Andover woman wins karate lifetime achievement award
Nov. 3—Rebecca Kenney-Olofsson repels one attack after another with a flurry of hand movements.
She is encircled by four others as the rest of the dojo fall silent and all eyes shift to the demonstration. One by one, the four surrounding her step forward and then back again.
The 84-year-old Andover resident has been practicing karate since the 1980s, specifically a style called Uechi-Ryu, named for its founder Kanbun Uechi.
Distinguishing her from the rest that day was a red belt around her waist. She was recently presented this belt by the Uechi-Ryu Butokukai Okinawan Karate Association, and won the belt along with a lifetime achievement award. Kenney-Olofsson is the second person to ever to receive the award and the first woman to do so.
Kenney-Olofsson was a physical education teacher at the Landmark School in Beverly, Massachusetts, when she first started studying karate. The Landmark School is a school for students with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia.
"I was looking for something to do at night," Kenney-Olofsson said. "So I just started and progressed little by little."
"Once I got my black belt than I started teaching Uechi-Ryu at Landmark," Kenney-Olofsson said.
Kenney-Olofsson said her students loved it.
It also helped them with certain skills. Kenney-Olofsson said that some of her students had a problems with crossing the midline — making motions that reach an arm or leg around to the other side of the body. She said students will go as far to turn their paper sideways so they can write up and down in order to avoid this motion. Uechi-Ryu forces students to get used to these motions said Kenney-Olofsson.
Karate also helped her students with spacial awareness and with socializing.
The studio she trains at is called the Buzz Durkin Karate School and is located in Atkinson, New Hampshire.
Durkin opened the dojo in 1974.
"She was one of our first students and she has been studying ever since," Durkin said. "Its wonderful to see a student develop physically, mentally, spiritually through their practice."
Durkin points around the dojo showing off a significant number of participants who are in their 70s.
"Karate is a lifelong exercise habit," Durkin said. "It keeps a student healthy."
Besides the physical aspects, Durkin said the real value of karate is the principles developed there, and then their application in the real world; principles like confidence and patience.
"The real value of what we do translates outside these four walls," Durkin said.
Durkin said the Uechi-Ryu style is a "complete discipline," which encourages physical defense and high personal standards and respect for others. Although he said that all karate styles have the same overall goal, which is to be a better person.
Durkin added that the training is not dangerous.
"The procedures are done very safe and everything is done gradually," Durkin said.
Durkin said Kenney-Olofsson has been involved with the studio not simply as a student, but helping to host people at a martial arts camp thorough out the years, where at one point members of the Uechi family stayed.
Kenney-Olofsson continues to train with her husband twice a week.
"To receive this award was absolutely unexpected," said Kenney-Olofsson. "And I am still upright, I can still come to class."
