Douglas Dale 6th Dan, Senior Instructor:

In 1974, Douglas attended Waseda University in Tokyo as an exchange student studying Japanese art and language. It was at Waseda that he first joined the Aikido Club. In 1975, he became the apprentice of the potter Funaki Sensei of Izumo, and studied cooking with Hikedo Matsuura of Mineji Temple. Upon his return, Douglas graduated from Antioch College, Ohio in 1976, where he studied with Michael Jones and Karen Shirley. In 1977, he apprenticed under Chef Hiroshi Hayashi of the Seventh Inn in Boston. Douglas opened Wolfdale’s Restaurant with family in March of 1978. Douglas married Kathleen Foster in August of 1981, and they became the sole proprietors of Wolfdale’s. They have two children, Justin and Christine.

In 1982, he trained at the Turk Street Aikido dojo in San Francisco, and at the Oakland Aikido Institute. That is where he met Wolfgang Baumgartner Sensei whom he considers his life-time sensei. Wolfgang Sensei moved up to Lake Tahoe in 1984 and opened the North Lake Tahoe Aikido dojo. In 1991, Douglas received his Shodan black belt from Wolfgang Sensei and Bill Witt Shihan. In 1998 with his son Justin, he trained with Saito Sensei at the Aikido Shrine in Iwama, Japan. Douglas has been the chief instructor at the North Lake Tahoe Aikido dojo since 1992. Douglas received the rank of Rokudan (6th degree black belt) in 2019. The North Lake Tahoe Aikido dojo has hosted the Lake Tahoe Memorial Day Gasshuku Seminar since 1989.

Zach Hymanson 3rd Dan, Dojo Cho:

Zach began his Aikido training in 1990 with Dan Wold Sensei in Sacramento, CA. In 1993 he moved to the Bay Area to work with the CA Coastal Commission. Over the next two years he continued to train part time at Bay-Marin Aikido with Hans Goto Sensei, and at Aikido of Tamalpias with Wendy Palmer Sensei. Zach then took a break from Aikido training due to extensive travel and work commitments.

In 2002 Zach and his wife moved to Tahoe City to pursue environmental science work opportunities in the Tahoe basin. In 2012, Zach retired after a 25-year career in CA State service as an environmental scientist. In that same year he return to Aikido training with Douglas Dale Sensei.  Zach received the rank of Sandan (3rd degree black belt) in 2022.  He is a Fukushidoin (assistant instructor), and he trains regularly at North Lake Tahoe Aikido.