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. If you want more information on Shotokan karate click on the links in the resource section below.
Currently I'm in job transition, looking for a role where I can organize systems and processes, and motivate people to achieve goals. I'm a Canadian citizen, able to speak and write fluently in English and Czech. I prefer employment in the lower mainland region of British Columbia.
Here's a brief personal summary, or you may download my resume if you are interested in more details. If you are a pesrpective employer you should check out the ScienceLink training subsidy program I'm enrolled in.
Extensive experience with Nortel Networks, Prism Systems, and Microtel in research, development and software verification of network management applications used in the telecommunications industry. I am interested in operations, process, and quality assurance opportunities. My experiences and skills include
B.Sc. in Management and Systems Science from Simon Fraser University (Completed 3 Co-op terms).
I putter around in the garden, make wine, but karate is a hobby which I pursue most seriously for fun, exercise and as a way to get away from the computer. I like playing with the computer, for example click here to see a little project I did to gain some familiarity with javascript.
I've trained Shotokan karate since 1984. Prior to that, while I was in high school, back in 1976-78, I learned a little wrestling, kung fu, and Shotokan karate. Although I did not really acquire any real skills during my high school years, I learned one thing the only way to acquire skill in what ever you desire you must practice basics and do lots of repetition. JKA style Shotokan karate leaned toward this kind of approach, and that's why I stuck with it since 1984.
I've had the opportunity to train at a number of clubs across North America and Europe, and a number of people have influence my karate over the years some of them famous in the karate world others not. Some of them I've even met.
I've never been a big competitor, but I have competed several times in regional, national, and international tournaments, and I've even won a few medals. Some of them I deserve and some of them I don't, because in sport sometimes you win when you should and sometimes you win when you shouldn't. Life is a bit like that too, the main thing is not to lose your perspective, have fun, it all balances out in the end.
I don't compete anymore, and my work and family responsibilities limit my ability to attend formal karate classes. At first this brought on a dilema. My schedule would not permit me to train at the club I was in for over ten years. I did not think I was strong willed enough to continue training on my own. I was biased enough to want the Shotokan style I was accustomed to, but there was nothing I liked around my home. So in 1997 I started a small club.
It was not easy and there were a couple false starts, but thanks to Bob Edwards and his wife Carol I was able to get the New Westminster Elks Club Auditorium. It has a good wooden floor and is quite spacious.
Interestingly enough the club has attracted a small number of people, with varying levels of expertise and ability. We meet
Running a club is not without its short comings. But I am the big cheese, so I get to set the rules. I don't place heavy significance on athletic ability or lack there of. I believe in a structured environment in which individuals are encouraged to push themselves beyond their physical and mental limits, and that people be evaluated on attitude, sincerity, and willingness to endeavor.
If you'd like more information on my karate you are welcome to contact me, by email. You may also download the New Westminster Shotokan Karate Club Pamphlet . If you want more information on Shotokan karate click on the links in the resource section below.
The opions expressed on the sites listed below are not necessarily endorsed by me, rather I feel these sites contain useful information not just the usual sales crap that seems to be proliferating the web these days.
© Jan Stepan
Last updated May 13, 2002