Victoria’s Read

Linda Labbe does not have a typical, normal, job: she is a Karate instructor at her own business, North Bay Karate, a not for profit organization.She has owned and operated North Bay Karate for 25 years now.

Her credentials are impressive and include a 4th degree black belt in Karate, 3rd degree black belt in Jujitsu, Reiki Master status, an Early Childhood Education degree, a BA in psychology, and a Bachelor of Education in Special Education.

Since childhood, Linda has had an interest in martial arts, but wasn’t able to pursue that interest until her own son was 4 yrs of age.

Linda has 2 grown children: her daughter Shayna is 25 and is a junior black belt, and her son Robbie is 31 and has a senior brown belt. Both children are ADD and were told that they would have serious challenges making it through high school. However, not only did they graduate high school, they also went on to graduate from college. Linda attributes their successful school performance, to a large extent, to their disciplines they learned in martial arts.

Linda loves working with the kids and seeing that look in their eyes when they accomplish something they’ve been working hard towards. Keith Perrin, her partner and love, has also recently become involved with the club instructing senior belts once per week.

North Bay Karate is a place where families can come together to take a course that doubles as fun and educational. The classes are kept small – no more than 10 students per class – in order to have ample room to spread out and create a comfortable atmosphere. You can visit their website at www.northbaykarate.ca or call Linda at 705-474-4794 for more information or to register for class. Classes are starting in mid-September and are limited.

By Michelle Lashbrook.