A legacy of martial arts at the University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo Club is one of the longest active university-affiliated martial arts clubs in North America. The karate club was established in 1977 by Sensei Hausel & students were introduced to traditional karate, kobudo, self-defense, samurai arts, jujutsu & body hardening (shitai kori) through the karate club activities. Sensei Hausel, assisted by members of the club also provide training for University of Wyoming students in Introduction to Karate, Introduction to Jujutsu, Introduction to Kobudo, Self-Defense, and Women's Self-Defense classes in the Department of Physical Education, Department of Kinesiology & School of Extended Studies. The karate club has been affiliated with two martial arts associations: Juko Kai International and Seiyo Kai International.

For years, the club sponsored free self-defense clinics for University students, staff, faculty and members of the Laramie Community. The club activities included water training in the UW pool, and numerous clinics and seminars on advanced martial arts. Members of the club traveled to martial arts clinics in Casper and Saratoga Wyoming, Murray Utah, Kentucky, Maine, Dallas, Florida Missouri and North Carolina. Due to Hausel's connections in the martial arts, he also brought two world-famous martial artists to the University of Wyoming to teach special clinics - Dai Soke Sacharnoski, 12th dan and O Sensei Tadashi Yamashita, 9th dan.

In 1999, Sensei Hausel reached one of the highest levels in martial arts when he was promoted to grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu karate, which brought prestige to the university karate club.



Grandmaster Hausel uses his expertise in geology and martial arts to teach University of Wyoming students how to break rocks without a rock hammer.

Many students and faculty trained under Soke Hausel at the UW Karate Club and several dozen ended up with degrees in their chosen fields as well as yudansha (black belt) certifications at the University. This could never have happened except for the fact that Hausel had been a Soke (Grandmaster) and one of the highest ranked martial artists in the world. There were many honor students who graduated from UW who high-lighted their time and training at the UW karate club in commencement speeches and provided highlights in the acknowledgements in their thesis and dissertations. Many students chose UW over other universities because of the martial arts program. There were even some students who claimed that the martial arts training was what got them through the university.  One student, who owned and operated a taekwondo school, attended a self-defense clinic by Soke Hausel. Following the clinic, he closed his school and moved to Laramie to train at the UW club. It is hard to know how many people participated in the UW club and Department Martial Arts Classes, but after 35+ years, one estimate suggests the number was 3,000 to 6,000 students. Not bad for a university that had a student body of less than 10,000. In particular, the club attracted large numbers of students each fall, and the 7 am Introduction to Karate classes were so popular, that a waiting list was established each year that it was taught by Sensei Hausel. The cut off was 110 students, making it one of the larger classes on campus and the largest in the PE department.

The Karate students were a favorite and many Mens and Womens basketball half-times and also provided exciting demonstrations at Chinese New Year celebrations and International Week celebrations.

Karate Club members provide entertainment for International Week at the University of Wyoming. Here the members demonstrate Shorin-Ryu Karate along with Nunchaku.

The Laramie Boomerang

The University of Wyoming Branding Iron noted accomplishments
of the UW Karate club and its head instructor, Soke Hausel.

Soke Hausel, inducted into the American Karate Association Hall of Fame
posed at University of Wyoming - an internationally recognized
martial artist and geologist

The University of Wyoming Faculty news notes Soke
Hausel's induction into the World
Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Malaysia.

Letter from the Governor

The University of Wyoming President wrote
to Soke Hausel noting his inductions for martial arts,
science, and education.

University of Wyoming's Martial Arts Legacy migrates to Arizona

Soke Hausel at Grizzly Creek where he
discovered a world-class gemstone deposit in 2004. 

In 1977, Sensei Hausel was hired by the Geological Survey of Wyoming on the University of Wyoming Campus in Laramie to search for base metals, precious metals, gemstones, radioactive minerals and industrial minerals along with developing publications and maps to provide information to the public, state and mining industry on these deposits. He was also charged with researching both Precambrian geology and Igneous Petrology, both which had been neglected up till 1977.

Teaching jujutsu at UW with assistance of 
Sensei Jason Gies.

As a polymath, this was a perfect job for the geoscientist: over the years, he more than fulfilled these obligations finding hundreds of mineral anomalies, major mineral deposits and even some world-class mineral deposits - both gold and gemstones and finding new mining districts. Never in the history of the Geological Survey had one person accomplished so much. 

In addition to finding mineral deposits, he published nearly 1,000 documents including books, magazine articles, professional papers, geological maps and abstracts, mapped more than 1,000 square kilometers of complex Precambrian geological terrain, and mapped kimberlite and lamproite fields, investigated mineral deposits associated with porphyry gold-copper deposits, mapped and investigated gold deposits associated with alkaline volcanics, discovered major gold deposits in Wyoming and Alaska, and presented nearly 500 talks around the country about the geology of Wyoming. He was presented many awards and inducted into two Halls-of-Fame for his work in geological sciences and public education.

At the same time, Sensei Hausel taught martial arts at the University of Wyoming for 30 years as part of University Clubs, Club Sports, Department of Physical Education, Department of Kinesiology and University of Wyoming Extended Studies. Five thousand or more students, staff, faculty and members of Wyoming community attended these martial arts classes, karate clinics and self-defense short courses. These include Karate, Jujutsu, Kobudo, Self-Defense and Samurai Arts. He also taught martial arts clinics to the public on self-defense, rape prevention, jujutsu, karate, and kobudo (martial arts weapons).

Another Hall-of-Fame
induction for
grandmaster Hausel.

