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Hello All,
Due to other commitments, I have to cancel this Monday's (24 July) PunchFit and Jodo training. Jodo will still have training this Wednesday (26 July) with PunchFit and Jodo training resuming as normal on 31 July (PunchFit on Mondays @ 6 and Jodo on Mondays & Wednesdays @ 7).
Eric
I just wanted to write a quick word of welcome to those who signed up for more information regarding the USQ Martial Arts Club during the Semester 2 Market Day. I will be sending out more detailed information to you later today, but I would welcome even a fraction of the enthusiasm we saw on Wednesday translate to new friends and training partners over the coming weeks.
Many thanks to Eric, Matt G., Tracy and Brady for volunteering their time for the day and the efficient set-up/break-down of our display. Sharing what we love with the wider public is always enjoyable, but doing so with fellow enthusiast such as yourself makes it a joy. Thanks also to the Phoenix Central team for all of your efforts to make the day a success!
Hello All,
Please note that the Jodo inter-dojo training over the next couple of months has changed from what was originally on the BBRD What's On calendar. The July date has been cancelled and the next date is scheduled for 2 September but may occur in August or later in September. The October and November dates have been updated from the latest communication with Glen Henry sensei.
Please stay tuned for the next inter-dojo training date. Dates will be placed on the calendar and announcements will be made on the Budo Blog.
Thank you.
Eric
With school holidays over and the University semester starting today, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome everybody back to "regular programming" and the opportunity to refocus, reset and recommit to their studies and training.
The second half of the year has a number of regular Club commitments for public engagement and "out of town" activities. The first will be this Wednesday at the Toowoomba Campus from 10am–2pm as a part of the Club's Muster during the common hour. We will be set up inside the Refectory and will not be doing any demonstrations requiring a matted area, though a couple of noisy bouts of kirikaieshi might be in order to see if we can generate a few more Kendo practitioners. If you can help out by staffing our stall for a while and talking to the crowd, please let me know ASAP.
Next on the list is the Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival on Sunday 20 August. The Festival is an opportunity to have a all day training experience while showcasing what we love to the wider Toowoomban community. It is one event where we generate new members year on year, and a little bit of a buzz around the martial arts. I'm looking forward to the addition of Taiko Drums this year!
The Sunday after (Augst 27) we will be travelling to Brisbane to attend the International Budo Federation's training day. This will be the third year that the Club will be participating, and the second year that I will be teaching one of the sessions.
The next big event will be the Australian University Games, where the budo events will be held on the weekend of the 23 and 24 of September. AUG will from this year be permenantly located on the Gold Coast, rather than every second year. This will make it much easier for USQ squads to develop a little bit of momentum and garner more competition experience. You don't have to be a competitor to come and enjoy the weekend. There is a need for volunteers of all capacity to help with both the Kendo and Judo competitions. And with both being co-located at the Carrara Stadium sporting complex, it will be much easier to get across and support both competitions.
Finally, there are some rumblings that we may be hosting the QKR's December seminar and grading here in Toowoomba this year. It has been almost five years since we last hosted the event, and it would be great to see some of the North Queensland contingent make it down for a weekend of Kendo, Iaido, and possibly Jodo.
There will no doubt be a whole lot more to pack into the rest of this year. This includes regular scheduled trips to Brisbane to train with the Kenshinkai in Kendo, trips to Pine Mountain to train Iaido and Kyudo with Kohokai, opportunities to train with various Ittoshinkan sensei, including Don Ouellette and Jason Griffiths, and another Dojo Open Day/taste tester to encourage more folk to join in the fun. We will le you know what we have planned as soon as the details become more clear. Keep reading the Budo Bulletin for more information.
So I wish everyone the best for the weeks ahead! Have fun, be productive, get some rest (somewhere), and I hope that you will all reap the benefit of time well spent.
It is always a pleasure to come away from a weekend feeling successful and enthused. The past weekend spent on the Gold Coast was highly informative, considerable fun, and certainly successful, so ticked all the boxes indicating a brilliant weekend away.
