Dojo to use dunk tank in ice bucket challenge
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on September 11, 2014 2:06 PM
A younger Kevin Thompson never shied away from the physical pain associated with his climb to the top of the martial arts universe.
He was relentless -- a quality that, those who know him say, is the reason he once knocked Billy Blanks off his feet.
So when word began to spread that the former champion was up against a foe he couldn't fend off with the skills he had worked so hard to hone, the people he has inspired over the years began raising money to assist their hero in his fight against ALS.
Berris Sweeney was one of them -- hosting a fundraiser inside his Goldsboro dojo last year that saw more than $1,000 collected in Thompson's honor.
And when videos of buckets of ice being dumped on heads began taking the nation by storm several months ago, the local sensei decided to take the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge" a step further.
A dunk tank full of ice water will grace the parking lot of Sweeney's Ash Street martial arts studio Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
And the public is invited to take the plunge -- to raise the bar on its commitment to the fight against ALS.
Food will be peddled and other fundraising activities will unfold.
And every few minutes, one of the young people currently training in the discipline that transformed Thompson into a national icon will submerge themselves into what Sweeney characterized as "the biggest ice bucket" seen to date.
It is, quite simply, their way of living up to the mantra one of their mentors has always lived by -- even since the day in 2012 when a doctor's words nearly delivered a knockout blow.
"Martial arts is considered a way of life. It's much more than kicking, blocking and punching. And when you talk about a way of life, you're talking about building and developing the character of an individual," Thompson said. "The prefix of the word karate, 'kara,' it simply means to open, to share, to care, to love. We are working individuals -- working behind an open heart and open mind; a giving heart, a giving mind; a loving heart, a loving mind. That is what it is all about."
Those who wish to participate in the fundraiser can simply show up at the dojo at 413 E. Ash St. Saturday.
Those who can't make it but would like to donate to the cause are asked to contact Sweeney at 919-584-1777.