Last week of training for the year at BBRD

We are now rapidly heading down the home stretch for training in 2014 at the Club. It has been a very full year this year with significant growth in the numbers of participants across the disciplines.

Please check with your individual instructors in the other disciplines, but the last Systema class for the year will be Tuesday the last Jujutsu class will be Saturday, and the last Kendo session will be Sunday morning at the PCYC.

If you are coming along to Sunday Kendo (even if you can't make it for training), please bring a plate of food to share as we will be distributing some awards and spending time together to reflect on a very successful year.

Keiko hajime will be on Monday 5 January. I will send out details, but we will most likely have a dojo tidy/mat clean for the start of the year followed by some training across a number of the disciplines.

I hope to see many of you through this week, but if I do not, please have a fun, safe and relaxing holiday break.

Wonderful results from the QKR Summer Seminar

It was most certainly a hot and steamy weekend down in Collingwood Park for the 2014 Summer seminar and grading opportunity. While overall numbers were a little down, it was the largest contingent from Toowoomba in some years, with ten participating on one or both of the days.

As always, there were many valuable tips and lessons learned  in the sessions provided by the senior sensei — T. Tsukadaira, K. Kuromochi, J. Isaacs, T. Itakura, G. Nicholas and N. Tamura sensei, and I would also like to thank T. Johnson and T. Sugio sensei for ably assisting to prepare those of us going for our Seitei Iaido examinations on Sunday. All input was very gratefully received and I am certain contributed to the successes on the weekend.

Special thanks to T. Johnson and D. Fitzgibbon san for their administrative efforts in making the weekend run smoothly, and to Ryo Atsumi and Martin Cowan for providing motodachi services during the Kendo gradings.

Toowoomba folk experienced considerable success in their gradings, with all adult kendoka double grading. For Maaike Stehouwer in particular, this represents her third double grade in a row in the space of 12 months!

The results for Toowoomba and Ipswich folk are:

Kendo

• Maaike Stehouwer, ikkyu
• Wan Li Xing, Ikkyu
• Melissa Pierides, gokkyu
• Aaron De Smet, gokkyu
• Cody Dimech, gokkyu
• Alexander Pierides, rokukyu
• Andrew Pierides, rokukyu

Seitei Iaido

• James Archer, sankyu
• Michael Baczynski, sankyu
• Sian Carlyon, sankyu

Gym and Swim back at Milne Bay Aquaic Centre this week

For those interested and able, we will be back at Milne Bay Aquatic Centre this week for Gym and Swim.

Let Michael know if you are intending to come down (Tuesday and Thursday 10am–12pm) and join us for the sessions.

Summer holiday schedule

Holy Name Primary School has commenced its summer holidays this week. On behalf of the Club I would like to thank the school for its continued support for what we do, in particular Principal Kathy Bliss. I would like to  wish everyone in the school community a happy, safe and restful break.

We will have an opportunity to give the MEAC a really good spruce up in the next fortnight. This week the floor will be cleaned thoroughly by the school's cleaning contractor and we will have a good tidy and clean of the mats and the storage area.

We will be able to leave the mats down for the duration of the Holidays from next week and we will be having some extra sessions through that period including our annual Keiko Hajime on Monday January 5 (more details to follow).

Happy training everyone!

Great evening at the 2014 BBRD Awards Night

Thursday night was great fun from my perspective, and I'd like to thank everyone who made it the evening that it was. Special mentions to Sian Carlyon for her inimitable graphic design flair and style (and the herculean task of organising a booking for near 30 people), the Club instructors for coming up with some great reflections of the deeds of the year in the awards given out, the staff of the Kajoku Restaurant and of course to all the Club's members, both in attendance and those who could not make it for the evening.

As I said on the night, the Club is the sum of everyone's effort and commitment throughout the year, and I feel truly privileged to  be a part of such a vibrant community.

A list of the awards granted will be posted separately in the Club's Facebook group for those who want to see/be reminded of what people received on the night!

Club demonstrations at Bunnings Family Night, Thursday 4 December

Just a reminder that the Club will be participating at the Bunnings Family Night this Thursday. Most of the Club's discipline leaders have indicated that they will be in attendance and providing some colour and movement for the evening. As a result there will be no classes at the MEAC that night, and if in doubt, please confirm with your instructor as to whether your classes will be on.

The evening provides an excellent opportunity to showcase what we do as a Club and get considerable public exposure. Apparently there were over 3500 people who came through the store at last year's event, so it would be wonderful if we are able to convert some of those into interested members or supporters of the Club.

Our commitment at Bunnings (ANZAC Avenue) is from 5.30-8.30pm, thought we will require "hands on deck" at the MEAC at 4.45pm to load up mats and Club equipment for the event and afterwards to pack away out gear once done. Please let either you instructor or Michael know directly of your availability for the evening and whether you are able to come help "bump in" and "bump out". 

No Jujutsu training this Satruday, 6 December

There will be no Jujutsu training this weekend either as Michael will be in Collingwood Park for the QKR Seminar (see below).

Training will resume as normal from next week, with the usual December focus on ne waza.

Awards Night dinner menu pre-order required

To everyone who has said they are coming along tomorrow night (Thursday 27th November) to Kajuko (Korean and Japanese restaurant):

Please take a look at the menu posted here and let Sian know by 10.30am Thursday what you want to order. Many thanks and we look forward to seeing you all there.

To everyone else, please remember there is no training in the MEAC on Thursday night as the school has a function. Thank you!

Menu attached

Jugger Awesomness

Sunday was excruciatingly hot. So hot I was pretty much wiped out for much of the day (see following story). However, by all accounts. the Jugger tournament went particularly well, with teams arriving from Brisbane for the day.

We will post more details on the BBRD Facebook page and Toowoomba Jugger pages in the coming days!