Karate school fundraising to rebuild, looking for short-term new location after snow-induced roof collapse
- Ellie Ruel
- 21 hours ago
- 4 min read
Dojo had 40-year history at building on La Perouse Ave and held many memories for students and instructors
By Ellie Ruel
Juneau Independent
After the roof of their dojo gave way under snow from a record storm that buried Juneau last week, the Juneau Shotokan Karate Club is seeking a temporary training space and funds to rebuild the old location.
Lead instructor Doug Murray discovered the destruction last Wednesday morning. Nobody was inside at the time of the collapse, but most of the space was a total loss.
“It was pretty surreal,” Murray said. “I opened the door, and normally, there's a hallway to our workout space, and that was totally covered up with roof structure and snow. I could see daylight beyond that, so that was when I knew something was drastically wrong.”
Vice president of the board Sandra Burgess noted the club was grateful nobody was harmed, since members often go in at odd hours to practice or clean the space. The dojo was closed due to inclement weather on the day before, so no classes were held in the building either. While the building is over 50 years old, the timing of the cave-in came out of the blue.
“I don't think we would have had time for everybody to get out if we had a class there. It would be horrifying,” Burgess said.
Murray estimated 60% of the dojo space’s roof collapsed, making up about 15-20% of the entire building. The club had occupied a fourth of the building for about four decades, hosting classes, guest teachers, special training events, and self-defense workshops. Board members said more than 1,000 students trained there over the four decades the building stood.
“We’re devastated,” said instructor and board member Stacey Poulson. “The dojo is family. It really becomes a part of your life, a part of your routine.”
“I cried a couple of times,” Burgess said.
Burgess, a first-degree black belt, and Poulson, a fourth-degree black belt, have been training at Juneau Shotokan Karate for over two decades. For Poulson, the practice is multi-generational since her grandchildren take classes there, and her children before them.
Both reminisced about birthdays and barbeques held at the club, and visiting instructors teaching special lessons. One that stood out to Poulson was a Kung Fu instructor from Anchorage who focused on training with a bo staff and kata.
For Burgess, the sport has been a good outlet and a chance to connect with the community while also building self-defense skills that could be helpful during an emergency situation.
“Sometimes I tell my husband, ‘Oh, I'm so tired. I'm not gonna go.’ He's like, ‘You're going to feel better if you go.’ And I'm like, ‘I don't know.’ There's not been one time that I've gone to karate, that I didn't come back and say, ‘I'm so glad I went,’” she said. “We just have really good people there and the training is fantastic. And it really gets your endorphins going, too.”
Poulson said the coordination and staying in shape are perks to practicing karate, but passing on the skills of the sport as an instructor can be just as rewarding.
“Being an instructor, I have witnessed students come to the dojo that have special needs in some way or another and karate creates a platform for them to succeed. It also gives them a structure that a lot of kids need,” Poulson said. “We see kids that come in that have very little structure at home or physical or mental disabilities that karate really helps out. It gives them confidence, it also gives them a physical outlet, and a way to learn control in their life.”
The building held a lot of physical mementos for the club, too. Pictures of past senseis and the club’s founder were in the building, along with workout equipment and records.
Murray said he managed to recover financial archives, books (some of which were out of print), photos, and testing cards from the office area, which remained mostly intact. But Poulson said the Dojo Kun and Niju Kun, sets of ethical and philosophical principles created by the founder of Shotokan karate, Gichin Funakoshi, were destroyed in the collapse.
“There were some areas we couldn't get to, because it was eight, 10 feet of snow and debris,” Murray said.
The inaccessible area was near the bleachers and mostly contained items like hand pads. Workout mats are also still buried, but there were no plans to reuse those.
Burgess mentioned the club hopes they can salvage or replicate the flooring, which is wood backed with tires to create a softer, springier surface that made practicing certain maneuvers more comfortable.
For now, the club is raising seven thousand dollars to cover interior rebuild costs with a GoFundMe. A notice on the dojo's website states the building owner's insurance will cover the exterior repairs, but the club will have to recreate the interior.
"This will include new office and dressing room walls, bleachers, flooring, paint, doors, reinstalling the heating system (we are hoping the heater is still in working order, mirrors, etc.," the notice states, adding that it has been a devastating loss "to a dojo that has been a part of the Juneau community for over 40 years."
Burgess said she’s been keeping up with her training in whatever way possible. A sensei out of Anchorage also hosts a Zoom karate class that some students plan to attend while a temporary location is secured.
“Whatever space we can find in our houses. That's the middle of the front room,” Burgess said.
“Across the dogs, over the dogs,” Poulson added, laughing.
Murray, recently retired from a 41-year engineering career, said he has more time for both snow removal and scouting a temporary dojo location while the club rebuilds.
“It's a really valuable thing to the community and we know a lot of people miss it. Hopefully by the end of the month, we'll be in business again,” he said.
• Contact Ellie Ruel at ellie.ruel@juneauindependent.com.
