THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

The Story of Tonie (Harris) Gatlin

Copyright 2003 by Linda Nathan and Tonie Gatlin
All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright
1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of
this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means,
or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission
of the authors.

For more information contact:

Mama T at 503.481.0372
or lovebyexample.com

Book Design by Shannon Crowley

Treasure Image and Publishing
TreasureImagePublishing.com
 Dedication

It is with great affection and deep, heartfelt love

that I dedicate this book to my four children and
their children: Jokava and Frank, Tony and my
Poopie (Octavia), whose births and lives have
radiated God's grace and helped keep me above
the circumstances revealed in the book.

And to Walter, my beloved. Because of his love I

now know better what it means to be me. And
finally to my sister in Christ, Ora Hart, who
believed in me from the beginning to the end.

Thanks.

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11
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Endorsements ................................................................... 3

Dedication ........................................................................ 7

Acknowledgements ......................................................... 9

CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................ 15
Enter the Dragon

CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................ 33
Embracing the Fire

CHAPTER 3 ........................................................................ 43
Winds of Change

CHAPTER 4 ........................................................................ 63
Root to Flower

CHAPTER 5 ........................................................................ 79
The Way of the Dragon

CHAPTER 6 ........................................................................ 95
The Dragon Returns

CHAPTER 7 ...................................................................... 107

The Snake, The Cobra and The Dragon

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

CHAPTER 8 ...................................................................... 125

The Narrow Way

CHAPTER 9 ...................................................................... 139

The Christian and The Force

CHAPTER 10 .................................................................... 163

Snake Eggs

CHAPTER 11 .................................................................... 189

The Full Armor of God

CHAPTER 12 .................................................................... 217

Walking in the Light

EPILOGUE ........................................................................ 239

Going After the Dragon

Appendix....................................................................... 243

ABOUT THE AUTHORS ................................................... 255

Tonie Gatlin

Linda Nathan

About the Cover Art

Bibliography ................................................................. 259

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 CHAPTER 1

Enter the Dragon

Probing the pitch black cell with his mind, the

initiate assessed his situation in silence. Locked away
in this dank underground labyrinth far beneath the
monastery, he had passed every test, defeated every
foe - until now. Then he saw--or rather sensed--far
above what had to be the only way out - two tiny
openings barely large enough for a mans hands and
arms and separated by approximately a shoulders
length of distance.

Yes, the moment for which his years of training were

dedicated was here at last. Meditating upon the Ki
force within, he expelled a hairsplitting shriek and

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

sprang up the wall with superhuman effort, grasping

for the holes.

Yes! In the split second before falling back into the

darkness and certain death, he clutched their edges,
a sudden excruciating pain exploding through his
arms.

Blindly he had grasped the sides of a huge, red hot

metal vessel. Yet, desperate for life in the midst of
intense agony, the initiate clung to his only hope of
survival. As he did, the wall on which he hung
creaked into life and a massive stone door ground
open with agonizing slowness, depositing him
outside the labyrinthine monastery. His trial was
over. Victorious at last, he was now a Certified
Master of the Shaolin Monastery. And seared into
the flesh of each arm as a perpetual reminder of his
agony and triumph were two dragons.*

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 Chapter 1

Tonie sat remembering. She, too, had escaped

from a hellish labyrinth seared with the brand of
the serpent-dragon. In her soul. In the 20 years
since Bruce Lees film Enter the Dragon first swept
her into a new world, she had come a long way.

Hey, Tonie, theres a new movie out. Its all

about karate. Want to go?

Yeah, sure. Tonie responded to her husbands

suggestion without a second thought. Whats there
to lose?Im going crazy staying home with the kids all
the time anyway. Hurriedly she piled the dirty
dishes in the sink, wiped her hands, and dialed the
sitter. Cradling the phone against her ear as she
waited, she caught a glimpse of herself in the
mirror hanging over the table. Young, lithe, and
strong. Dark black eyes flashing in a handsome
chiseled ebony face. A bit like a caged panther. She
turned away from her image as the sitter answered.

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

Sandy, yeah, Tonie here. Her gravelly voice

was taut and eager. Say, theres a movie wed like
to see in an hour. Youre free? Great. She wasnt
about to miss this little bit of excitement, no sirree.
Life seemed so aimless and empty most of the time.
Her dream, if she could figure any dream at all, was
just to be married, have children, and be a good
wife and homemaker. But it wasnt turning out to
be as easy as all that.

Momentarily buoyed by this new diversion,

Tonie hung up the phone. Okay, its on! Shell be
here in a few minutes. She headed for the hall
closet and grabbed her jacket, snickering at the
irony of the situation. Here they were, afraid one of
them was going to kill the other, and they were going
to a karate movie together. Before marriage itd
been boys and alcohol, sneaking around, and
stealing. But now that she was married it was fight-
fight-fight all the time.

