Zeke Kassel is a talented martial artist. According to Darrel Duffy, Kassel's chief instructor of Shaolin Kempo Karate at Villari's Self Defense, "I can honestly say that Zeke is one of the most caring and hardworking teens I have ever worked with. He volunteers his time on Saturday mornings to work with kids at the South Burlington studio and at many of Villari's outreach events such as Operation Military Kids for the Vermont National Guard," he added. "Zeke is a great inspiration and role model for the children in our communities. He is a talented martial artist and will be an incredibly valuable instructor at Villari's Self Defense."

Grandmaster Frederick J. Villari developed the specific art of Shaolin Kempo Karate after many years of studying and mastering numerous styles of martial arts. He concluded that there were really only four ways of fighting: first is punching with your open or closed hands or hitting with any part of the arms, elbows, or forearms; second is kicking with foot, leg, knee or shin; third is felling - to knock an opponent off their feet by throwing, tripping, pulling, pushing, shoving or scooping; fourth is grappling by either wrestling, holding, breaking, locking bones or joints against nerve centers. Grandmaster Villari devised and developed a way to integrate the four ways of fighting into one, eliminating weaknesses and vulnerabilities. A pioneer of martial arts in the Western world, Villari felt that the masses, as opposed to the select few, should have the opportunity to learn Shaolin Kempo Karate skills. This current system of fighting has spread nationally and internationally and its philosophy is still in use at Villari's Self Defense today.
Born on July 3, 1995, Kassel and his family have lived in Shelburne his entire life except for one year when they lived in Flagstaff, Ariz. The family includes parents, Carol and Peter, twin brother Evan, two older sisters, 19-year-old Sara and 17-year old Sami, a dog named Bear, and a cat they call Twinkie.

"I started Shaolin Kempo Karate in September of my third grade year," Kassel said. "My sister [Sara] was doing it so I decided to try it out too," he reminisced. Kassel, who has been studying karate for over seven years, currently trains twice a week year-round and helps instruct three karate classes on Saturdays. In fact, Kassel is in Chief Instructor Duffy's Jr. Instructor program and when he turns 18 he will have the opportunity to teach at Villari's.

Except for wearing a clean white ghi, or uniform, Kassel hasn't developed a personal ritual for martial arts tournaments or testing. And given the inherently ritualized nature of the sport, it's not a priority.

On June 6, Kassel achieved the rank of first-degree black belt. "The proudest moment in my life so far is getting my black belt," he exclaimed. "I'm not finished yet," he added. "I will keep trying to get higher levels, or degrees, of black belts."

In addition to karate, Kassel has a job taking care of his neighbor's dog and participates in Connecting Youth (CY). CY is a community-based organization dedicated to creating a safe, healthy, and substance-free environment for young people through education, prevention, and early intervention programs. (For more on CY, see page 17)

Although this salmon-steak-loving sophomore at CVU claims that he can't name a short-term goal yet, that's not the same as saying he doesn't have any. In addition to advanced karate training, Kassel says college and teaching martial arts are definitely in his future. And there's no doubt he'll use some skillful moves to get there.