TRAINING NOTES MAY 2000 TRAINING The May instructor class will be held on the 13th at 1:30 PM. We will continue our practice of randori with multiple attackers and attacks. June training will not be held at the Dojo in Merrifield but rather at Summer Camp - hope you will all be there. AROUND THE CIRCUIT I visited Jim Karaffa's club at Notre Dame University on April 17. After a tour of Knute Rocke's memorabilia and rubbing the nose on his brass bust we went to the practice area. It is spacious and the mats are adequate. Three of the students were in attendance as well as two visitors who practice with Comer Sensei in Edwardsburg, Michigan. Because of insurance issues they were not allowed to be on the mats but I saw to it that they were able to practice all of the Ki issues. The students had been well trained by Jim and seemed to have a good time. Our club in Bolivia has been out of action for a couple of weeks due to extensive political unrest. Sensei Bill Philips retorts that all is well now and they are getting back on track. By the way, he has been advanced to the rank of Senior Foreign Service - congratulations. Sensei Maxine Wright is on the mend from shoulder surgery and should be back on the mat soon. On April 20th several members of the Merrifield Dojo participated in an Asian Days celebration at George Mason University. We performed two, 30 minute demonstrations on the stage in the food court. This was a novel experience - teaching was not an option so we just performed a series of one-on-one, two-on-one and taigi. One of Jerry Billingsley's former students dropped by as did Alamea Green, a former Dojo student who is now at the University. SUMMER CAMPS The VKS Summer Camp on June 9-11 with Sensei Pietro Mieda is fast approaching. Reserve the date on your calendar as I am sure you will be well served by Pietro's teaching, especially in weapons Saturday PM. Registration is requested by May 15 so that we can give adequate advanced notice of student attendance to the University. Our web site has all of the applicable information (http://vakisociety.org) Maryland will hold a summer camp this year on July 14, 15 and 16 in Frostburg with Kashiwaya Sensei as the instructional leader. You should all make an effort to attend this opportunity to train with the Chief Instructor of the USA. Kingston Summer Camp info: Just to let you know that our 10th Anniversary Kingston Ki Society Summer Camp with Koichi Kashiwaya is June 23-25 and we invite you to come and help us celebrate. For further information and registration forms check with George Simcox. Hope to you there Dennis Burr The Value of Summer Camps Summer camp is meant to be a "mountain top" experience which takes you away from your familiar location and exposes you to a new instructor who can present the information you need to expand your Aikido and Ki Development knowledge. You don't have to be an advanced student to benefit from camp attendance. In fact, many beginners who attend camp find that it helps to put their training into perspective and encourage their continued study. It is a chance to meet new people with differing training experiences. Try it, you'll like it. EVENTS AND TRAVELS May 5,6 and 7 I will be in Scottsdale, Arizona, teaching the Arizona Ki Society something or other about Aikido and Ki Development. May 19and 20, Maxine Wright and I will be attending a seminar sponsored by Aiki Extensions and presenting a paper on training being conducted at the Fairfax County Youth Detention Center. June 17 I will be at the Five Rivers Dojo for a seminar and testing.