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Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame |
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Carol Burris
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Carol Burris began training in 1976. She was strong, quick, and a natural for the martial arts. She was a competitor for many years between 1976 and 1984. The only reason she slowed down was the responsibility she felt for her children. She had her first baby in 1980, continuing to compete well into her pregnancy. After her second child was born in 1982, Carol never competed as regularly as she had earlier, but she was just as active instructing and motivating her students. Carol's attention to detail, her quickness and strength, and her natural coordination made her a natural for kata competition. She competed with ladies and men winning many championships and trophies. Among some of the major competitions were repeated wins in the IIKA's Nationals, Joe Corley's Battle of Atlanta, Roy Hinkle's Battle of Nashville, and Ben Kiker's Southern tournaments. |
She was equally strong in kumite, winning first place in the ladies divisions so often, it was almost "automatic." The only ladies that gave her good competition during one phase of her fighting years were the very top southern lady competitors: Julia Ledbetter and Nancy Toby from Nashville, and Mitzi Tyler from Rome, Ga. Carol was one of those ladies who could have competed in the men's divisions, and of course she always did compete with the men in regular training.
As an instructor, Sensei Burris is without question one of the very best. Her greatest asset is her uncanny ability to motivate her students. They are well disciplined with excellent technique, and they believe they are the best. She believes that students must like what they are doing in order to be successful, so she always makes training fun without losing any of the rigor and discipline, and they always look forward to coming back to class for the next session. Sensei Burris has learned her lessons well, and she applies what she has learned to make sure her students succeed.
Sensei Burris has been inspirational to women particularly women in the south. She organized "Ladies of Isshin-Ryu" several years ago for the purpose of convincing women that they could be more than casual members of an Isshin-Ryu school, that they could take on leadership roles within the dojo, within their communities through the martial arts, and within the larger national arena of lsshin-Ryu. Since her efforts started years ago, much progress has been made by women in the martial arts, and in Isshin-Ryu in particular. This is not to say that the progress is a result of her efforts alone, but she was one woman who had a message and exerted the leadership to be heard.
As a Youth Affairs Officer with the Juvenile Court, Sensei Burris organized an afternoon Isshin-Ryu Karate class for teenagers on Court probation. The purpose was to help the young people to be successful and to accomplish something that seemed worthwhile to them that was outside of and above the control of their peers- the peer influence in many cases contributes to their delinquency and is too strong for the delinquent to overcome alone. There was of course no charge for the youngsters on probation. She regularly brings in "scholarship" kids into the regular class that she knows will benefit from the training.
On January 15, 1994, Sensei Burris became the first Isshin-Ryu lady in the south to be promoted to the rank of Roku-Dan. She went through intense testing and questioning before the IIKA Board of Directors in order to be promoted. She has been recognized for outstanding contribution to Isshin-Ryu Karate, and she has been recognized for outstanding contribution to her community because of her work in Isshin-Ryu at the community level.
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Copyright © 1997 Isshin-Ryu Hall Of Fame, Inc. All rights reserved.
Revised: July 06, 2008.
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