Undetermined Time!!

[sensei8]

For many days I've struggled within myself as to if I should or if I shouldn't post this here at KF. After some considerations, I've decided that I must. After all, and it's of no great secret, the members here at KF are the source of great importance to myself outside of the Shindokan circle.

July 11, 2016.

That's the date that will haunt us within the Shindokan Karate-do and Kobudo Association (SKKA) forever, and that's quite understandable, to say the least. Death comes to everyone, at some time and at some place. Not every passing is expected, as it is in our case, while some are, but even when it does occur, no matter the reason(s) that surround it, it can hit someone especially hard.

When our Soke passed away from natural causes at 91, and while it saddened us, it was to be expected. When our Dai-Soke passed away after suffering two strokes at 78, and while it saddened us, it was to be expected. When the events of July 11, 2016 occurred, and while it saddened us, it wasn't expected.

Killed by a drunk driver that was traveling at a "high rate of speed", were 6 members of the SKKA's Higher Hierarchy as they crested the top of a hill; a head-on collision occurred when the drunk driver was heading south on the north bound side, after spending Sunday in Mexico.

Greg Forsythe and I formed the Executive Team.

Thomas Stillwater, Jonathan Plouge, Ben Stevenson, Giichi Tanaka, and Yoshikazu Tanaka formed the Administrative Team.

These two teams formed the Higher Hierarchy of the SKKA!!

I was spared because I opted to return home to my family in Houston, TX, and to not join them, a decision that forces me to deal with the many "what if's" on a daily basis. A decision I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life.

http://www.karateforums.com/tragedy-envelopes-the-skka-vt49781.html

This is the introduction, or the preamble of what this topic/thread is all about!!

This horrific tragedy has ultimately CLOSED the SKKA for an undetermined time!!

The SKKA has only known the model of what our Soke had created. How it's SOP is conducted...how the redundancy protects both the SKKA as well as its Student Body...how every 't' is crossed and how every 'i' is dotted...how everything that's within the SKKA keeps the SKKA machine and engine operating...EVERYTHING!!

Soke's model has proven itself to be solid ever since he founded it in 1950, as well as in the various improvements made over time, to what it was up to that terrible morning in July of 2016.

The Legal Team and myself, as well as a few key individuals ever since then has looked into many avenues to keep the SKKA intact, and in operations, to the best of our abilities.

Everything that we've looked into as to its validity to keep the SKKA viable has fallen short of our expectations. Our last opportunity fizzled out as we had hired an outside source to entertain the possibility of Restructuring the SKKA, and that included hiring a CEO to bring every department and the like under the umbrella of that CEO. A Restructuring Company would address everything in the hopes of keeping the sinking ship afloat.

Every qualified member of the SKKA, with a Dan rank of Godan and above, were approached in the hopes that they'd step forward, and if elected, assume those now vacated positions within the SKKA's Higher Hierarchy, but all that have been considered has declined.

Why would they decline the opportunity, if only for a short time?? In short, their schedules, both personal as well as professional, wouldn't permit them the luxury of accepting said positions within the SKKA.

In short....

All classes at the Hombu, as well as all Executive and Administrative business is suspended for an undetermined time. All In-House students of the Hombu, have been shifted to nearby dojo's within the SKKA Network for an undetermined time. All Testing Cycles are suspended within the Network for an undetermined time, as well. The Hombu's daily operations have been ceased for an undetermined time. All SKKA/Hombu SOP's have been suspended for an undetermined time. Anything and everything that made the SKKA/Hombu what created and formed it has been ended for an undetermined time.

For 30 days, and only 30 days, all dojo's as well as the entire Student Body within the SKKA Network can either contact the Legal Team or the Executive Secretary or myself for immediate closure as to any affairs and/or ties that they might want to pursue, as well as any questions and/or concerns that they might have.

In conclusion, and it gives me no pleasure at all to officially announce that the SKKA/Hombu is dissolved for an undetermined time!!

I pray that no MA school and/or no student body and/or no governing body has to ever endure what we've endured...ever!!

[CDraper]

Wow that is horrible! There is really nothing I can say here other then I hope for the best for you and your brother/sisters in your organization as they deal with this. Hopefully undetermined time becomes a solid date in the future.

best regards

[The Pred]

I'm so sorry, I hope everything turns out for the best.

[Wastelander]

That is very terrible news, Bob, and I'm very sorry for your loss! It's bad enough to lose one friend and colleague, but to lose 6 at once must be devastating, and I can imagine how much turmoil it causes in your organization, as well. I hope you are doing alright, and are able to pull things together.

[mazzybear]

Sorry to hear that, Bob. I truly hope everything can be sorted out over time.

Mo.

[Luther unleashed]

As others have said, really terrible news. Very very sorry to hear about the loss as well as disruption of normal day to day lives revolved around training.

[bushido_man96]

I hope things get back on track for you and the SKKA, Bob.

[Nidan Melbourne]

My heart goes out to you Bob. Hopefully the Senior members of the organisation can step up and help out even if not for the long term.

[sensei8]

My heart goes out to you Bob. Hopefully the Senior members of the organisation can step up and help out even if not for the long term.

Thank you for your kind words, Liam!!

That too, is my hopes and dreams as well.

The model that Soke founded, and the necessary changes made since then have created for us an unprecedented as well as an unimaginable situation. Everything in the SKKA is built to include the Executive and Administrative Team, as well as the Legal Team; the three departments are needed; they're a must!!

