Sensei Darrell Goodyear’s Re-Grand Opening
New Beginning after Katrina Hurricane 4 years in the Waiting
Story by Gene Tibon
I can still remember the phone call I received from Sensei Darrell Goodyear excited that his student Michael Wahl was representing United States Jr. National Team to Uruguay in September 2004. He was packing his clothes and preparing to be the Team Leader for the Jr. National Team and I was Head of Delegation.
We were both excited due to having a great group of young athletes and talented coaches at the Jr. Pan-American Karate Championships that year. The news came that a huge hurricane was headed towards the Gulf Coast right towards New Orleans. This had all of us concerned with all of our friends in New Orleans like Frenchi Cheramie, Benny Harrell, Brian Oliver, and Darrell Goodyear. All of these fine gentlemen along with their families all from St. Bernard Parish, who also made up Sensei Darrell Goodyear’s Organizing Committee for the Federation for the previous 8 years. Many of the Federation families had really become good friends to this group of families, including my wife and I.
Darrell felt the hurricane would change its course, and would blow towards Florida like it has over the last 40 plus years. But this hurricane was different and was catching the eyes of many around the country as its 150 mile an hour winds were headed for a direct hit on New Orleans. We had just finished one of the best nationals in New Orleans with Sensei Darrell Goodyear’s families and the Louisiana Sports Council hosted for the second time the year prior. A direct hit was the last thought in Sensei Goodyear’s and his assistant Brian Oliver mind other than being determined to have Michael Wahl ready for Uruguay. Not hearing any news cast and unaware of what had happened with Katrina they both drove home and heard the news on the radio. Darrell says he was laying down resting at home after a three hour training session with Michael Wahl when he heard the tone in the voice of the radio announcer that this was not going to be good and New Orleans. We are going to take a direct hit with surges over 25ft high and 150 mile an hour category 5 hurricane was expected to blown down all wooden structures or be under water. The radio announcer stated seek refuge in a concrete structure at least two stories high to escape the storm surge. The announcer was urging everybody to evacuate.
Sensei Darrell Goodyear his assistant instructor Brian Oliver and his family members, a total of 11 people and 16 dogs loaded up and headed down the freeway towards Texas not know where they were going to end up. After 19 hours of driving they finally pulled into a hotel and checked in, Sensei Goodyear calling back home to a friend at the Emergency Headquarters in St. Bernard Parish to find out if there was damage to their area. Darrell’s friend told him, “Darrell it’s not good, we’ve lost everything,” If the water rises 2 more inches we are going to have to vacate the Emergency Headquarters. Darrell was the only one who had heard the bad news that all was lost. Everything they owned was under 12ft of water, and life as they knew would be changed forever.
The families tried making contacts with FEMA, and trying to get aid for Brian Oliver’s wife Amy who is 7 ½ months pregnant. He was worried about a place they could settle down to have the baby. Finally, Sensei Goodyear called several friends and was able to contact Sensei Patrick Richous in Texas. Patrick owned a summer house in Livingston, Texas where he gave Darrell Goodyear, Brian Oliver, and family members including now 10 dogs a place where they could try to recoup what ever they could until they got on their feet.
Finding out how bad their area in St. Bernard Parish had been devastated they soon had run out of money and things were getting worse. It was at that time when I spoke to Darrell Goodyear and asked him what he needed the most for the families. Darrell said well we are very short of money, Brian’s wife was ready to have the baby, and it’s really bad.
It was at this time when I told Darrell he needed to set up a P.O. Box at his nearest city so I can get the word out around the country on how to help you and your families. From that point I had sent e-mails all across the nation to our Karate families and friends who had become so close to over the years working with Darrell Goodyear’s New Orleans Organizing Team. Everybody wanted to help, and in less than 3 weeks Darrell Goodyear had receive about $30,000.00 from around the country. All of his Karate friends knew one of our own was in trouble. Soon many dojos had fundraisers, tournaments, and raffles to raise money for Darrell Goodyear and his families.
