Page 12 - Martial Science Magazine DIG#29

Master Alain Burrese
Master Calvin Longton
GM Kevin Janisse
John Wilkerson
Master Chris DuFour
GM William Widmeyer

My curiosity got the best
of me as it often does and
I wondered how a sma-
ll event can see over a
decade of success and
keep growing. I found the
host was part martial
artist, part businessman,
part ambassador and
also a regular guy who
was tired of feeling chea-
ted time and time again.
Here are Master Gordon’s
thoughts…

1. What made you decide to do
such an event?

Good question, bottom line,
I wanted to train. I’ve
traveled a lot and been
to many symposiums, se-
minars, mat times, and
“fests.” Went to the first
rotating seminar like this
in the mid 90’s while trai-
ning under a Soke in ju-jitsu. As a participant, what I wanted was a good event that
I felt I got my money’s worth. I wanted to be around friendly people with instructors
willing to share their knowledge and made newcomers feel like family. I didn’t care
for the “this is who I invited – we’ll see who shows up” kind of hodgepodge seminar
where the emphasis was on the presenter and not about the participant. I’ve paid
$299 for a 12 hour seminar and walked away feeling like I got a great deal (well,
“limped away” would be a better choice of words). I’ve paid $45 for a seminar and
felt like I had wasted 6 hours of my life.

What I found lacking was an annual event where people could come together and
train regardless of organizational politics. A place where white belts through high
level Black Belts would be welcomed and could learn in a fairly ego-free, friendly
environment. For those of us that enjoy the Korean arts, these events can be challen-
ging to find. So, in a flash of brilliance (or perhaps blissfulness), I started working
on hosting such an event and the Korean Martial Art Festival was created.

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