Back to school, back to training

This week marks the twilight period of the Australian holiday season as we transition from Christmas/New Year/School holidays and get ready to pick up the rhythm of another school year after the 26th. I know a number of you are starting back at work today, and for others who have been studying over the summer, the end of semester rush is now on. For those in our community who are in the throws of lesson planning and ensuring that all is in order for this year’s classes, I want to wish you all the best both for your preparations this week and into the coming year. 

Holy Name Catholic Primary School opens its office today, and the MEAC is scheduled for a floor clean later this week. As a result, we shall spend some time on Wednesday night getting ready for our regular storage configuration, and hence we will have to again factor in time to set up and put away tatami in the disciplines that require them. It would be most appreciated if you can ensure that you are at the dojo on time (i.e. before the scheduled class start) to help facilitate this. 

Given that we will have the mat off the floor by mid-week, we shall not hold the lunchtime Jujutsu class in the MEAC on Thursday. I will be looking to see if we can get some casual space at the PCYC, and will let folk know tonight at training what the lunchtime arrangements will be for the next few weeks.  

The annual Australian Iaido and Jodo Seminar and Championships (AIJSC) will commence in Hobart this weekend, and I want to wish all the best to the broad community of BBRD members, supporters and friends who are travelling down to train, compete and grade— in particular to Sian C, who will be making the trip to the AIJSC for the first time since it was last held in Queensland (gambatte!). 2020 will see the AIJSC be hosted in Queensland again, so we shall look forward to that over the coming year. 

The Club’s committee will be starting discussions in order to lock down the training timetable for the coming year, as some changes will be necessary due to me heading back up to Bundaberg from March 11. During term time, I will regularly be out of Toowoomba from Monday afternoon till Thursday afternoon. We will be discussing options with regular class attendees to ensure that there is minimal disruption as a result. 

And a final reminder that while Toowoomba has missed the worst of the rolling heatwaves that have affected large parts of Australia, I would like for everyone to be mindful of working within their limits and maintaining hydration while they train. Although we do try to take pause regularly when the temperature is hot, please make sure that you are monitoring your own need to stop for fluid intake. I would strongly recommend that you bring a water bottle that can be left near the edge of the training area. 

So have a great week everyone, and as always, I’ll look forward to seeing you in the dojo! 

Mats pick up Wednesday night (23 Jan.)

The mats will need to be picked up off of the MEAC floor by Thursday (24 January) due to the floor being cleaned by Friday.  Assistance would be greatly appreciated— both in terms of the mat uplift and ensuring that the storage area is tidy. If you can help out (and are not training Jujutsu that night), please drop by the MEAC around 7.30 pm on Wednesday.

Eric

Mini SMR Jodo Gasshaku Jan. 26-27

Hello All,

This coming weekend there will be a mini gasshaku for SMR jodo for the Australian contingent of the art. This will be a good chance to brush up on techniques by training with practitioners from around Australia. It is to be held at Camp Warrawee in Brisbane’s Northern suburbs. It is expected for this to become a yearly event.

Eric

Back to training this week ...

The Club will continue to ease back into the new year of training tonight with regular Monday night classes including FlexiFit at 6 pm and Jujutsu at 7 pm. January’s focus in Jujutsu is self defence (goshin jutsu) and weapons work (Heiki wasa) so please make sure that you bring your jo, tanto and bokken if you have your own. 

I am out of town this weekend, so there will be no Saturday classes. I will be confirming with the other Michael’s regarding official starts to Systema and Fencing, so please watch this space.

I will look forward to seeing you in the dojo over the coming weeks! 

Keiko hajime wrap up

Thursday’s start to the training year was once again an enjoyable and energising session. I’d like to thank everyone who came in to participate and to share some sushi, mochi and tea at the end.  

In particular, it was lovely to see members of the Taiko group participate and perform two sets to open and close the evening. Many thanks to Tomoko for making some sushi to share, and to Kateena for helping to coordinate the rest of the supper.   

I’m looking forward to the year of training. It will certainly continue with some of the challenges from last year with my absences from Toowoomba, but I am confident that the Club will continue to grow in spite of this.  

To 2019! Let’s make this a year of continued beginnings and connect with the joy of what we do.  

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone has had a restful and recharging fortnight since I last wrote a post for the Budo Bulletin. With 2018 finally drawing to a close and the prospect of a very full and exciting 2019 ahead, I’d like to thank everyone in the extended BBRD community for the dedication, generosity and determination that have characterised the year. 