My wife Yvonne Tibon and Liz Lawrie hosted an ON LINE Baby Shower for Brian’s wife Amy, and for baby Noah, who was just born. Darrell said due to the flood Brain and Amy thought the name Noah was appropriate what they’ve been through. We were able to get them a crib and changing table along with other baby things they needed. Truly the Karate families across the country all stepped up.
After a 1 year layover in Colorado Springs where Darrell and Brian tried to open a dojo there at a Racquetball center where they first met now Federation CEO Luke St. Onge, who was our Federation High Performance Director for the time.
Darrell Goodyear had to get back to his roots in New Orleans, and stayed to the course determined to re-build his house, which his father built, and teach Karate back in St. Bernard Parrish again. He then started his involvement with the St. Bernard Parish politics. Darrell met a Councilman by the name of Craig Taffaro and agreed with is ideas on rebuilding the area, and began walking door to door in supporting Mr. Taffaro. Several months latter Craig Tefero became the Parrish President. Craig Tefero was totally about giving the children of the area a new purpose in sports and recreation, and to get their minds working in the right direction to regain their confidence in their community. Working tirelessly to help Sensei Goodyear re-open his world class Karate program again that would help the children of Katrina changes their lives.
Sensei Darrell Goodyear was successful in taking his first group of athletes to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in 2008 and again in 2009. The Parrish President again knew he made the right decision in helping support a building for Darrell Goodyear’s Shotokan Karate program. A brick school building, which only flooded the bottom floors still had an untouched by flood water second floor. It needed a lot of work, paint, sheet rock, and volunteer work with no money in the budget. Darrell had many of his Karate families, friends, and church youth volunteers workers assisted for some 6 months, day and night on the building.
I’m proud to say my wife Yvonne Tibon and I from California, Sensei Junki Yoshida his wife Linda Yoshida from Oregon, flew in for the special ribbon cutting ceremony. Sensei Yoshida had brought some of his friends from a Fiber Optic Company and were so touched by the opening ceremony. They along with Sensei Yoshida donated 5 computers to Darrell Goodyear’s dojo to create a homework area for the athletes as they wait for their classes to start, or while waiting for their parents to pick them up after classes.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony a special award was presented to Frenchi Cheramie who had suffered recent heart attack and is now on a heart pace. He is still good old Frenchi, smiles and all. Still loving Karate and waiting to get the clearance from the Doctor to go back to training and teaching next to Sensei Goodyear.
Sensei Benny Harrell was on hand to set up a whirl wind weekend for our group, and took us to the finest restaurants in New Orleans. He truly was a world class organizer and a wonderful friend; there was not a special place in New Orleans we did not see or visit. What a trip to see New Orleans still has a ways to go to get back to normal, but it is definitely on its way. Sensei Brian Oliver was beaming with pride for what they had all accomplished in this re-grand opening.
Sensei Goodyear had invited all of his past black belts and students who had been scattered all over the state due to Katrina. He had also invited many of his good friends like Sensei Pat Jennings and other Karate instructors in the area. One of the instructors mentioned to Sensei Goodyear that he had Joe Mirza President of the AAU Karate was in town, Darrell also invited Mr. Mirza to the grand opening since we hadn’t seen him since the US Olympic Training Center Karate Summit that we were all members of. The re-union was great; it brought in old friends and also attracted new friends. The ceremony touched the hearts of everybody there, which brought tears of memories and enjoyment to many eyes.
To see Brian and Amy’s two young son’s running in the dojo is what made the opening ceremony special for me. Especially knowing it all started with the birth of Noah, and now is training on the dojo floor his Uncle Darrell could not live without. Brian and Amy Oliver were also successful in moving back into their house after a beautiful restoration and an expansion for Noah to even make their house bigger and better than before. Now they live next door to Sensei Darrell Goodyear where the boys run from yard to yard chasing butterflies and jumping on their trampling. Welcome home Darrell Goodyear, Brain and Amy Oliver, and families of the Katrina disaster.
