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A few weeks after Shihan Wenneberg first opened AMAA’s doors
in 1992, a gentleman named Chris Gernux rolled in with his wheelchair. The following is an excerpt from Shihan
Wennberg’s Unleash Your Inner Warrior:
“Chris was in a
wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down. He had been in an automobile
accident which resulted in his permanent paralysis. At the age of twenty-one, Chris was not ready
to give up.
He asked me if I
could teach him how to protect himself and to help him develop his mind, body
and spirit. I had no idea what I could do for him yet I said, “Let’s get
started right away.” I sought out information as to how I could best serve
Chris and after a few months we were seeing progress. Chris had his challenges
and without a doubt he could have used his injury as an excuse, yet he was
determined to not quit.
Chris became a
high ranking Brown Belt and went on to a successful career and he also plays
several other sports. There were many obstacles along the way; but as a team,
the mission was possible.”
As Chris was AMAA’s first handicapped student, Shihan had no
experience with working with students in wheelchairs. However, Chris had a desire to learn, and
Shihan found a way. Today wheelchair curriculums are in martial arts schools
across the nation.
I had the opportunity of training with Chris, and despite
his challenges, he always had a positive attitude, and an attitude of a
warrior, “one who serves.”
Mr. Chris Gernux passed away last month, on March 30, 2015.
Though he had not actively trained in many years, he stayed involved and
supported students, showing up at promotions occasionally. Most importantly, he
laid the path for AMAA to be of service to students of all challenges; from
wheelchairs and walkers to autism and ADHD, AMAA has never turned away a
student willing to learn.
(714) 646-9635
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