By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Wearing pink shirts and cute socks while going about their lessons on Saturday night at the Limestone Fire Department while a cute little dog in a pink sweater watched from the sidelines, the ladies were full of smiles, laughter and friendship.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
A student of the female self defense course that concluded on May 7, student Jo-Ellen Kelley neutralizes her attacker, course instructor and Limestone Police Department Patrolman Ivan Maizus. In the background, from left, student Lacy Monteith cheers Kelley on while Limestone Recreation Director Amanda Brooker observes.
But make no mistake about it.
There’s nothing cute about these women when it comes to self-defense, particularly since they’ve recently realized how eye-gouging an attacker could provide them with the opportunity to escape.
Of course, this group of eight didn’t just arrive at realization that personal self defense begins with themselves out of the blue.
They’ve been attending a self-defense course for the past couple months taught by Limestone Police Department Patrolman Ivan Maizus. The course is offered through the cooperation between Limestone’s Recreation and Police Departments in conjunction with the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department.
Under Maizus’ instruction, women ranging in age from 22 to 60 have learned to protect themselves and fight tooth and nail — quite literally, in some cases — in self defense until their attacker has been neutralized and the opportunity to flee arises.
Aroostook County Sheriff James Madore wasn’t familiar specifically with the self-defense course currently being taught in Limestone, but 38-years of law enforcement experience have shown the sheriff that any credible course that encourage situational awareness and self defense is good for anyone.
“Aroostook County is not immune to these types of things,” he said.
Maizus teaches his students that the best form of self defense is to avoid compromising situations from the start.
Should a situation find them, their best option is always to flee.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Linda Harvey seemed to be having a little too much fun lightly elbowing her attacker, Beth Tilmont, in the face. The ladies did have a lot of fun with each other while practicing the techniques, but they took the lessons taught by instructor Ivan Maizus quite seriously.
While Maizus teaches the ladies how to avoid and prevent problematic situations, he’s also aware that women can’t just hide out in a protective bubble their whole lives.
That’s why the program educates women about factors like alcohol, the date-rape drug and the importance of situational awareness — and it also teaches women some basics to escape an attack and survive.
The program takes a holistic approach to promoting personal safety and, because the community has responded well to the introductory program’s comprehensive nature, two more courses have been tentatively scheduled — one in June for Caswell residents and one in July for Limestone residents.
“We’ve been looking for ways to offer different things this year through the recreation department, things other than the same-old-same-old,” said Director of the Limestone Recreation Department Amanda Brooker. “This program is physically, mentally and socially challenging,” she said, mentioning how she’s seen friendships bloom and confidence blossom amongst the women through roughly two-months of the intense course.
“It’s awesome — seeing the women progress from day one to graduation, they’re more confident in themselves,” Brooker added.
And while the program does tend to build confidence in participants, Maizus is very straight forward in telling the women that they’re not going to walk out of the class with the skillset of Chuck Norris or any other martial arts expert.
Rather, Maizus has geared the program to provide women with the necessary tools to navigate themselves through potentially dangerous situations because statistically, women are at the top of the victimization list.
“I don’t advocate becoming solely dependent on others to protect you; in the real world, help is not always going to be right around the corner — you might very well have to defend yourself to survive,” Maizus said.
A seasoned instructor in self-defense, Maizus seems to specialize in bringing out the inner tenacity of his students — what he calls the “warrior spirit,” that primal instinct to survive — and pairs that intensity with the knowledge of how to protect themselves.
“It goes beyond sitting in a seminar for four hours,” Maizus explained, “it’s a blend of strength training, exercises, theory and techniques.”
There’s also a class specifically devoted to understand the laws pertaining to an individuals self-defense rights.
But when the techniques are taught and the women have lightly practiced defensive moves on each other, the ladies take their teachings to the next level. When Maizus informed the women midway through their class on Saturday that it was time “to beat up poor Ivan,” they cheered and laughed as he affixed his protective padding and they helped him fasten the straps on his helmet.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
At left, instructor of the Female Self-Defense Course offered through the Limestone Recreation and Police Departments Ivan Maizus demonstrates (lightly) on student Jo-Ellen Kelley ways to escape an attacker. In back, Ellen Langley and Linda Harvey look on.
Maizus volunteers his time to teach these courses and walk away each time with more than a few bruises, but he’s very passionate when it comes to educating women about their right to defend themselves.
“There’s no greater reward or sense of accomplishment then to have a women say to me that she feels a lot better about herself or that she has a newfound sense of confidence,” Maizus said.
Individuals interested in taking part in the next course are encouraged to contact Brooker at 325-4791. Participants must be over the age of 13, and ladies from 13 through 17 require a waiver. All individuals are invited to attend the courses regardless of which community they reside in.
