Defense to small groups of local children but it quickly became clear that the problem deserved a larger effort.
In October 2005, she contacted a group from Eldoret Kenya and hired them to come and teach the first year round Self-Defense classes in Nairobi. This team, called "Dolphin Anti-Rape AIDS Control Outreach," taught basic Self-Defense strategies and situational skills to over 75,000 school children! It was Lee’s involvement with Dolphin that highlighted the need for an expanded, more comprehensive approach to addressing rape, AIDS and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
In February 2007, with the help of two US-based Self Defense Instructors, Susannah MacKaye and Wendi Deetz, the first IWD team was formed in the Korogocho slum in Kenya. On February 26th 2007, after a month of specialized training, IWD began teaching their first classes. Since then they have brought this vital training to thousands of women and children.
Teddie Linder
 Teddie Linder is the founder and head instructor for TigerLily Eastern Arts in Indianapolis, Indiana. She started studying t'ai chi and aikido in 1994 and is currently a 4th dan in Yoshinkan Aikido and a certified instructor in the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation. TigerLily came into being in 1999 as a place to welcome students into the martial arts in a friendly, non-competitive environment.
Teddie has worked with the Hoosier Capital Girl Scout Council, the Wellness Community, and the Indiana Multiple Sclerosis Society teaching principles of t'ai chi and aikido and witnessing the empowerment of the confidence martial practice can give students, regardless of their physical ability or condition.
"Our latest effort is a women's aikido class--which started this month [January 2008]. The first class was attended by six enthusiastic women. I'm excited about starting this group; at times it feels rather lonely being a woman in the martial arts, even if you're the sensei. That's why I joined NWMAF: to connect with other women and share the experience that has really made an impact on my life and growth as a person. I will be attending my first Special Training this year, and I'm really looking forward to it!"
Leap of Faith
by Tonya Pierre-Gopaul
 I discovered the NWMAF and Special Training early in 2003 while looking for information on the internet on self-defense for women. For two years I dreamt of attending, but being from Trinidad (Caribbean) and not knowing anything about the organization or anyone who had ever heard of them it was not exactly a simple prospect.
It was in 2005 that I finally took that leap of faith. The odds seemed against me every step of the way, but there are just things you know you have to do in life and I knew this was one of mine.
How do I describe it? Just being in the same room with 200+ women who apparently loved the martial arts as much as I did was incredible. Seldom have I ever felt the kind of positive energy generated at the camp opening workout and at the demonstration. I took the full self-defense track, which I wish every woman in the world could have the opportunity to benefit from. My three trainers were all first class and added much depth to my understanding of the wider issues surrounding self-defense. Most of all though, they were excellent examples of strong, confident, highly competent and dynamic female martial arts and self-defense teachers. The kind of support and encouragement for my development in the martial arts that I got in those four days is beyond comparison. In my line of work in the social sector we are always talking about “empowerment”; after my ST experience the word now has a very real and personal meaning to me.
If there is anyone out there reading this who has never been to ST and thinking about attending ST08, my message is this – it will be one of the best things you could do for yourself. It was for me.
Bobbi Snyder
Some Reflections by Kathy Hopwood
 Bobbi started her martial arts training in the 1960's when she was in her early thirties. As a single mother of three children, she felt the need for a physical outlet.
Bobbi Snyder wanted to train in karate in Pittsburgh, PA. She had heard of a school and planned to check out their classes. I must remind you that even locating a martial arts school in the 1960's was quite a feat. Schools didn't advertise in the yellow pages - it was unusual to have a martial arts school anywhere. Bobbi went up the stairs to the door of the school to find a sign on it that stated:
NO SMOKING
NO DRINKING
NO WOMEN
Bobbi knocked REALLY LOUD on that door!
Learning to Kick
by Kathy Hopwood
 For 30 years, Kathy Hopwood has shown people how to defend themselves and get out of danger. She tells her students that she herself has escaped several attempted attacks by using simple moves derived from martial arts - like punching, kicking and yelling.
Today Kathy is highly-trained, but the first time she used those skills she was just a kid relying on instinct. When she was 11, Kathy entered the car of a man she didn't know. Once inside, he threatened to assault her. Kathy kicked and screamed until she finally escaped unharmed.
Kathy talks with Dick Gordon of American Public Media's program "The Story" about what led her to focus her career on self-defense and avoiding violence - and how she uses art to deal with the pain she hears in the stories of survivors.
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