I can't do those first two Teams alone. The Legal Team is an outside source; separate in interest from the SKKA/Hombu. Imagine a three legged chair...now take two legs away...what do you have?...an unsupported chair that will crash to the ground.

This is what we have!

When we had the Legal Team write up the By-Laws with us, we wrote it so that the SKKA/Hombu was protected for future generations; in short, the SKKA/Hombu would never close. This came in effect when the San Dai-Soke closed the SKKA/Hombu after his father, our Dai-Soke passed away.

However, we didn't even think for a second that a tragedy of this magnitude would ever occur. Sure, we wrote in the By-Laws how we might address situations like someone being terminated or quitting or retiring or demotion or expulsion or passing away, but nothing was written to protect the SKKA/Hombu from this grand scale.

That was our shortcomings, in which the entire Student Body has been let down!!

The Legal Team and I will entertain every possible avenue that will breath new life back into the SKKA/Hombu. This might mean that the restructuring might put both the Executive and Administrative Team on one persons shoulder until such time that newly elected officers are named.

What about the Testing Cycles? What about the Student Body?

We're working diligently right now to continue the SOP, to a very small degree, so that the Student Body as well as the Networked dojo's have some semblance of continuity in authority of a governing body. In short, if what we're working on at this very moment, Testing Cycles and the like will continue at the Networked dojo's but the "Hombu" will still approve all Testing Cycle applications. However, the Annual Testing Cycle at the "Hombu" has been shelved for an undetermined time.

The culture that made the SKKA/Hombu is still intact at its core; that can't be stopped, nor should it be. We've got to figure how the SKKA/Hombu engine can still run with 2 cylinders instead of 8 cylinders: Executive = 2 cylinder...Administrative = 5 cylinders...Legal = 1 cylinder for a total of 8 cylinders. All's we've ever known is the original SOP, with a few amendments along the way! It's hard, no, it's difficult to imagine anything else that's far and away from the SOP that we've come so familiar with these many years.

I'm a fighter...no...WE'RE FIGHTERS, and we're going to fight for the survival of the SKKA/Hombu for the Student Body. I DO NOT HAVE TO BE KIACHO; that's not that important to me, but the survivability of the SKKA/Hombu for the Student Body is paramount, no, tantamount for a future to exist, and to continue way after I've passed away.

We've no desire to replace those lost, that's not possible, but only to elect those most qualified to those positions, if that model is to continue. And if the model isn't to continue, then that which we've known for so long, will have to step aside for a newer and effective model.

Will this fog ever leave my head?

[The Pred]

My heart goes out to you Bob. Hopefully the Senior members of the organisation can step up and help out even if not for the long term.

Thank you for your kind words, Liam!!

That too, is my hopes and dreams as well.

The model that Soke founded, and the necessary changes made since then have created for us an unprecedented as well as an unimaginable situation. Everything in the SKKA is built to include the Executive and Administrative Team, as well as the Legal Team; the three departments are needed; they're a must!!

I can't do those first two Teams alone. The Legal Team is an outside source; separate in interest from the SKKA/Hombu. Imagine a three legged chair...now take two legs away...what do you have?...an unsupported chair that will crash to the ground.

This is what we have!

When we had the Legal Team write up the By-Laws with us, we wrote it so that the SKKA/Hombu was protected for future generations; in short, the SKKA/Hombu would never close. This came in effect when the San Dai-Soke closed the SKKA/Hombu after his father, our Dai-Soke passed away.

However, we didn't even think for a second that a tragedy of this magnitude would ever occur. Sure, we wrote in the By-Laws how we might address situations like someone being terminated or quitting or retiring or demotion or expulsion or passing away, but nothing was written to protect the SKKA/Hombu from this grand scale.

That was our shortcomings, in which the entire Student Body has been let down!!

The Legal Team and I will entertain every possible avenue that will breath new life back into the SKKA/Hombu. This might mean that the restructuring might put both the Executive and Administrative Team on one persons shoulder until such time that newly elected officers are named.

What about the Testing Cycles? What about the Student Body?

We're working diligently right now to continue the SOP, to a very small degree, so that the Student Body as well as the Networked dojo's have some semblance of continuity in authority of a governing body. In short, if what we're working on at this very moment, Testing Cycles and the like will continue at the Networked dojo's but the "Hombu" will still approve all Testing Cycle applications. However, the Annual Testing Cycle at the "Hombu" has been shelved for an undetermined time.

The culture that made the SKKA/Hombu is still intact at its core; that can't be stopped, nor should it be. We've got to figure how the SKKA/Hombu engine can still run with 2 cylinders instead of 8 cylinders: Executive = 2 cylinder...Administrative = 5 cylinders...Legal = 1 cylinder for a total of 8 cylinders. All's we've ever known is the original SOP, with a few amendments along the way! It's hard, no, it's difficult to imagine anything else that's far and away from the SOP that we've come so familiar with these many years.

I'm a fighter...no...WE'RE FIGHTERS, and we're going to fight for the survival of the SKKA/Hombu for the Student Body. I DO NOT HAVE TO BE KIACHO; that's not that important to me, but the survivability of the SKKA/Hombu for the Student Body is paramount, no, tantamount for a future to exist, and to continue way after I've passed away.

We've no desire to replace those lost, that's not possible, but only to elect those most qualified to those positions, if that model is to continue. And if the model isn't to continue, then that which we've known for so long, will have to step aside for a newer and effective model.

Will this fog ever leave my head?

So is the SKKA like a corporation? Meaning there are multiple owners or is there just one owner?