As nature has her wildcats, so does the Karate Institute of America, and our
Wildcat, like Nature’s, is on the move!
Anna “Wildcat” Griffin is the 55th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu. She began her
KIA journey at age 11. In 1998 she earned her 1st Dan Black Belt rating. True
to her call sign, Wildcat is as tough as they come and a true legend in KIA
history.
Anna, a former United States Army veteran of eight years, relocated from the
central plains of the U.S. to the Northwest where she is now working in the
insurance field. Last week she paid us a visit when she traveled to SoCal to
help her parents relocate to her neck of the woods, where much of her family
is now living.
In so many ways the civilization of the 21st Century lives in the delusion
that symbol is more important than substance; that the character of who we are
has been turned inside-out and upside-down to where it’s more important to be
superficially adorned with the trappings of celebrity, fame, name, power,
wealth, status, popularity and gamesmanship than it is to be anchored in
principles of character, humility, honesty, honor, dignity, purity and
substance.
Always with a smiling, optimistic, positive attitude is Terry “Slider” Bass,
the fiftieth Black Belt of the Karate Institute of America, pictured here in
his ubiquitous blue gi. Slider achieved his first dan on 13 December 1997.
Possessing a strong, noble and generous character, Slider has been a staunch
supporter of the KIA and other students, often attending the Black Belt tests
of prospective candidates.
As a fighter, Terry is very crafty, skilled, determined. He also loves to mix
it up when he can, having sparred often with fellow KIA Black Belt, Dan
“Basai” Asay during a fifteen year period, which unfortunately terminated due
to their personal injuries.
Swords are sharp … and cutting. The word “Shuto” is defined as a hand used
like a sword in striking. Jerry “Shuto” Alston, the 28th Black Belt of the
Kiado-Ryu (1994), not only used his hands as cutting implements on his
opponents but he also used his mind as a cutting instrument to whittle his
adversaries down to size.
In fact, one of Shuto’s greatest assets, if not his greatest asset, is his
mind. Jerry Alston is smart, sneaky smart, and he has won many competitions
and matches using his number one weapon—his intellect.
DON’T FORGET THE HEROES is a patriotic, passionate and moving tribute to
those American men and women who serve and have served the “Flag of the Free.”
It also offers a special acknowledgment to all those souls who have suffered,
died and cried as a result of the Vietnam War.
DON’T FORGET THE HEROES is a wonderful tribute to all of us who served in
Vietnam, both the living and the dead, and the families at home who also paid
a price for loving a service member.
Every structure needs a foundation, and one of the corner stones of the KIA’s
legacy is Eric “E.V.” Vind, the 10th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu.
In his mid teens at the time, Eric was one of four brothers who studied at the
Karate Institute of America in its infancy. Beginning at our first studio on
Via Fabricante in Mission Viejo in 1979, Eric became the first leader to
emerge and set the mark for others to follow. He was the only Vind brother to
rise to the Black Belt level.
