Legend Mirror

Students gather for group photo.

The students and staff of Vermont Legend Karate-Do would like to wish all a Happy New Year!!  Be safe and don't drink & drive.  We look forward to seeing everyone in class soon.

When I started, we swept, then washed the floors on our hands and knees.
Everyone Black Belts and White.

The Dojo was a place of sanctity.
It had to be clean so we knew we worked out in a clean floor and no one would get athetlics feet or slip.

We then cleaned the place after working out leaving it spotless for
the next class who would then, for their own peace of mind, do it all
again

I remember not only washing the floor, but serving tea to everyone when the class was over.

This is a picture of me and Valery Valderi during a competition.
She grew up and became a member of the USA Woman's Team and
went on to the PUKO Championships and was the reason that
we won the Gold Medal that year. She was the youngest member
of the team and beat the world champion from Peru 6-3. It was
a great day.

When I first began as a student of Lenchus Sensei it was I
think around September of 1968 though it may have been a year or so later. I
was a young an impressionable teenager or preteen. As impressive as the school
is today it was extraordinarily impressive then. It was filled with extra
ordinary personalities of unimaginable ability. Sensei Scarda (the flying Frenchman)
in his prime, Pepi (the butcher) one of the most dangerous men you will ever
meet in your lifetime, Gary Nomer (the bull),(Big) Bruce Sorrento 6 foot 6

Those are the words spoken after each celebration of promotion. These
words are tremendously important to the founders of the Legend who came
first and fought the unkind thoughts, sneers and hateful insunations
said about our school; not to mention where we came from, New York.
Most of all they did not like the "Flame" we wore. They didn't grasp
what the flame meant and of course like true New Yorkers, we let them
think what they wanted.