Sensei Gerry Woloshyn, Rokudan
M Eng

Vice-president, Board secretary

I recently retired from being a marine engineer for the past 35 years and can now dedicate more time towards karate. But before karate, there was life and in my early years I was active within the automotive industry by modifying and racing drag and stock cars. As children started arriving, racing was displaced with involvment in the Veselka Ukrainian Dance Company and for 11 years sat in such positions as treasurer (three terms), vice-president (one term), president (three terms) as well as being the designated group bus driver (five years). Currently, I am an active member of the Route 66 Association of Canada.

My karate career started after one of my boys began training at a local community centre and upon meeting Greg Reid, I became infatuated. That was the spring of 1985 and I have been going involved since. I have always felt that just being a member of an organization isn't enough, so I became interested in the inner workings of the club. Before I knew it, I was a founding director of the Wado-Kai Karate Association of Canada and have served as secretary to the board since its inception. Since 2001, I have held the position of vice-president/secretary.

As father of four (all of whom studied karate) and grandfather of five (two of which take karate), I strongly believe that youth are the future. Consequently, I have been actively involved with many of our youth programs since 1987 and am currently teaching with the Victoria Youth Karate program at the CASK Karate Victoria Hombu.

Another karate pleasure is officiating and this has become a reality for me through Karate BC. They have provided me with the opportunity to travel and meet many people who are also doing their fair share for the advancement of karate.

I have also studied officiating under Shihan Julius Thiry, president of the USA National Karate-do Federation and vice-president of the Pan Am Karate Federation, attending many of his tournaments and officiating clinics in Seattle, Washington. In 1994 I had the rare opportunity to travel to Japan and attend officiating seminars under Arakawa Sensei at the Budo-Kan. I was also fortunate to be asked to officiate at the Japan Nationals and Worlds Wado tournaments at the Budo-Kan in August of that year.

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