Welcome to the first edition of the C&S Self Defense Association Online Newsletter! I hope you will all find this a more appropriate medium for staying in tune with what is happening in our Association. I also hope that you will contribute where ever you see fit. A newsletter is only as good as those who contribute to it. With all of the diverse talent that we have in our Association, I would think many of you could write some stimulating and interesting articles.
This past year has been one of consolidation for our Association: we have not grown nor have we shrunk in membership. But what we have grown in is a much stronger base of talented new Brown and Black Belts who will lead us into the new century. I am looking forward to hearing of your growth and of the impact you will be having in your local Programs.
As you know, we- as an Association- have matured greatly over the last 10 years. The ideas we have and the material we teach come from years and years of thought and testing by so many very talented people. Now we are ready to grow again. But we realize that this next growth will come not from new students my age, but from the late high school and early college ages. These are the people who most need the direction that we can provide to them. And this is all of our responsibilities, yours and the senior members, to welcome these folks into our clubs and to work tirelessly with them.
They will not "find their way" to us: we must reach out to them. We must each make a concerted effort to try to bring at least 2 new people through the door each month to watch what we do. 1 of those may stay, and they will bring 1 or 2 people into the club and… well, that's how it's done: one person at a time. I ask each one of you to help. The student you bring into your club could very well become the next Master- alongside yourself, of course!
I want to again thank Sandan Daniel Wilkewitz for his extraodinary efforts through the years in producing our print version of the newsletter. He truly has an expertise in creating a great newsletter, and I will have to go some to even begin to match what he did. I hope you like the newsletter and will refer to it often. You should also check the web page for updates- you should send me information to post as updates… Again, the newsletter and in fact the entire C&S Self Defense Association web site will only be as good as those who contribute to it.
In our art,
Grandmaster
Grandmaster Peter M. Rose
