Feature Friday: Roger Trimm
Today is the inaugural edition of what will be an ongoing feature here – Feature Friday. We intend to introduce you to someone within or related to our organizations by asking them a few questions and presenting their answers to you.
Today we would like you to meet Roger Trimm.
Sensei Roger Trimm is a long standing member of the North American Karate Federation and Bermuda Karate. He is one of Sensei Tabata’s oldest and most senior students and one of the most foremost practitioners on the island.
Why and how did you get started in Karate?
I started karate out of curiosity when I was asked by my cousin, Roderick Nesbitt, to come check out his class back in 1973.
What is your current rank and or position?
I’m currently 6th Dan and Chief Instructor N.A.K.F. Bermuda
What gets you to the dojo every week?
Watching students grasp a technique or kata they had been trying for weeks which reminds me of myself when I started karate. Also, the fellow instructors working together in harmony.
Who have been your biggest influences in karate?
- Sensei Tabata was my biggest and most dynamic influencer
- Sensei Roderick Nesbitt who took me to my first karate class and we later opened our own dojo together
- Sensei Paget Wharton who trained Roderick and myself in his yard after school
- Sensei Oscar Lightbourne who trained with Roderick and myself and we were given the name ’The Young Dragons’
- Sensei Vernon Simons who imparted a philosophical approach to training
- Sensei Dwayne Williams who joined me teaching at the dojo and supported me when the other instructors were no longer teaching
- Sensei Al Wharton whose mastery of two different martial arts styles, Uechi Ryu and Bak Sil Lum Kung Fu, broadened my martial arts skills
- Sensei Charles Butterfield who pursued me for an entire year to restart training when my dojo was closed
What direction would you like to see karate take in the future?
I would like to see karate fully inducted in the Olympics and N.A.K.F. to grow to greater strength.
What advice can you give the next generation for being successful in Life and/or Karate?
Practice with patience, perseverance and humility. Be committed, learn from the journey and have fun along the way.
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