Aikido World

Shodokan Dojo in Slovenia had a record seventy students test at their last kyu examination. Congratulations to the following students on their new ranks.

Name and kyu rank
ALEKSANDER BANOVIČ 6
ALEŠ PAVLOVČIČ 6
ANA POTOČNIK 6
ANDREJ LEVSTEK 6
ANDREJ NARAT 6
ANDREJ PERC 3
ANDREJ POTOČNIK 6
ANEJA GROS 6
ANŽE BENKO 5
ANŽE REGINA 6
ANŽE RESNIK 6
ANŽE VIDOVIČ 6
ANŽE WEIT 6
BARBARA PONIKVAR 6
BINE KALAČ 6
BLAŽ AHAČIČ 4
BLAŽ BERTONCELJ 6
BLAŽ PIRNAT 2
BOŠTJAN BALANTIČ 6
ČOTAR GORDAN 3
DAMJAN MIHELIČ 3
DANIEL EYER 5
FILIP ISTENIČ 6
FILIP STOJANOVIČ 5 (more…)

My seven-week journey to the middle of the world in Ecuador quickly ended, and I found myself in the Chicago airport. Hauling my two bulging suitcases, along with my book bag from O’Hare to the dojo proved to be quite the challenge in the crowd of people and flights of stairs on the El. Luckily, I made it to my home for the next month in one of my favorite cities, doing Aikido and some research on the side. Lacking numerous hours of sleep, I found out that I didn’t have a room here so I simply passed out on blue-padded mats in the Zazen dojo for the next several hours. I woke up to loud, rhythmic music, thinking that there was a large festival in the streets. However, I soon found out it was a Capoeira class, an Afro-Brazilian art form. I stumbled down the stairs to greet Toyoda Sensei, who gratefully took me in and teach me the ways of Aikido. There, I met one of the six members in the Kenshusei program for this summer. The others were out and about sightseeing the city, and I later got acquainted with them. I discovered that four of the people in the program were from Spain, which got me pretty excited. Still missing Ecuador a lot, they provided a lot of comfort and eased my withdrawal from Latin America. That night, we went to a Fourth of July party to celebrate our country’s independence and our last night as “non-Kenshusei” students.
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“Uchideshi Training”

When something needs doing, don’t wait to be told.
You’ll miss out on developing the quality of initiative.

When told to do something, don’t ask how.
You’ll miss the discovery of the process.

Once you’ve taken the initiative,
And experienced the discovery of the process,
Don’t forget to look for guidance,
If things aren’t going as planned.

Remember, as an Uchideshi
You’re never right, it’s always your fault,
And in the final analysis, “Where is your intensity?”

-Susan
Ni-Kyu, A.A.A.
03/28/1993

This weekend, 2009′s kenshusei month in Chicago came to an end. This year’s program featured seven students (pictured below) from Spain, Texas, Kansas, and Massachusetts.

Three-time program participant Maite Sensei also wrote the following about the kenshusei experience:

Kenshushei is a very special time

It isn’t only a time for training and learning new techniques

It isn`t only a time to prepare for the next test

It is the time to learn and train respect and gratitude

It is the time to grow up as a person and learn to be nice with the others

Kenshushei is the time to learn and practices Shugyo and go back home as a better person

Your life is your responsibility
What are you doing with it?

No es solo el tiempo de practicar Aikido y aprender nuevas técnicas

No es solo el tiempo para preparar el próximo examen

Es el tiempo de aprender y practicar respeto y agradecimiento

Es el tiempo de crecer como personas y a prender a ser buenos con los demás

Kenshushei es el tiempo de aprender y practicar Shugyo y volver a casa siendo mejor persona

Tu vida es tu responsabilidad
¿Qué estás haciendo con ella?

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 AIF Raffle! We apologize for the delay in posting results and thank you to everybody who helped support the AIF by buying tickets.

Grand Prize ($334 cash): Ron Shereyk (Soshinkan, Berwyn, IL)

AAA Kenshusei/Seminar Scholarship: David Silvan (Spain/Tenshinkan)

AAA Kenshusei/Seminar Scholarship: Rafael Toro (Shushinkan, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico)

Weapons Bag: H. Brody (Warminster Aikido Dojo, Warminster, PA)

Weapons Bag: William Bunn (White Tiger Martial Arts, Cary, NC)

AIF T-shirt: Ron Shereyk (Soshinkan, Burbank, IL)

AIF T-shirt: unidentified (Soshinkan, Burbank, IL)

Prizes will be mailed to the winners outside Illinois this week.