00​Its no secret that the entire world has been affected by the COVID19 pandemic for over a year now.  For ZenQuest this initially meant shutting down for almost four months, with no ’in-person’ classes allowed during that time.  In July of 2020 we reopened with extensive safety measures, limited capacities, and modified class formats.  Over time, the class limits and safety measures have relaxed somewhat as the COVID situation slowly improved. 
Now, with vaccinations well underway and a significant portion of the population in Massachusetts immunized, the commonwealth is now making major changes to its restrictions for contact sports and activities.  Based on recent updates issued by this ZenQuest will adjust its COVID safety measures as follows:
 
· Students will now be allowed to make physical contact in training. This includes a return to two-person drills, partner target work, escape techniques, and technical sparring (for Karate and Muay Thai.)
· Sparring and rolling will be allowed again on a limited basis.  This will start with team sparring sessions held on Saturdays from 1:00 to 1:45 PM for students who are fully vaccinated against COVID19.  Proof of full vaccination (including a two-week period following a final injection) must be provided to qualify for this.   
 
Training in respective classes for a minimum of three weeks prior to entering team sparring is also required.  Participation in team sparring will start with ‘technical sparring’ or ‘flow rolling’ and gradually build up to a normal level of intensity.  These steps are to allow for proper conditioning and safety, and minimize risks for everyone.
Students who are not yet comfortable with the partner training described above may continue with using the appropriate equipment or ‘ghost mode’ in their training for the time being.  Students who are not yet vaccinated can participate in team sparring as soon as they are fully vaccinated. Those who prefer not to be vaccinated can take advantage of additional changes to safety measures as they happen.
All other safety precautions are remaining in place for the time being including masks, one-way traffic, sanitizing and limiting class sizes.  Equipment usage will still be kept to a minimum, but temperature checks are now optional.  For additional information on remaining safety precautions please visit this link. 
Massachusetts’ Governor Baker is predicting that we will be back to 100% normal by August of this year!  As we inch closer to that goal we will continue to relax our COVID safety precautions and gradually get to a place where this is all behind us.
Special thanks go out to all of the students who've continued to train OR started training in the modified classes during the COVID situation.  We appreciate your support more than you can know and will not forget your dedication and willingness to adapt.

ZenQuest recently visited St. Mary’s school in Lee, Massachusetts.  Senseis Connie and Mark introduced the students there to some fun and age-appropriate martial arts drills.  Students from grades K through 8 were taken through simple striking and blocking fundamentals and then practiced applying those moves on pool-noodles and paddle-targets.  The older kids were also shown a few escape strategies where Sensei Connie would counter a hold that Sensei Mark surprised her with.  The kids seemed to really enjoy the presentations and several staff and parents provided very positive feedback.  Huge thanks to the St. Mary’s PTO for a generous donation of $150 in appreciation for the visit.  The funds will be used for repairs to ZenQuest’s playground area.
The dojo is also continuing its classes at Miss Hall’s school this spring.  Students there meet twice each week to learn material from Okinawan Karate, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Thai Boxing.  The material there is presented in a fitness and self-defense mode.  The girls there are very focused and soak the techniques and strategies up like sponges.  The students and staff at Miss Hall’s have given positive feedback and ZenQuest will be happy to return in the fall to provide more classes there.