What's New Archive 2003
Pictures from Sunny Sensei's seminar
The long awaited pictures from Sunny Skys' seminar last July are now finnally posted. Just go to our EVENTS page and click on "seminar pictures" in the Sunny Skys Sensei section.
Holiday Schedule -- December 2003 / January 2004
We will be closed on Christmas day. Mark your calendars for a special New Years Day training class at the usual time on Thursday January 1, 2004. Start the new year with aikido practice. Hope to see you on the mat.
Christopher tests for Rokyu
Christopher after much preparation tested for Rokyu on Sunday. It was evident that he had spent a lot of time in preparation. What a nice test. The movements were smooth with nice angles in all techniques. It was apparent that Christopher had spent a lot of time in preparation. Great effort Christopher!! Jesse provided most of the ukeme for the test. Rumor has it that Jesse felt it is easier to take the test than to be uke. I think he got a little winded. Jesse will get your chance soon.
Thanks to everyone who stayed to give Christopher support during his test.
Tom tests for Sankyu
Finally, after all this time Tom Giebink tested for sankyu. He had waited many years for this moment and made the most of it. Most of his techniques have shown much improvement over the past month in preparation for the test, once again proving the importance of taking tests and the benefits of testing for training. It's not just about rank, however, the focus on technique for testing and being in the spotlight always seams to elevate ones aikido and understanding of the principles and the parts of techniques that need more practice. Great job Tom!! Also, thanks to David, Tommy, Matt, Chadwick and Todd for providing ukeme for Tom during the test.
Aikido Party
The party went off without a hitch. Once again there was more food than we could eat. David and Susan graciously opened their home and provided barbequed chicken and ribs. The “fixins” were awesome as well to accompany the barbeque. There were too many desserts for the faint of heart or those dieting hopefuls.
The evening turned musical when Richard Swafford performed on the piano with a tune from fiddler on the roof. Then David Johndrow had the crowd singing along with tunes from the Wizard of Oz. The party turned to more serious matters as David fired up several aikido videos, including the viewing of “Ninja Bachelor Party”. OK, so it wasn't all that serious. All in all it was a very pleasant evening. Thanks to everyone who participated in the event.
Aikido Tests
On Sunday, Hiro and Jean tested for 6th Kyu. The tests were very impressive showing a lot of hard work in preparation for the test and consistent training. Both displayed a comfortable approach to jiwaza as well as randori. Way to Go!! The dojo turned out in support of the testing. Matt, Tommy, Todd, Chadwick, Jesse, and Barbara provided ukeme for the test. Thanks to all who stayed to support Jean and Hiro.
Aikido Party and Test Weekend
David Johndrow is hosting an Aikido party at his home on Saturday, October 4th. The "pot luck" party begins at 7:30pm. The theme is BBQ/Picnic, with David and his wife providing chicken. Please bring your favorite picnic "fixens".
Jean and Hiro will be testing for 6th Kyu on Sunday, October 5th. All member's of our Aikido community are encouraged to come on out and support them on their test.
Alamo City Aikido - San Antonio
Its official, our friends in San Antonio are now Alamo City Aikido. They will begin teaching classes at the Westside YMCA in San Antonio beginning Thursday October 2nd. Regular class schedules are Tuesdays 7:00PM to 8:00PM, Thursdays 7:00PM to 8:30PM, Saturdays 11:00AM to 12:00PM & 12:15PM to 1:15PM. Check it out when you have a chance. Here is the link: Alamo City Aikido
Great kyu tests - August 2003
Hill Country Aikido had a testing day this Sunday featuring the aikido of Brian Kammerer, Todd Kammerer and Chadwick Chennault. 
Brian Kammerer tested for 6th Kyu. Wow! What a test. I don't remember Koshinage on my 6th Kyu test but Brian pulled it off. In addition to koshinage, Brian survived a randori with 6 very large uke. Way to go Brian, you make us proud to be part of your aikido development. 
Then Todd and Chadwick tested for 2nd Kyu. Leslie Sensei is known for being thorough on her tests and this was no different. The test continued for a solid hour. Todd and Chadwick displayed some wonderful aikido that was evident of many hours of training. 
Several members of the San Antonio dojo came and participated elevating the energy of the test to a frenzied pitch. Todd and Chadwick handled some fiesty ukeme in a calm and controlled fashion. The tests, though very tiring, were inspiring to watch and remind me of why we practice aikido. What a fun event. In an effort to make testing a more festive occasion a dinner was held at Kerby Lane immediately following the completion of the tests. We all hung out until the restaurant people determined they needed our table more than we did so we left. What an enjoyable day for aikido. Thanks to everyone who participated and supported this event at the dojo, also, special thanks to Craig, Sylvia, Michael and Shawn for making the day extra special for us all.
Boulder Summer Camp
I just returned from an incredible week of aikido training in the Rockies put on by the Boulder Aikikai. The seminar itself embodied what aikido is all about. Not just a bunch of techniques, but a sharing of energy both physically and mentally with others. Hats off to the Boulder Aikikai for a truly enriching experience. 
