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belt instructors of the Kansas City Shotokan Karate Club.
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Front row: Carl
Johnson, David Altman, Donnie Duncan, Jon Beltram, Greg Barstow, David
Lightner, Mike Lyon
Back row: Eric Manuel, Greg Oliver, Kelly Rudolph, Andy Brown
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Jon Beltram, past national director and newly appointed
Senior Council member of Shotokan Karate of America, is Kansas City Shotokan Karate's
senior instructor. Mr. Beltram began serious martial arts training in 1959 and holds black
belts in Judo (Wey Sing Kim, World Judo Champion in 1959), Okinawan Shorei Kempo (under
Mel Wise), JKA Shotokan Karate ( under Mr. S. Mikami, 3 time All Japan Champion), Goju Ryu
Karate (under Shoichi Yamamoto and Gosei Yamaguchi), and Yun Moo Kwan Tae Kwon Do (under
Jang Yul Park, 1958 Champion of Korea). Mr. Beltram was a member of the U.S. Karate Team
Which competed for the 1970 World Karate Championship in Japan. Mr. Ohshima awarded him
SKA's highest rank, Godan (fifth degree Black Belt) in August, 2000. Mr. Beltram
has presented free-fighting and self-defense seminars throughout
the United States. You can read some great stories about Mr. Beltram in our
30th
Anniversary Album. More than seventy of Mr. Beltram's students (and his
student's students) have attained black belt
rank. |
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Mike Lyon has been the director
of SKA's Midwest Region since appointed by Mr. Ohshima in 1988. After
boxing as a child, he began jiyu-jitsu training while a student at the
University of Pennsylvania in 1969. Mr. Lyon began serious study of
martial arts when Andy Brown introduced him to Jon Beltram in 1984. In
1989, Mr. Lyon won the 2nd place medal for team kumite at SKA's annual
Nisei Week championship in Los Angeles. In 1991, he won 1st place for
black belt kata at the SKA's Midwest championship tournament in Chicago. A
few weeks later, he was selected to demonstrate jiyu-ippon kumite at the
60th Anniversary of the Waseda University Karate Club in Tokyo,
Japan. Mr. Ohshima awarded him the rank of yodan (4th degree black
belt) in June of 2003. Mr. Lyon founded the KCAI dojo
at the Kansas City Art Institute in 1988, and the AT&T dojo
in 1994. He led practices at both dojos until June of 1999 when he passed
leadership along to two of his students, Sarah Oliver and Tom Peacher, who
had been awarded the rank of nidan (2nd degree black belt). Mr. Lyon was
awarded SKA's Member of the Year for the Midwest in 1988 and 1999 and SKA
National Member of the Year for 2003. Ten of his direct students have been
awarded black belt
rank.
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Greg Oliver started practice with Jon Beltram in 1989 and was
awarded sandan (third degree black belt) in 1997 in a dan test led by Sadaharu Honda. He
took first place in brown belt jiyu-kumite in the 1990 Midwest Championship held in
Chicago. He was selected to represent the Midwest in team competition at Nisei Week in
1992. He was a senior instructor at the KCAI dojo from 1991 until his wife took over as
leader. He has been a senior instructor at the AT&T dojo from 1994 through the present
time. |
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Andy
Brown, President of Midstates Supply Company,
was awarded the rank of nidan (2nd degree black belt) in 1992. He was an accomplished
rugby player while a student at Princeton and has been practicing Shotokan under Jon
Beltram since 1981. |
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