I would first like to thank all of the sensei who generously provided their time and attention to ensure that we were able to make those critical breakthroughs to our practice. Specifically, Itakura, Isaacs, and Tamura sensei, provided their erudite input for Kendo, and T. Tsukadaira, Kolb, H. Tsukadaira, Sugio, and Johnson sensei patiently continued to polish our performance and understanding of the Iaido kata. Extra thanks go to Tamura and Johnson sensei for undertaking all of the administrative burden that means the rest of us can simply enjoy the weekend and concentrate on our practice.
All BBRD members were successful in their attempts at grade, with Sian Carlyon attaining nikyu in Iaido, Matt G. with nikyu in both Iaido and Kendo, and myself meeting the standard required for ikkyu in Iaido. Sian was even the recipient of a well deserved (and rare) compliment from Isaacs sensei for her performance of the standing variation of the Iaido kata.
It was also wonderful just to spend time with good folk in the down time. It feels like a blessing to have the opportunity to be around good and decent people, and it is a reminder of why I have always though myself luck to have been a part of the Kendo and Iaido community over the past years.
Our next opportunity to head to the Coast for some RnR and budo will be toward the end of September in support of the University Games. The QKR is organizing the Kendo competition, and will require a small army of volunteers to assist, so you don't have to be a kendoka to help out! I will be organizing things from the USQ end over the coming weeks, but do let me know if you are interested in assisting, and in being a part of the event.
We are once again heading down the hill to train with Tom Johnson sensei and the rest of the Kohokai to get a little fine tuning on our iaido before this weekend. Given the dustiness of the old dance floor there, we will definitely have to do uniform cleaning after tonight's training.
A reminder for those going, we will be leaving my house at 1705 to arrive before the 1830 start of training. Once again, it should be a fun and valuable night!
Just a reminder to all that there will be no training this weekend at the MEAC, as a contingent of us will be attending the QKR Winter seminar at the Tallebudgera Recreation Centre. As always, I am looking forward to getting some attention on those stubborn bits of poor technique by the senior sensei in attendance, and to catch up with the wider Queensland kendo and iaido community. It is also great to do the road trip with the Toowoomba cohort, and get to spent a couple of enjoyable days with good company (and good food)!
I want to wish the best of fortune to all those preparing for shinsa in Kendo and Iaido this weekend. And if anyone is interested in servicing/learning how to service their equipment (regardless of whether you are coming down this weekend with us), I will be happy to guide you through on Thursday, as I am attending to my own gear.
If you are stuck with what to do with the first day of the holidays, remember that the Club is hosting Tokoton Taiko to run a taiko drumming workshop on Saturday 24 June.
Price is $30, and you can book a place through the Club's Pro Shop.
The day will start at 10 am, though the dojo clean will start at 8.30 am to ensure that the space is welcoming for our guests.
You don't have to be a Club member to participate, and all are welcome!
Please contact Sian Carlyon for further details.
Just a quickie to say I'm going to head down to train with Tom sensei and the rest of the Kohokai this evening, and am happy to provide a lift to others that may wish to join me. Training starts at 6.30pm, so I'll be leaving just a little after 5 pm to make sure we get there in time. Please contact me directly if you would like to come!
Wednesday marks the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, and I'm looking forward to the longer days, particularly having more sunlight in which to practice Arnis on a Thursday. This week also marks the end of Semester 1 at USQ, with last exams on Friday (including one pesky A&P exam for me on the Friday). At this stage I am intending to be thoroughly prepared by Thursday afternoon and will be at the dojo Thursday night. If there is any variation to this, I will let everyone know ahead of time.
In contrast to our usual practice of being able to leave the tatami down for the holiday period, we will have to continue picking up the mats during our nightly training as Extend will be running a holiday care program in the MEAC. Cleaning etc will still have to be done as per usual, and we will have to coordinate an inventory and maintenance of equipment over the break.
So good luck if you still have assessment due this week, and congrats if you are all done. And make sure you take time to enjoy the increasing sunlight over the coming weeks!
Keep your comments polite, on topic and succinct. Play nice and everyone benefits!.