Saotome Sensei spoke of aikido not being just a bunch of techniques but a means of discovering about ourselves. In fact this was discussed by several teachers who pointed out that we do not do techniques to be doing aikido. Rather we do aikido and techniques are the result. Early in our training we focus on specific techniques to discover basic movement. Later the focus shifts towards that of blending and moving with your partner without thought of technique. Once again training with so many dedicated aikidoka is an awe inspiring experience that I hope everyone will get a chance to enjoy with me in the future. More pictures to come, so check back soon....Weekend Seminar with Sunny Skys Sensei
Last weekend we had a seminar featuring the teaching of Sunny Skys Sensei from the Aiki Zenshin Dojo in Fremont California. Not only was the seminar fun, but sharing many of Sunny Skys Sensei's life experiences was an exhilarating experience. For those of you who could not make the Seminar, Sunny Skys Sensei has an incredibly joyous presence on the mat and a beautiful manner for expressing simple aikido movements in words. He emphasized relaxed, centered movements as we worked on kokyunage, iriminage and ikkyo. Everyone who attended the seminar elevated their aikido over the weekend of practice. Even an old dog like me found many new ideas for approaching my own practice. Sunny Skys Sensei provided many useful tips on how to make training fresh and new each time you practice. Sunny Skys Sensei also shared many ideas on training methods used in his childrens classes which have proved successful for him. Maybe soon we will begin a class of our own. 
Sunny Skys Sensei also provided us with an opportunity to meet his new wife Judy. What an incredible person she was and I greatly enjoyed visiting with her. Sunny Skys Sensei will remain in good physical condition for some time just trying to keep up with Judy. Judy began her adult training at the weekend seminar and skiped forward rolling altogether and went directly into hard falling. Whew!! That Lady has no fear. Many thanks to Sunny Skys Sensei and Judy for coming to visit and sharing their lives with us. Hopefully, they will consider returning in the future so we can do it again.DC Summer Camp
Summer Camp in DC. I just returned from a week long camp which focused on weapons training and the importance of weapons training in aikido. Just to sit on the mat with so many dedicated aikidoka was an incredible experience. In addition, the training was a lot of fun. During the first class you feel like you will never last the week. Then you blink twice and you are in the last class looking around at all the wonderful people you have met and trained with and you realize you haven't been paying attention and scramble to figure out what you are supposed to be practicing.
More mats
More mats, whew!! what fun to have all that room to train. The new mats now give us 1173 square feet of training surface. Come join in the fun.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Joyce and Jesse Spears on the Birth of their new daughter Erin. Erin was born on Monday April 28th and weighed 6 lbs 14 ounces. Except for lack of sleep both Jesse and Joyce are doing well. Pictures are available on line at the following link. http://homepage.mac.com/jessespears/PhotoAlbum7.html
Up coming seminar
Dates have been set for a seminar with Sunny Skys Sensei from Fremont California. The seminar will be held on July 18-20 click on hyperlink for registration form or flyer. Please come and join in the training with us. Click Here for Registration form! Click here for Seminar Flyer! Weekend Seminar with Tres Hofmeister Sensei
The seminar with Tres Hofmeister Sensei was a great success. Thanks to everyone who attended and assisted with the seminar. Special thanks to Ron and Ian from Boulder for coming to train with us. We hope to do this again in September. Click here for group picture!Boulder summer camp registration
Summer Camp Registrations are available for Colorado and soon to be available for the Washington DC camp. If you are interested in attending either of these camps, please contact me.
Great kyu tests - May 2003
Tommy Kammerer and Robert Goeking test for 3rd kyu and 5th kyu respectively. Great job on both tests!! Thanks to everyone who came to provide ukeme for the tests.
New sign up packages
New sign up packages for the new year are available, just sign up for three months and receive a judo gi included in the price ($150.00). Also, if you are a friend of a current member, ask about our member special!!
Aikido weapons
The weapons arrived and exceeded our expectations on quality. we will be putting together another order this year so if interested, contact Chris Sims. The ebony weapons are of good quality and if we get enough people interested, the cost is 50% of the normal retail price. If you are interested in getting in on the order contact Chris at troilluss@hotmail.com. The weapons can be viewed at the following link www.arthagallery.com. Thanks Chris for your assistance on the weapons order.New dojo stuff
If you have not been to class in a while you will notice several changes. First, thanks to David Johndrow we have lights!! thats right no more training in the dark. We also have a new shomen which gives our training space a super nice atmosphere. Special thanks to Robert Goeking for his assistance in building the new shomen.
Halloween Seminar in Boulder
The Halloween Seminar was a lot of fun in Boulder. Jesse and I both attended. Saotome Sensei's message was to continue to train each day with discovery. Search for a feeling of connection and not just a technique. Jesse was a great hit as the people in Colorado had never seen a hybrid car. See Picture to the left of Jesse with Saotome Sensei. Every time I saw Jesse practicing he was always smiling. Nee gis
New KI Gis have been ordered, if you need a new gi or just want and extra one, just give us a call.
More mats
The new mats are here. We now have 800 square feet of mat for training or we can separate a small space if we need for new students to train on. Please come roll around and enjoy the expanded training space.
If you have something you wish to add to the web site, please contact me. Every one has had some experience with aikido which is of interest. So write your story and we will include it on the site.
We have had several new students begin training this month. So if you are interested in getting started this is good time.