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 Chapter 1

Big, tall, and handsome, her husband sauntered

down the hall and joined her at the door. Twelve
years older than Tonie, he was an ex-gang member
who loved guns and was always threatening her
with them. But she didnt make things any easier.
Once when hed shoved a gun against her head and
threatened to pull the trigger, shed sneered, Go
ahead and do it, you dont have the guts. She
smiled a tight smile and locked the door behind
them.

Karate was one of the fastest-growing sports in

the Amateur Athletic Union in 1973. But it was
brand new to Tonie - and just the medicine she
thought she needed. She hardly noticed the films
plot - it was the fighting she loved! Bruce seemed to
control everything - his body and circumstances.
Everybody respected him. And his solution was
simple: People were the problem, and if you
couldnt get rid of your problems any other way,
you trained your body to become a weapon and
killed them before they killed you. The parallels to

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

her own situation were obvious, and Tonie was

ready to sign up.

To Be A Winner.

Underneath her easy-going manner, Tonie was

bored and rootless. And she felt like a failure. She
wanted to be on top, but at twenty-five years old
she still didnt have any clear idea of where she was
going or what she wanted to do, so she mostly
failed at even trying anything. After high school
shed drifted from one job to another, tried a
cosmetics training program for awhile, and worked
in a department store. But nothing made sense,
nothing fit. When she was seventeen, shed even
tried Christ.

Life had been pretty drab at the department

store until she met Micaela Sutphin. Micaelas
warmth drew Tonie. She loved her husband Bob
and her two children, Robbie and Stacy. Even
under pressure from people at work, she had a glow
about her of love and not revenge, and she was

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 Chapter 1

always giving God praise. Tonie could see that she

was for real. One day they were talking about Jesus
in Micaelas car on their way to work.

Tonie, youre not going to be happy living in

sin with your man. It might seem good for awhile,
but your relationship isnt rooted in God. You
know, sexual sin and marrying an unbeliever are
opposed to Gods Word. Youre building your
house on sand. Tonie hadnt married her husband
yet, but was living with him.

What do you mean, sin?

Sin is our rebellion against Gods laws. It

separates us from Him and condemns us to hell.
Were all born sinners. At the look on Tonies face
Micaela rushed on. But theres a way out. He sent
Jesus Christ, His Son, to die on the cross for our
sins so we could be set free. Thats what salvation is,
Tonie. If you accept what Jesus did for you and let
Him be the Lord of your life, you can enjoy eternal
life with Him - right now!

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

It hit home, and Tonie accepted Jesus as her

personal Savior right there in the car.

With Micaela around to help her, Tonie was

excited about her new relationship with Jesus and
went around telling everyone about Him. But in
spite of Micaelas warnings, she not only continued
living with her boyfriend but soon married him,
thinking she could change him. However, his
antagonism to her faith only led to greater clashes
than before. When the Sutphins moved out of state
two years later, Tonie turned away from the Lord.

When their twin sons, Frank and Joe, were

born, the kids were such a joy that for awhile Tonie
thought their marriage would make it. But this
newfound purpose was only temporary, too, and
soon things were worse than ever.

Man, what a great movie! He wiped out

everybody! And those kicks! What I wouldnt give

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 Chapter 1

to be able to do that! Tonie sighed, daydreaming

herself in Bruces role as they walked home
together. Shed take on twice that manyThen she
laughed to herself, remembering the sink full of
dirty dishes waiting.

Youre a tough broad, I bet you could do that

easy. Her husband grinned down at her.

Whats that you said?

Well, you could look for some lessons, you

know.

Tonies jaw dropped. Had he really said that?

Usually so jealous that he didnt let her out of his
sight, was he now offering to let her take karate
lessons? It was all she could do not to break into a
run to the nearest phone book to search for a dojo
or karate school.

Soon shed show all those whod used her...

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

Tonie was born Tonie Hancock on June 21,

1947 in Portland, Oregon.

If Momd known about abortions, I wouldnt

be here today. When I was thirteen months old she
abandoned me to a Portland orphanage, then
moved from city to city as a prostitute and finally
died as an alcoholic in Alaska. My dad moved to
Missouri. Five months later my grandmother took
me out of the orphanage and became the only mom
I ever really knew.

Even though we lived in a white community,

Grandmother avoided white people. She never
forgot that her motherd been a slave and had
become pregnant when she was raped by her white
master. When I was twelve, she and my step-
grandfather legally adopted me and I became Tonie
McPherson instead of Tonie Hancock. All they
knew was work, pay bills, live. I was pretty much
left on my own.

Except, that is, for Grandfather.

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 Chapter 1

Roused by the streak of light piercing her

bedrooms dark shadows, the little girl called out
from her sleep.

That you Grandpa? Im thirsty.

There was no response. The crack of light

disappeared and the room filled with shadows.
Darker shadows than before.

Hush.

What you doin - Mmmghm - youre hurting

me Grandpa!

A hand over the mouth cut off the little girls

cries.

It was the beginning of the threats and

nightmares.

For ten long years she kept the awful secret.