Special martial arts classes and clinics were also taught to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, and Montana martial artists and communities and included hanbo, hojojutsu, tonfa, nunchaku, kama, sai, manrikigusari, naginata, yari, shitai kori, bo, kuwa, eiku, tanto, kibo, katana, nitanbo, kobuton, and others. Most of the clinics were taught at the University of Wyoming, but others were taught in Afton, Alpine, Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette, Riverton and Saratoga. To further educate people in martial arts history and benefits, he spoke to many groups about traditional martial arts. 

And like the geological sciences, this fit well with a polymath. Sensei Hausel was inducted into Halls-of-Fame and several Who's Who for his teaching martial arts, influence on students, and developing a hybrid traditional martial art. From 1998 to 2012, he had been inducted into 14 Halls-of-Fame recognizing his accomplishments in the martial arts and became one of the better martial arts instructors in the world. Few other karate instructors had accomplished as much. 

In 1999, he was awarded the rank of kudan (9th dan) in Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo and certified as Sokeshodai of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Renmei. In 2004, Soke Hausel was awarded the highest rank in Shorin-Ryu Karate (Judan). As a 10th dan Soke, he continued to develop his martial arts. 

In 2006, Soke Hausel ran into a dilemma. He had to chose between his love of his profession at the University and continue to work at the Geological Survey, or to take early retirement because of ethical conflict of working for a corrupt director. Three people died at the Geological Survey and nearly half of the staff resigned, transferred or retired. Even though it was his original intent to stay at the Wyoming Geological Survey until they carried him out in a box, he retired and moved to Arizona in protest of treatment of employees.

Since leaving Wyoming, Soke Hausel continued his geology career as a consultant for several mining companies, VP of US Exploration for and Australian diamond company, offered several book contracts, and has even been contacted by a half-dozen companies about doing reality shows related to gemstones and diamonds. In the past, Soke Hausel found several diamond deposits and identified nearly 300 anomalies that likely include additional diamond deposits. He also found dozens of gemstone deposits and hundreds of gold anomalies.

Along with geological consulting, Hausel continues to teach martial arts in Arizona. He also operates an international martial arts association (Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai) with martial artists in more than a dozen countries and teaches several times a week at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate in Mesa and Gilbert, Arizona. 

Soke Hausel's classes were always filled at the University of Wyoming. His Beginning Karate PE Classes filled to 110 students with waiting lists.

So, the martial arts legacy continues in Arizona, where he operates a martial arts hombu (hombu is a world martial arts center or karate school) and continues teaching adults and families about traditional martial arts, but misses the university environment.

In the past he taught not only at the University of Wyoming, but also at the University of New Mexico, University of Utah and Arizona State University (ASU). ASU could have been a good fit, but the "bureaucracy was impressive" and after a year, Soke decided to leave ASU. Hopefully, one day, ASU, Grand Canyon University, Mesa Community College or a similar school will recognize they need a traditional martial arts program and a top martial arts instructor. Martial arts are not just about breaking rocks, they are mostly about improving a person mentally and physically. If all members of our society were receiving traditional martial arts training in the public schools and universities as they do in Japan, violence related to drug drivers, drugs, etc. would almost go away.

Since leaving Wyoming, the Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo Club invited Grandmaster Hausel back to teach some martial art and self-defense clinics. The club has also experienced a group of different instructors and faculty advisors starting with Shihan Froidevoix (5th dan), Sensei Martin (1st dan), Shihan Larson (5th dan) and Sensei Nicole Maxwell (2nd dan). Faculty advisors included Dr. Florence Teule followed by Professor Mark Bittner (both black belts). 

Soke Hausel left a legacy at UW that included 2,000 to 3,000 students who participated in the club's activities. This program was one of the top martial arts educational programs in North America for many years.

30th Anniversary Clinic at Corbett Gym at the University of Wyoming. Soke Hausel kneeling (center). 



UW students learn self-defense at Soke Hausel's clinics

Self-defense classes for women, students, faculty, ROTC, sororities, etc
were always very popular with attendees filling the University of Wyoming
gymnasiums.

Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo Clinic at University of Wyoming

Preparations for the annual Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo clinic were scheduled along with a free Public Self-Defense clinic sponsored by ASUW, University Housing, UWCampus Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo Club and UW Club Sports at the University of Wyoming. In past years, UW invited Hall-of-Fame Grandmaster Hausel to teach clinics to karate enthusiasts. Some UW alumni traveled from around Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Utah and Arizona to attend this clinic.

UW Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate Club about 1999. Shown in the front center
wearing the traditional red belt of a grandmaster, is Soke Hausel, 10th dan. 

The Friday evening clinic for the general public and university faculty and staff was the high-light of the anniversary celebration. This anniversary was special, as it celebrated the 30th anniversary of the martial arts group.

UW Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo Club around 2000, with Soke Hausel kneeling in front with traditional red belt of a grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu Karate. Many of the students graduated with bachelors, masters and doctors degrees at the University and the membership also included some faculty members.

Grandmaster Hausel traveled from Phoenix Arizona to teach the clinic in Laramie. 
 

1996 University of Wyoming Kijutsu clinic. World famous grandmaster Soke Sacharnoski sits in
front center. This clinic for UW martial artists and JKI members around the world, was taught at
Corbet Gym - one of many special clinics brought to UW by UW Shorin-Ryu Karate, and UW Club
Sports.

2003 Yamashita Shorin-Ryu Karate Clinic. World famous Okinawa martial artist, movie star and 
stunt man, O'Sensei Tadashi Yamashita sits in front, 8th from photo left. Another special clinic
brought to UW by UW Shorin-Ryu Karate and UW Club Sports.