Locals spread karate knowledge

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

A passion for the sport of karate has turned one Cheadle couple from eager students to now knowledgeable teachers.
Constance and Erno Varga were like many of the 70 students that practised Shotokan karate in Strathmore: eager, committed and passionate.
Their success in the practice eventually earned them each a black belt and an opportunity to spread the sport elsewhere.
“We trained at the Strathmore gym for 11 years under Linda and Dwayne Tucker, and they were fantastic,” said Constance. “They have a very successful program and through them, we were encouraged to branch out and start our own gym.”
Karate has a long-standing tradition in Calgary. The first dojo was founded in 1964 by Soke Jim Bray as part of the All Canadian Karate Union (ACKU). Now, there are more than 20 clubs within Calgary, but not much east of the big city.
“There are clubs in De Winton and Airdrie, but there wasn’t much east of Calgary, other than the Strathmore location. We wanted to provide an opportunity for more people to train and learn the sport without having to travel far,” said Constance.
“Having karate in Strathmore is a real advantage for local athletes. Living rural like we do, it can be a pain to travel 40 minutes into the city to train a couple times a week,” said Linda, who has ran the Strathmore Silvertips program for 15 years.
The Chestermere Chinook club opened in February in the East Lake School gym and the response has been overwhelming.
Running Thursday evenings, the Vargas teach two classes: one for kids between the ages of 4 and 6, and another from 7 years old and up.
“It’s really wonderful to see our teaching pay off when the movements we work on with muscle memory in practice become natural to the kids,” said Constance. “It makes everything worth it.”
The Vargas haven’t forgotten their roots, though. Multiple times a week, they will rejoin their friends in Strathmore for their classes, continually working on their discipline.
“It’s the ultimate gratitude to see the people we have worked with for years leave the program and start their own class. Constance and Erno are committed to the sport and have great character, are kind and selfless. They have such great qualities about them that has led them to start up a successful gym,” said Linda. “They are always welcome to come back into our program. Any time you can have black belts in your class working on their craft, it builds a better capacity for others to see and learn how they are working and what a strong work ethic looks like.
“And it also helps when Dwayne and I can’t make it, they fill in for us and do an amazing job.”
Depending on an athlete’s commitment level to the sport, it can take anywhere from five to 10 years to achieve a black belt and to earn sensei status. But that is exactly what Constance and Erno are striving for over the years to come.
“It takes a lot of work to get a black belt. The student has to be committed, train lots, enter lots of competitions and do well at them,” said Constance. “We are hoping that we can work with enough people and hopefully have them earn a black belt one day. That would make things come full circle for us.”
Registration for Varga’s and Tucker’s classes is open all the time with monthly plans set up for family members. More information can be found at acku.org. Athletes of all skill levels are welcome to sign up to work on their craft in the long history of Shotokan karate.