People

Sensei Gina Wood, 2nd Dan

Sensei Gina Wood started training in 1994 in College Park Maryland with Sensei Ali Tabassi and also trained with Sensei Michael Tabassi before she moved home to Minneapolis to train with  Sensei Robert Fusaro in 1995. She currently holds a 2nd degree (Ni-Dan) black belt.

Sensei Gina believes that traditional karate training is a life-long study of movement and intention that increases confidence, stamina, flexibility and the mind/body connection that can be sorely lacking in many of our daily activities. She has personal experience with dramatically changing her own body awareness and athleticism, leading to increased confidence and safety walking through the world. Her many years of teaching karate to children have only reinforced those beliefs as she’s been able to observe the same awakening taking place for many of her students.

She currently teaches the children’s classes at Shotokan Karate Minnesota (aka Midwest Karate) and runs multiple week-long karate day camps for kids with her company Midwest Karate Kids, LLC. She also teaches an accredited self-defense course at Macalester College and offers personal safety workshops in the community.

Sensei Gina received her Sho-Dan (1st degree black belt) from Sensei Hidetaka Nishiyama in 2003 and her Ni-Dan from Sensei Robert Fusaro in 2013.

Yukino Nakamura, 2nd Dan

Yukino Nakamura is a young Japanese karateka who has been involved with the kid’s karate camps since 2014. The camps have grown and transformed over the years, and Yukino has found ways to contribute with her passion for teaching and innovation. 

Yukino has been training in traditional Shotokan karate since 2010 and received her first degree black belt (Sho-Dan) from Sensei Robert Fusaro in 2014 and her second degree black belt (Ni-Dan) in 2016. The highlights of her karate journey include competing internationally (2014, 2015, 2016) and training at the highly esteemed JKA headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Her deep involvement with karate allows her to bring new ideas to the dojo and teach children what she has learned over the years in a creative and approachable way. Yukino enjoys hearing the mixture of yays and groans when she calls out to do the infamous “squat kicks” she endured in her Japan training, but she enjoys even more the moment when every single student basks in the sense of accomplishment as they finish up the last squat kick.

Karate camps allow children to learn and enjoy the essence of traditional karate while gaining many skills that contribute to their overall growth. Yukino believes that she, along with the other senseis and helpers, strive to make the karate camps unique, exciting, and safe for all campers.

Hannah Stephenson, 1st Dan

Hannah Stephenson began her karate experience in 2006 at the young age of 5 at Shotokan Karate Minnesota (formerly Midwest Karate Association) under the tutelage of Sensei Gina Wood.  She has competed in several local and national competitions, and she has trained under many karate masters over her time as a karateka.  Hannah received her 1st degree black belt from Sensei Robert Fusaro in 2017.  

Hannah has been assisting Sensei Gina with the kid’s classes for 5 years, and as of 2-3 years ago she began teaching on her own.  She has also been involved with the summer karate camps since they began in 2013.  Hannah has previously struggled with her strength of mind and self-esteem, and she didn’t know where her place was in this world.  She firmly believes that karate has helped her tremendously in discovering herself and growing as a person because the backbone of karate is budō, or self-improvement.  She has witnessed first-hand that in training the body, you also train the (mind) and soul, and therefore you strive to become a better person.  Hannah wishes to impart these valuable life lessons to her students, and that’s why she finds such joy when someone makes a breakthrough in their karate, whether it’s big or small.  The light in their eyes when they realize they got past the difficult times reminds her of herself, and she loves watching them grow as karateka and people.  Hannah wants everyone who comes to karate classes or camps to know that they are safe, welcome, and that we will help them on their path to self-improvement.