Page 16 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 153

Steve Malyon

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613-314-4161

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Registered Massage Therapist Sheryl Calvank-Rodriguez, RMT
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5720 Power Dam Drive, Cornwall • 613-938-9622

Mom - Continued from page 13 on the bench and, once hockey both physical and mental health. her career as a Registered Nurse
season wraps up, transitions into Though her busy schedule revolves specializing in palliative care. For
Jodi plays an integral role in the local baseball, where she co-managed her, nursing is more than just a
sports community. She currently Noah’s Redbirds team this past around supporting her kids’ activities, profession—it’s a calling. “It is
Jodi also has her own athletic
manages the Seaway Valley summer. truly a privilege to bring comfort
Rapids U11A hockey team and has background. Growing up on a farm and dignity to someone in their final
Her commitment doesn’t meant limited time for organized
previously managed teams within stop there. Jodi has served sports, but she still found ways to stay days, and to be fully present for
the North Glen Stor Minor Hockey them and their loved ones during
as Equipment Manager for the active. Over the years, she practiced
League at both the Lower St. North Glen Stor Minor Hockey karate, played softball for fifteen such a meaningful time.”
Lawrence and Upper Canada levels. From the rink to the diamond, and in
Alongside her husband, Terry, she Association for the past two years, years, and tried her hand at swimming, every role she takes on, Jodi Gannon
is an active participant in NGS ball hockey, ballet, figure skating, and
helped launch the Wildcats Spring Board meetings, and contributes volleyball. embodies the spirit of community,
Hockey program, which has grown dedication, and care that makes
to her children’s School Council,
from one team to two in just two supporting initiatives that focus on Outside of sports, Jodi brings the her a true Pommier’s Mom of the
years. Jodi also steps in as a Trainer same compassion and dedication to Month.

KARATE KOMMENTS beech, maple, oak, and bamboo are common. Bamboo, although not native, was

introduced from Asia in the 1880’s and flourished in the forests and swamps
of the southeastern United States. This bamboo sometimes referred to as “River
By Jim Riddell, cane,” makes a good choice for a lighter weight cane that still has a good strength-
to-weight ratio.
Seaway Karate Club For self-defense purposes, it’s hard to beat the hickory crook cane due to its
exceptional density and strength. The straight stick is great for hiking or
navigating rough terrain, but many prefer the versatility of the weight bearing
Walking Cane for Self Protection crook cane which is both simple and superb as a self-protection implement. There
are only four components to the cane, the tip, the shaft or barrel, the crook, and
the tip at the end of the crook which is known as the horn. All four components
alking canes/sticks and hiking staffs have been used as a means of self-
Wdefense since ancient times. Monks used them to help navigate the rough can be used for striking, the barrel/shaft for blocking and parrying, and the horn
terrain when travelling and also found them a useful tool to assist in protecting for pulling.
themselves against wild animals and bandits. The use of the longer hiking staff Back in the mid 1990’s a longtime friend of mine, Ron Wattie, got me interested
became a part of the Tenshin Shodan Katori Shinto-ryu. This old style evolved in working with the cane for self-defense. Ron lives in Merrickville and has been
into Kobudo, a martial art using weapons which emerged in Okinawa in the early operating the Merrickville Karate Club since 1988. We worked independently
17th century. Monks taught the youth army from the Korean Kingdom of Silla over the years, each of us developing our own techniques but getting together
how to use the cane for striking, blocking, throwing, and controlling an adversary. often to co-instruct at seminars. Gradually the cane has been gathering interest in
Sticks were catching on everywhere, in France it was the Canne de combat, in the martial arts community and since 2017 Ron and myself have had the honour
Ireland the Shillelagh was used in the stick fighting system Bataireacht. The of instructing cane seminars at Capital Conquest, which is Canada’s premier
cane became so popular in England that in 1822 the politicians got involved, martial arts event. These training seminars held annually, in early November at
imposing a “cane tax” on any male under the age of fifty, unless it was required the Palis de Congress in Gatineau, attract a very large number of participants
as a walking aid. from a wide variety of martial art disciplines. At the time of this writing in early
September, martial artists from more than twenty countries had made their
One of the most common canes is the shepherds crook cane, which was often commitment to CC 2025. Each year at CC I meet people from this area who are
used by farmers to guide and often to catch livestock, using the crook. The end
of the crook on these canes would sometimes have a turned up horn (end of training at clubs in Cornwall and SD&G - for those of you who will be at Capital
Conquest on November 8th and 9th, come and join Renshi Ron and myself and
crook), which was designed to hold a lantern. The type of wood used for sticks
varies as to the area that they were made in. The Irish shillelaghs are mostly we will have some fun with the cane.
made from blackthorn, but often oak or hazel is used. White beech, hazel, ash, Karate Quote: Get it right in the beginning. If you continue to do it wrong, it will
and chestnut are commonly used in Britain and Scotland. In North America ash, always be wrong. Practice will make it permanent not perfect.