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

I was in a terrible trap because he threatened

me not to tell or else... I didnt know what the or
else was, but it sure sounded bad. When I was
fourteen though I finally got up the courage to
expose him to my grandmother. She believed me,
but it finished destroying what family we had.
There was always a terrible sense of separation after
that. He moved outside into a trailer for two or
three years until he got sick with liver cancer, then
Grandmother nursed him in the house until he
died some years later. By then I was twenty-one,
out of their house, and living with my future
husband. We got married on June 23, 1968.

Tonie stared at the inside of the little store

front, impressed. It looked very professional, not
like some of the other dojos shed seen. Shed
searched for weeks before shed finally found it.

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 Chapter 1

The reception area had a strong Oriental

atmosphere with bamboo dividers and martial arts
paraphernalia: Nunchakus (an Okinawan weapon
popularized by Bruce Lee consisting of two foot-
long sticks attached by a short cord or chain)
decorated the walls. Eight-sided pointed stars. Tons
of trophies and ribbons, mostly belonging to one of
the instructors. Inside the training area Tonie was
excited to see the club filled with women led by a
female black belt. She watched them sparring
around for awhile, then Paula Short, a co-founder
with her triplet Pauline, came over and introduced
herself. Their names really described them, too,
because they couldnt have been more than a little
over five feet or so.

Well, what do you think of our club?

Looks great. I sure do like seeing all these

fighting women, Tonie grinned, her dark eyes
flashing. There werent too many women -

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

especially black ones - in the martial arts in those

days.

Paula laughed, appraising the eager athletic

woman standing next to her. Pretty different, isnt
it? Were part of the Oregon Karate Association
and the only all-woman karate school anywhere in
Portland or, as far as we can tell, in the world. Are
you looking for a class?

Yeah, Ive tried a lot of schools, but the

teachers and students are mainly men and, at least
in the Portland area, too expensive.

Paula nodded, crossing her arms and rocking

back on one foot. Well, were different. This is an
entirely volunteer operation. Our black belts work
for enjoyment instead of money. Our fees only $12
a month.

Tonies eyes widened. $12 a month! Enjoyment

instead of money! What is this?!!

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 Chapter 1

Weve got six classes with sixty students

ranging in age from eleven to eighty-six, Paula
continued, and we add new ones from a waiting
list as others drop out. Noting Tonies expression
she added, Theres a lot of women wanting to
learn to defend themselves. You, too?

Tonie nodded, speechless.

Well, thats usually the motivation for getting

involved, but they end up staying because they
enjoy the exercise or the expertise or the art itself.
Were not all feminists, but we do believe we have a
right to be political about defending ourselves and
we try to help each other expand our lives. We also
focus on technique, concentration, and discipline
and de-emphasize the meditation and spiritual
aspects found in Oriental karate.

Sounds good.

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

Elated, Tonie watched awhile then took a

brochure home to her husband that night. Even he
was hooked at first.

Feminist in the early seventies didnt mean a

thing to Tonie. It was just exciting seeing a woman
with a black belt holding her own. And being the
schools only black woman made her feel special.
She liked standing out as different among the other
students, most of whom were also in their twenties
and thirties.

I think karate made my husband proud of me

at first, and that made me feel good. There werent
too many things that he bragged about me, but
when I came home with the trophies, that made
him boast and brag. But he didnt like it when I
began to get really serious. Right about that point
he decided Id learned enough! Here I was, just
beginning to enjoy myself for the first time in my
life and he wanted me to stop!

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 Chapter 1

I was mad at God because He didnt change

my husband, and, besides, His way seemed too
hard. But karate looked like it was going to work.
Despite the fact that I was pregnant, I plunged into
serious discipline and earned my green belt by the
time my third son, Tony Lamont, was born. It was
so thrilling to feel good about myself that I hardly
ever missed practice, a tournament, or a
demonstration except for a few months at the time
of his birth. But even while my karate skills were
growing, our marriage was disintegrating.

We were now at the point where it felt like do

or die, but I wouldnt have stopped karate for
anything! Even though I was afraid of being on my
own, I was even more afraid of losing my new
identity and power. Finally, right after I received
my black belt in 1977, I took the kids and moved to
Karate for Women. That black belt seemed to give
me all the confidence I needed! By then the twins,
Frank and Jokava, were eight, Tony Lamont was
five, and there was a new one, Octavia, now three.

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THE DARK SIDE OF KARATE

I was determined to take complete control of

my life, no matter what. And training to kill
seemed like the best way.

The serpents seed had found fertile soil.

Notes:
For a lengthy, fascinating (and probably legendary)
account of an initiates grueling ordeal to become a certified
master of the ancient Shaolin Monastery in China, see The
Shaolin Monastery, in Peter Urbans The Karate Dojo:
Traditions and Tales of a Martial Art, Rutland, VT: Charles
E. Tuttle Company, 1967, pp. 83-90. This description was
adapted from that section.

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