2021
Birankai North America
Annual Report
Fiscal year: Jan-Dec 2020
Together We Adapt
Birankai North America
We are an association of Aikido practitioners and dojos founded by T.K. Chiba, Shihan,
forged by rigorous training, tempered by mutual respect,
and committed to the relentless pursuit of the art.
We Are A Community of Practice
44 Dojos
Birankai North America
has 41 affiliated schools
in the U.S., plus 3 in Canada.
Data from member dojos
as of February 2020
91 Certified Instructors
14 shihan
48 shidoin
29 fukushidoin
Data from member dojos
as of February 2020
496 Members
Membership consists of approximately
273 yudansha ranks and
223 kyu ranks
Data from member dojos
as of July 2020
Letter from our President
As martial artists, we train for an attack from any direction, but it’s a safe bet that most of us did not see coming the attack of a lifetime – from Covid-19. After a conventional start to 2020, we started to live a new reality of shutdowns, lockdowns, social distancing and masking. Dojos across the country closed their doors, and many teachers began experimenting with offering aikido classes on Zoom and Facebook Live. Outdoor, virtual, and weapons classes became the norm. Tenkan, and learn to adapt.
Yet even as we have gained proficiency in Zoom and the weapons curriculum, Birankai teachers and members struggled greatly during 2020. Several of our dojos have closed, some permanently. Many others faced serious financial difficulties. We have lost members. Camps and seminars were cancelled. It is not yet clear what the long-term impact will be on aikido in general.
The news is not all bad. We learned that the “glue” of a dojo is not its physical location, but the relationships of the teachers and students, and the desire to maintain those relationships and some semblance of training, even in a pandemic. “Dojo” is not just a place, but a community, a locus of stability, an oasis. BNA teachers shared best practices for teaching online. Many also shared their actual virtual classes. Aspects of Birankai 2025, our vision for the future, are already growing and getting stronger.
In 2020, Birankai partnered with Aikido Journal to produce an online training course from videos and documents of Chiba Sensei. This will be released in 2021, and provide a new way to access the teachings of Chiba Sensei. The Teachers’ Council held its first-ever election for chair via Zoom, and John Brinsley was elected. Teachers across the organization continued to converse about ways to structure Birankai for increased effectiveness, and greater opportunities for training. – More about details in report –
As I write this in mid-April 2021, people across the countries are receiving vaccines in record numbers. Many dojo are slowly returning to more normal practice, and it is expected that we will return to full training later in the year. Birankai governing bodies will be looking at how to best support our teachers as we transition to a new normal.
As always, we welcome your thoughts. Feel free to contact any board member to share your thoughts about your dojo, Birankai, or aikido in general.
– Deb Pastors, President
Membership
BNA Membership by Region 2020
BNA Dojos and Members by Geographic Region*
(*Canadian Dojos are grouped with the Pacific NW Region)
BNA Active Instructors 2020
Teaching Rank, Age Group and Gender*
(*Gender Data collected per Aikikai Hombu Dojo Requirement)
Thank You To Our Volunteers
We are a community driven by volunteerism, and we are enriched through the volunteer efforts of our members.
BNA maintained just one part-time administrative employee in 2020.
BNA members of all ranks and all ages have generously given of their time, energy and talents in 2020. They are the hands and heart of the organization. Some serve as community volunteers, some lead team projects or administer programs, and others serve in governance to set direction and initiate community projects.
Volunteers in BNA Governance
Birankai North America is governed by three bodies
The Senior Council, the Teachers’ Council and the Board of Directors.
All of the roles in these governing bodies are filled by volunteers!
The Senior Council (SC)
Consists of all active BNA Shihan, plus the Chair of the Teachers’ Council.
Officers of the Senior Council in 2020 included:
• Chair of Senior Council: Frank Apodaca, transitioned to Robert Savoca
• Deputy Chair of Senior Council: David Stier
• Senior Advisor: Elizabeth Lynn, transitioned to Darrell Bluhm
• Liaison to Hombu Dojo: John Brinsley (Shidoin)
The Teachers Council (TC)
Made up of all active BNA Shidoin, plus Fukushidoin, who are Chief Instructors of a dojo
2020 Officers of the Teachers Council:
• TC Chair: John Brinsley
• TC Secretary: Eric Doss
The Board of Directors (BOD)
The BNA Board of Directors are active BNA members with significant experience within the organization and include at least one Shihan selected by the Senior Council and one Shidoin selected by the Teachers’ Council.
