In 2001, the Midwest Aikido Center was contacted by Dr. Rozanne Leppingon about starting a student aikido dojo at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. Our Chief Instructor, M. Rock Lazo, and others with the MAC were asked to work with Dr. Leppington to form the student dojo in the Fall Semester of 2001. The Parkside Student Aikido Club ran successfully on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons throughout the '01-'02 school year and plans were made to reconvene after the summer break.

At the beginning of the 2002 school year the dojo held classes on Monday and Wednesday nights. The dojo also expanded its membership to include a community base and a core membership began to develop. When the Spring Semester was over we continued training over the summer months at the Wisconsin Health and Fitness Club. In less than two months the membership had doubled in size. A third training time was added on Sunday mornings in response to membership enthusiasm. The dojo elected not to return to Parkside because of scheduling conflicts. Plans were made to remain at the Wisconsin Health and Fitness Club due to the terrific support we received from the staff.

The plan to stay was interrupted when the building was sold and the WH&F Club closed at the end of August, 2003. The club quickly contacted the Kenosha Athletic Center and inquired about transitioning the dojo to their location. The proposal was met with enthusiasm by the Kenosha Athletic Center and the dojo was able to resume training after a minor interruption. The move prompted one other major change and that was the changing of our name to the Kenosha Aikikai.

We are now into our fifth full year and are happy to report a new location and schedule that offers a larger space to hold classes. The Parkside Baptist Church, located at 2620 14th Place, became our new home in July of 2007. We look forward to many more years of great Aikido at this location.

The dojo welcomes people interested in aikido to watch or participate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays. The times for each class can be found on the side bar of this page. If you have questions about either aikido or the dojo, please contact us. We are always happy to answer your questions.