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Sensei Kathy Hopwood started training in martial arts in 1972,
a time when there were very few women training. She started teaching self-defense
programs and founded Triangle Women’s Martial Arts in order to engage more women
in the martial arts. When she co-founded SafeSkills® with Sensei Beth, they added
co-ed classes and changed the dojo (school) name to reflect the self-defense aspect.
Her passion is teaching self-defense to help people find that “Safe is something
within you”.
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Sensei Beth Seigler is the Head Instructor of the dojo. She has
been training for 30 years. Sensei Beth enjoys the delicate balance between power
and flow in kata. Her favorite part of teaching is helping students find their way
through a challenging move. She also teaches yoga and Back In Balance classes. Her
passion is African drumming.
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Sensei Karen O’Neal is the Head Instructor of the Arnis class.
She has been training at SafeSkills® for over 20 years and teaching for the past
13. She has taught multiple times at the annual Special Training Camps for the National
Women’s Martial Arts Federation. Her passion is Modern Arnis, Silat and Liangong.
She is a yoga instructor, massage therapist, and licensed counselor.
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Sensei Terry Graedon started training at SafeSkills® in 1984. Right
from the start, she loved the excitement of learning new things and the challenge
of mastering difficult maneuvers. Today, what she loves is sharing the art with
others who are learning. What Sensei Terry finds essential in the martial arts is
the practice of focusing on the here and now.
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Sensei Tweedy Tattersall started karate at SafeSkills® in 1993,
and began studying Arnis in 1996. What Sensei Tweedy loves about studying martial
arts here is the emphasis on the personal journey, on growth. "We don't compete for
trophies and medals but work together to learn and grow, and the journey doesn't
stop when you tie on a black belt."
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Sensei Sheila Kerrigan started training at SafeSkills® in 1993 and keeps
coming back. Sheila loves the workout, the people, the discipline, and especially
the focus—she doesn’t think about anything else while she is in class. Sheila is
a mime and juggler, and teaches creative collaboration based on her book, “The Performer's
Guide to the Collaborative Process”.
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Sensei Sara-Jane Raines has been training in martial arts for over 20
years, the last 13 of which have been at SafeSkills®. Sara-Jane loves training with
various weapons and in practical self-defense. She loves martial arts for its spiritual
and meditative aspects.
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Alexis Groner started training in 1995 at the age of 9. Alexis loves that every member is accepted for who he/she is, that all ages work together and learn from each other, and that there is always something new to learn or improve.
She is currently working towards a graduate degree in educational/developmental psychology. |
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Sensei Karl Degener started studying martial arts in 1979 in Tae Kwon
Do and holds a black belt in that style. In 1990 he found the SafeSkills® dojo and
has been training here ever since. His passion is to do a good workout and get solid
training. Karl sees his training as physical therapy and “I wouldn’t trust that
to just anybody.”
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Keri McCauley took a SafeSkills® self defense workshop in 1997.
Within weeks, she signed up for karate classes and has never looked back. She trained
through two pregnancies, graduate school and three moves. Keri is a pediatric physical
therapist and uses some of the skills learned at SafeSkills® with her patients and
gets amazing results.
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Gabe Byars trained in several martial arts before moving to the
Durham area and discovering SafeSkills® in 1998. He has worked with autistic adults,
has been a rape crisis volunteer and his passion is running. He is currently in
graduate school studying Occupational Therapy.
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Jillian Stein-Seroussi started taking karate when she was five years old. She enjoys working through the challenge that karate presents and training with the dojo community. She loves how great she feels after doing a karate workout and plans to continue her martial arts training through college. |
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Cole Hopfenberg started in the children's class in 2001 when he was 7 years old. Presently, he trains in Karate and Modern Arnis and he loves the physical and mental challenges of both. Cole assists in teaching the Children's Karate and KinderKarate classes. |
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Missed from and missing at the dojo are
Hannah Chapin
Naomi Adland
Who have spread their wings to fly!
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