Jujitsu Instructor Shares Knowledge Of Ancient Art
Some people just can’t take retirement sitting down.
Chuck Smith decided he could only take it punching, kicking and throwing people around the gym. The 65-year-old Valley man is a jujitsu instructor, and has decided to bring his martial art to the Valley. Starting Wednesday, he’ll teach classes twice a week at the American Fighting Arts Academy, a karate school at 11930 E. Empire.
Before moving to the Valley seven years ago, Smith said he taught jujitsu for about 30 years in the Bay Area of California. Smith said that once he moved, he noticed there wasn’t any real jujitsu instruction available here.
Jay Prior, who owns American Fighting Arts, said that’s fairly common these days. “It’s pretty rare to have a jujitsu stylist, actually,” he said.
Finding one anywhere is tough. On the West Side, there is only one advertised jujitsu specialist, Bellevue’s John Holm.
“Jujitsu was popular at one time, probably about 30 to 50 years ago. Then, it slowly got phased out and judo got more popular,” Holm said. “It’s starting to get more popular due to ultimate fighting.”
That’s because, Holm said, those who use jujitsu to compete in the anything-goes ultimate fighting competitions usually clean house. Holm said it’s so effective that he teaches it only to people 18 and older, teaching judo instead to younger teenagers and kids.
But what the heck is jujitsu, anyway?
Smith, a sixth-degree black belt, said it’s the martial art that judo descended from. Judo literally translates to mean “the gentle way.” Whereas judo consists mostly of wrestling-style throws and rolls, jujitsu uses those plus kicking, punching, and all kinds of other surprises.
Sound like decades of practicing that would make for a mean guy? Not so. The cheerful Smith said he’s never used his moves on anyone except on the mat.
“I’ve never, ever had to defend myself,” he said.
Smith’s classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m.
Town & County open again
A Valley landmark, the Town & Country Restaurant, will open its doors again on Monday.
The restaurant, at Trent and Fancher for about 40 years, closed in 1994. Owner Frank Rotondo had said the work of running the restaurant in the 1960s-style building was getting to be too much.
But longtime patrons of the eatery can rejoice, because Jerry Schraeder, owner of the Cannon Street Grill in Browne’s Addition, and his partners in Limelight Foods Inc., bought the place. Rotondo had planned to sell the business since it closed.
“He was just looking for the right person,” Schraeder said. Rotondo checked out the Cannon Street Grill, and was impressed with how things went there. But don’t expect the Town & Country to become a yuppy bistro. Schraeder said he will run it the same way Rotondo did.
“It worked for 40 years…. if it works, don’t fix it,” Rotondo said. The outside of the place is being painted, but it will be restored to its former glory, not changed. And the steak-and-sandwich cuisine will remain the same.
“It’s Spokane cuisine, boy, it really is,” Schraeder said. “The dedication of people that used to eat here is overwhelming. They’re just overjoyed.”
Record hospital donation
Valley Hospital and Medical Center recently picked up its biggest donation check ever from the Valley Hospital Foundation.
Norma Ventris, president of the foundation, presented the $205,541 check to the hospital’s chief operating officer, Mike Liepman.
The Valley Hospital Foundation is a non-profit group that exists exclusively to raise money for the medical center.
Donations to the Children’s Miracle Network telethon, a fundraiser for local hospitals, made up $94,074 of the money received. Another $80,000 came from the Festival of Trees, and $32,000 came from other donations.
According to Empire Health Services spokeswoman Terren Roloff, an average year’s donation is $72,637. Since the foundation was formed in 1981 and prior to this year’s check, the group raised a total of $666,114. The just-announced 1995 total boosts the number to $871,655.
, DataTimes