BNA President: Deb Pastors
2020 Directors:
• Dennis Belt (Senior Council Appointee)
• Deena Drake
• Steve Thoms
• Todd Fessenden
• Suzane Van Amburgh (Teachers Council Appointee)
• RC Miles
• Mark Sharp
Non-voting officers:
• Corporate Secretary: Jan Arkless-Wilson
• Treasurer: Joshua Karlin
Program Volunteers
Meet the volunteers who have served leading teams or administering BNA programs.
Biran Editor: Mark Reid
Dan Registrar: Mary Malmros
Ethics Committee: Maureen Browne, Chair
Grants Committee: Ed Hernandez, Chair
Medical Director: Don McKay
Membership Coordinator: Suzanne Gonzales-Webb
Raffle Committee: Sarah Kaylor, Chair
Scholarship Committee: Terri Park, Chair
Seminar & Communications Coordinators: Mike Head and Carolyn Parkinson
Summer Camp Coordinator: Leslie Cohen
Summer Camp Registrar: Julian Frost
Youth Committee Chair: Norine Longmire
Community Volunteers
Frank Apodaca – Deep River Aikido
Dennis Belt – Ventura Aikikai
Darrell Bluhm – Siskiyou Aikikai
John Brinsley – Aikido Daiwa
Maureen Browne – Fox Valley Aikikai
Joe Canon – Corvallis Aikikai
Gerry Clemons – Oak Park Aikikai
Leslie Cohen – San Diego Aikikai
Nathalie Daux – Fox Valley
Diane Deskin – Sonoran Aikikai
Dave Dewberry – Multnomah Aikikai
Joseph Dobzynski – Ventura
Eric Doss – Lansing Area Aikikai
Deena Drake – San Diego Aikikai
Gerard Enriquez – Aikido Inst of San Fran
Todd Fessenden – Summit Aikikai
Julian Frost – San Diego Aikikai
Suzanne Gonzales-Webb – Desert Aikikai
Tom Grimaldi – Copper Mountain Aiki Budo
Jobe Groot – Mountain Coast Aikikai
Mike Head – Aikido Daiwa
Roo Heins – Grand Rapids Aikikai
Ed Hernandez – New Tampa Aikido
Joshua Karlin – Aikido Daiwa
John Kent – Fox Valley
Norine Longmire – Aikido Takayama Society
Lizzy (Elizabeth) Lynn – At Large
Mary Malmros – Green River Aikido
Marci Martinez – Grass Valley Aikikai
Don McKay – Green River Aikikai
RC Miles – North County Aikikai
Cindy Moore – San Diego Aikikai
Edward (Ed) Morales – Green Bay Aikikai
Thea Oatman – Lansing Area Aikikai
Read Omohundro – Living Well Aikido
Carrie Parkinson – Lansing Area Aikikai
Deb Pastors – Oak Park Aikikai
Alex Peterson – Summit Aikikai
Cecilia Ramos – Grass Valley Aikikai
Mark Reid – New Tampa Aikikai
Tim Reynolds – North County Aikikai
Kate Savoca – Brooklyn Aikikai
Robert Savoca – Brooklyn Aikikai
Rob Schenk – Aikido Inst of San Fran
Mark Sharp – Oak Park Aikikai
David Stier – Green River Aikido
Kathy Stier – Green River Aikido
Scott Swank – Central Coast Aikikai
Theresa Thadani – Aikido Inst of San Fran
Steve Thoms – Eugene Aikikai
Phil Traunstein – Long Mountain Aikido
Suzane Van Amburgh – Multnomah Aikikai
Jan Arkless Wilson – San Diego Aikikai
Nathan Young – Multnomah Aikikai
Thank you to all our Volunteers!
Financial Report
As you can see from the charts, in 2020 BNA ran a surplus budget, bringing in sixteen thousand dollars more income than we spent as we adapted quickly to the changing landscape and needs of Birankai and our dojos. With the cancellation of Summer Camp, our largest revenue source as well as expense, we revised and reduced our budget by more than eighty thousand dollars, and we also identified numerous other line items to cut expenses, as we prepared for reduced income from our membership during uncertain times. Ultimately, income from dues and dan registrations were above our revised budget, and our prudent conservation of resources reduced our expenses leading to the surplus.
– Joshua Karlin, BNA Treasurer
Support Our Community
You can support Birankai North America dojos through donating to our Seminar Endowment Fund, individual members through our Scholarship Program, and our community through a General Donation, by shopping at AmazonSmile, or by shopping at the BNA Online Store.
Information on each program and donation option can be found on the Support Us Page.
For comments or questions about the Birankai North America Annual Report, please send us a message via our Contact Page.