2018 has been a year of transition, as I have had to spend a significant chunk of it in Bundaberg, and this enforced absence will again be a feature of 2019. However, I think that we can say that folk in the Club have definitely stepped up into support and leadership roles both teaching and administratively, and we are heading into the new year well prepared. The year past has also brought new opportunities to expand on what we love doing, and I am looking forward to continuing that for the coming year in the Bundaberg district.  

Our year will officially kick off this Thursday, 3 January for keiko hajime. We will be opening up the dojo doors at 5 pm and give the dojo floor and mats a quick clean down before we start promptly at 6 pm. Please ensure that you get to the dojo as close to 5 pm as you can make it so that you can do your bit for the tidy up and get yourself ready for the evening’s training to commence.  

I will be conferring with the other discipline instructors over the next few days, but I expect that the format of the evening will be broadly similar to previous years. If in doubt, bring along your various items of training equipment/uniforms and expect to be an active participant.  

I am wanting to do the whole sushi/mochi/cha light supper at the end of the evening, so please confirm your attendence either directly to me or via the Facebook group so that we can cater appropriately.  

So I hope everyone goes well into this coming year. I wish everyone the very best in meeting the challenges that 2019 will bring, and hope that it provides the opportunity for fulfilment and reward for the effort I know you will be making in your various endeavours.  

Flying visit from the Hills

Just a quick note to say that it was wonderful to have the opportunity to catch up with Ivan and Liz Hills just before Christmas for lunch and give them a tour of our dojo.  

I’ll very much be looking forward to continuing to train Kendo, Iaido, Jujutsu and Judo with them in the coming year, and to building on the numbers of participants in Gin Gin and Bundaberg.  

We will have to look at some more formal opportunities in this year coming to get together and train as sister Clubs. I’m sure folk from both dojo would gain significant benefit from doing so!

End of year dinner

It was lovely to see so many folk come and celebrate as did make it to our end of year dinner and awards night on the 19th! This included those we have not seen for a while, and those that have had to take an unplanned break from the dojo.

We finally were able to hand out various grading certificate and prizes— especially to Kateena, who in addition to two grading certificates, and a certificate in recognition of her success at the Queensland Kendo Championships, finally received her promised reward of a trove of Cherry Ripes for her Uni Games success.

Sean T also received his grading certificates and QKC certificate, and everyone in attendence from the Club were given their end of year recognition awards, which hopefully were not too cryptic this time around!

So onwards to the new year, new achievements and feats to be valorised twelve months hence! 

Last week for the year

The year is well and truly drawing to a close, with this week being the last of official Club activities for 2018. 

First to some house keeping. Monday night sessions will be on as usual, so so be prepared to start five minutes in from the scheduled time slot. For Tuesday, Michael C has decided to take an early break and restart Systema after New Year. There will be no training Wednesday night, as we shall be at Kajoku restraunt from 6.30 pm. Thursday, we will have lunch time jujutsu at 12.30 pm in the MEAC, and if anyone would like a final Arnis hit up for the year, we will have a session at my home from 5.30 pm, where we will be welcoming a new participant. Saturday will be keiko yame, and we will give the MEAC a quick mop and final tidy for the year at 2 pm before doing final sessions in jujutsu and kendo. 

Second, if you have not RSVPed regarding dinner on Wednesday and you are intending on being there, please contact me immediately so that we can make an adjustment to the booking. Remember to explicitly say whether you are bringing someone along (and partners and kids are most welcome).  

Finally, If I don’t get to see you before the start of the Christmas break, I hope that you enjoy your time off, stay safe, and will hope to see you at keiko hajime on Thursday 4 January!  

Training this week

With the school holidays timetable active, could I ask that everyone be prompt to start classes no more than 5 minutes from the scheduled start times. This means that you ought to be getting to the dojo early enough to ensure that you are ready to change clothes and prepare yourself to commence training ASAP. With the new clock up on the wall, I will be ensuring that we are starting and finishing sessions five minutes in/five minutes to go so that we can promptly change between session where necessary.  

Second, over the holidays we will be trialling a few lunch time sessions, based on demand. We need to cover the rental cost of the space for these additional sessions ($40 for a bit over an hour of training), so the minimum cost will be a $10 casual session fee though if we have only one or two folk, we will need to split this up. The first session planned is this Thursday from 12.30–1.45pm for jujutsu. We will confirm details at training tonight.

Third, there has been some interest in getting some formal Gym and Swim sessions started up over the summer (at least till I head back to my travelling schedule in mid-March). Could all of those interested let me know ASAP your availability for Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning sessions (9.30am) at the Milne Bay Centre from next week so that we can sort an appropriate program out for the next three months. 

Finally, Go will be run in the USQ Refectory on Tuesday lunchtimes from 12.30pm. Please let me know if you are interested in having a game!