Alice Bernstein a beacon in Shotokan Karate

THE artform of Shotokan Karate has been a part of Alice Bernstein’s life for over four decades and she continues to excel in many ways.

She has been a top performer for the island when she was competing and now her role as an instructor and a coach is an important one to those who seek to advance in the artform.

Over the 43 years she has been the spearhead of the female movement, though she does not see it that way as there was never any real bias since her involvement.

She was not daunted by the fact that there were not many females involved in the sport when she started in 1978 and anyone who comes into contact with her can assure you she never looks for the easy road out.

She became the first female in ‘Shotokan Karate’ to attain the rank of black belt in Barbados and then she went on to become the first female instructor as well.

She is now the highest-ranked female Shotokan Karateka in the Caribbean. She is the joint Chief Instructor of the Barbados Karate Association (BKA) as well as her home club – the Barbados Shotokan Karate Club. She also sits on the advisory board of the international body which governs the association in Barbados.

During an interview with The Barbados Advocate, she took us back to when it all started.

“First let me say I’m number eight in a family of ten, so you can well imagine there was hardly any time or money for extracurricular activities.

“I have always had an affinity for Karate and the ability to defend oneself was very appealing. I married Paul, a Barbadian and at that time he was a member of the Barbados Karate Association.

“In January of 1978 he, along with Peter Warren, Aaron Truss, Robert Knight and Stephen King formed the Barbados Shotokan Karate Club, so that was the perfect opportunity for me.”

She highlighted that she learnt how to form a fist the correct way on the first day and was hooked.

“Looking back, I can honestly say from the first day I knew that one day I would be a black belt.”

After attaining this rank, she has risen to the pinnacle as she is a graduate of the International Shotokan Federation (ISKF) Instructor Program and holds the designation of International Karate Daigaku (IKD) A-Class Instructor, A-Class Judge, and A-Class Examiner, which has earned her a place on the Shihan Kai Senate of IKD.

During her competitive years, which spanned for about 15 years starting in 1982 representing Barbados at the Caribbean Championships hosted by Barbados, she recalled one of her best experiences.

“I won Barbados’ first gold medal and was given a standing ovation by the crowd.”

However, the question as to why she decided to compete gave her some problems.

“Why did I start competing? That’s a good question because I was never a very confident person. I was never able to sleep the night before a tournament, so it begs the question, ‘Why then did I compete?’”

As she settled into thought, she found the answer. “Because I hate to back away from a challenge. I am a firm believer in ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’. Also, the training involved in competing played an important role in my development in Karate. It helped me to elevate my Karate to a different level.”

She has transitioned from competing to imparting her wisdom to students and competitors from across the region as well as internationally.

“As a qualified Instructor, Examiner and Judge, what really strikes me and warms my heart is to see the development of our students, not only technically but in attitude, confidence and discipline, along with the willingness to work hard in order to succeed.”

Her attention for detail has also allowed her to focus in on the small things, which make a difference.

“What is important too is to encourage them to work on their weaknesses and not take the easy way out by quitting. This goes a long way in their personal life.”

Her teaching career, which now stands at 35 years, has also led her to coaching the National team, which started 25 years ago.

As she looked back over the years, she said that in the early days some of the instructors were a bit condescending. “When doing certain exercises, they would say, ‘Women and children can stop.’ That irked me. I did every one and more and put an end to that thinking.”

But other than that, there were no challenges being a female in her chosen sport.

This shone through when one of her students, Janelle Harewood, who has also competed for Barbados and risen through the ranks, said she doesn’t really see gender differences in karate as one mainly only sees rank. “To me as a female, there is no one else for me to look at as I was coming up. It doesn’t occur to me that karate is male-dominated and the reason for this is because I have always seen a woman at the top or very near the top.”

Harewood, who is now retired from competition, went on to add: “So it seems normal for me to grade to higher levels cause she is always there and I see that happening now with younger girls.

“I think that if Alice wasn’t there, it maybe a bit weird and I think we take that for granted.

“She is not just an older female in karate, but she is the one pushing, the one who can do everything you do even though she is older.

“She would be there as motivation for both males and females because she never stops pushing.”

Alice pointed out that the question about challenges being a female in Karate is definitely a thing of the past as she said that “the Shihan Kai of the Caribbean, of which I am a member (the governing group), is made up of three men and three females. I am also a member of the governing body of the International Karate Daigaku Headquarters in Toronto, Canada. We are here to stay!”