(Originally posted July 18. 2008 from Master Lozano's old blog)

As long as I can remember I was always kicking and punching the air, pretending that I was fighting numerous opponents. I would do this not knowing what I was doing, one day this man saw me doing this and he asked my Mom where I took Karate lessons. She told him that I just do that all the time. He told her that she should enroll me some where.
My Mom after a while forgot about it, untill I mentioned it again. She asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I answered Karate Lessons.
So Christmas came and went, and one day she said get in the car we are going to town for something. And all of the sudden I found myself in a Karate studio with this man that looked intimidating. I got my first private lesson by my new Sensei, his name was Richard Gomez.Sensei Gomez taught a system  named Okinawan Shorin Ryu, he learned this system when he was in the Navy. Like most Martial Arts instructors he was tough but yet great to work with, I enjoyed every minute that I spent  Sensei Gomez.
I continued to train with him off and on for several years. He kept moving location after location so it was hard at the time to follow him. We stayed in touch through the years, and I learned different Martial Arts.
I opened my first school in 1986 and he would come over sometimes and we would train together. I told him one time that he was a big influence in my life, little did he know that he was the reason that I do what I do today.
Every time I put on my uniform (Dobok) I can still remember the little boy in me looking up at my Sensei  in his uniform (Gi) and being so excited and so in (AWE) of him. Every time I walk out to the Training Hall (Dojang) I can't help but wonder if in all the students there is a little boy or girl that is looking at me the same way that I looked at him.                                   

                                         Thank You Shihan Richard Gomez

SHIHAN RICHARD GOMEZ

He was born on September 16th, 1947 in San Antonio, Texas, went to be with the Lord on July 7th 2008 at the age of 60. Grandmaster Richard Gomez was an 8th degree Black Belt under his teacher Grandmaster Tadashi Yamashita.