Westminster — December 22nd, 2009 – The Dojo of Karate had their 1st Annual Holiday Party on Friday, December 18th, 2009 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.

It was a Potluck style event where students and members brought a dish to share with everyone else.  There were  a wide variety of food, from pasta dishes, to dips, sushi, enchiladas, and all sorts of desserts. And, the food never seemed to run out… which is a great problem to have.

It was entertaining to see how much the kids were enjoying the wide selection because some kids had plates of Doritos and a huge slice of cake, while others were eating ‘real’ meals.

The Dojo of Karate Holiday Party was a great time for students to hangout, parents to mingle, and Sensei Lozano to get out of his Karate uniform and where normal clothes.

There were approximately 85 guests in attendance, which is quite a bit, considering that The Dojo of Karate offers just over 1800 square feet.

In order to fit all of the guests, Head Instructor and Owner, Javier Lozano, Jr. had to pull up their state of the art training floor mats with the help of a couple of students. Each mat had to be numbered in sequence, in order to place them back down correctly.

At the conclusion of dinner, all of the students and guests sat down to watch a video created by Mr. Lozano — “The Dojo of Karate Year in Review – 2009“.

This was a 5 minute clip of pictures and videos from how the school began with demolition and construction, to teaching small classes, and eventually growing to it’s current size of 90 active students in 18 months.  The video clip played the hit single, “Clocks” by ColdPlay — a magnificent coupling of music and memories.

Below is the video that is currently being viewed on YouTube.

At the conclusion of the video, Sensei Lozano had a special presentation — awards.

“When I was a child training at David Deaton Karate Studios, I remember every year we had a Christmas Banquet at the Opryland Hotel. There were 3 schools, and after dinner the Master Instructor and founder, David Deaton, would do an award ceremony to recognize students within their own school, says Lozano. At the conclusion, there was also a Martial Arts demonstration. This was a great way to close out the evening and begin the new year.”

So, Mr. Lozano created various award categories for students and surprised them with a plaque. Some of the categories consisted of ‘Best All Round‘, ‘Best Focus‘, ‘Most Dedicated‘, and ‘Best Mile High Kicks‘.

For each winner, Sensei Lozano had a little story to share about the student. This was a way of honoring and spotlighting their efforts at The Dojo of Karate and in their training.

After the award ceremony, there was a short speech from Mr. Lozano telling families and members of The Dojo of Karate, that our school will continue to grow in 2010 and that our community of Martial Artists will continue to make an impact around the community. From raising food for the Broomfield Fish Organization to helping out with fund raisers, The Dojo plans on getting students and parents together to help others.

“As Martial Artists and members of the Broomfield / Westminster community, it is our duty to help others in any way, shape, or form, said Lozano. This will teach our students Life Skills that are sometimes not taught in other sports.”

The Dojo of Karate would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas!