We are now counting down to the biggest Kendo event we have hosted in Toowoomba since at least 2012.
Saturday will see folk come from around South East Queensland to participate in a morning’s keiko and help the “newbies” kendoing for the first time to “Have a Go”.
I will be sending the Club’s press release to all of the local news outlets this morning, and sending out an email later today to everyone who has generously said they will help out, to give them an idea of what we will be doing.
Broadly, the day will have three parts to it. The first is general keiko for current and lapsed kendoka to put on a show to the community of what good quality kendo looks like (from 10 am). The second is the “Have a Go” session for first timers to swing a shinai themselves and get a feel for Kendo (from 11.45 am). The third is a regional Kyu grade opportunity for Sean T and Sian (from 2 pm). The regional grading is a first for Toowoomba, and indeed for Queensland. It provides an important template for being able to do similar events across the State, and in doing so reducing some of the barriers to participation that occur in a State as large as ours.
Please make sure that you spread the message as widely as you can to family, friends, work mates and through your social network. For those on Facebook, you can share the event created for the day https://www.facebook.com/events/1704545319639770??ti=ia or link directly through to the bookings system at http://www.bbrd.org.au/memberships-and-courses/kendo-have-a-go-open-day .
The day is free for everyone to participate, and people can just rock up on the day. However, just so that we can plan the “Have a Go” session, we ask that new people book in so that we have an idea of how many shinai we have available, and if you are an experienced kendoka, please let me know if you intend to come and help out so that we can divide up our teachers and motodachi within the group.