Welcome to The Mentor Karate Institute!

These are some of the Karate Institute marchers who participated in the Mentor-on-

the-Lake Fourth of July parade. The team not only entertained the crowd with their

martial arts skill, but also took home the Chairman's Award Trophy for their enthusiastic

Senseis Mercedes and Linda were our brave leaders as they organized an outing for a group of our Lil' Dragons and their families. The place, Funtime Play Arena, was a hit with the kids. With all the inflatable jumpers, slides, mazes available, the adults were hard-pressed to keep up with their little bundles of energy. Click here to see pictures of the event!

As a way of giving back to the community and encourage civic involvement, the Karate Institute put together a team of volunteers for the United Way - Day of Caring event. The day started with a kick-off breakfast at Lakeland Community College where we met volunteers from several other organizations and businesses (including Sensei Buddy Brown from Avery Denison). We then spent between 3 to 5 hours at the West End YMCA painting hallways and cleaning walls. Our group was definitely tired by the afternoon but was proud of the work we all did. Take a look at some of the pictures of the team hard at work!

The Karate Institute started the summer activities with our most recent event -- the KI family outing at the Lake County Captains Game. We had great seats, right behind third base -- line drive, foul ball zone. Eric Williamson and Alyssa Albek left with a ball each! The night was clear if a little cool, the Captains won the game 3-0, our group had a great fun with lots of loaded funnel cakes, nachos with guacamole, and cotton candy. Gotta love the ball park!

Our summer class schedule will be in effect starting June 1, 2006. Please check our Weekly Class Schedule for your class time. Morning classes are great for the summer as they free up the afternoons and evenings for other activities. Also take note of our new Yoga classes taking place every Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm. It's a great way to recharge and re-energize your body and mind for the rest of the week!

Have you looked at our Special Events page lately? There are lots of fun activities being planned throughout the summer. Visit often to get the most up-to-date scoop!

This event was once again a great success as more than 150 competitors displayed their skills in the forms, weapons, self-defense, synchronized forms, and sparring divisions. Trophies were awarded to the highest scoring competitors of the tournament in each category. Congratulations to the following Millennium Legends Trophy Winners:

For some great reading about Health and the Martial Arts, go to the Martial Arts Messenger - May 2006 Newsletter. We will be putting these informative and fun articles on the site each month as a way to expand our knowledge of the sport and about health in general. Take a look and let us know what you think!

The Karate Institute Demo Team had a great time performing in front of the crowd at the Annual KidShow at Great Lakes Mall. Everyone from the Lil' Dragons to our Junior Warriors and seasoned Black Belts wowed the audience with two exciting, and fun performances. We are proud of all the team members and how they represented the school. Click on the picture to go see our photo album of the performances.

What a performance! The Karate Institute performed in front of the sold-out crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena on March 19, 2006 as part of the Cavalier's Pre-game entertainment. The exciting and high-energy show included students from the Lil' Dragons to adult Black Belts, and showcased skills from open-hand katas to weapons and self-defense. It was a memorable event for all who participated. To top it off, the Cavaliers rallied late in the fourth quarter to beat the LA Lakers 96 to 95.

As many as 80+ people came out to join in on the fun as the Karate Institute held a KI Bowling Night at Freeway Lanes on Feb. 19, 2006. Hats off to Eric Williamson as he bowled the highest scoring game of the night - 222. We won't mention who had the lowest score! Everyone had a great time, especially when we were entertained by Bobby Tisza and his great fashion style (see picture). To view more pictures of the night, go to the Gallery section under Special Events. We'll keep adding to this particular gallery as we get more pictures in.

Congratulations to all the competitors of the 2006 Karate Institute Youth Tournament! It was a great turn out and a wonderful learning environment for everyone, especially those students who are curious competing but didn't know how or where to begin. Martial artists from the Karate Institute, the Koroshi School of Tang Soo Do, Lifetime Martial Arts, and AJ Perry School of Tang Soo Do were among the competitors. We hope everyone caught the competition bug as we get ready for the Millennium Tournament coming up in April. Click here to view pictures of the competition.