The next round of Proficiency Tests coming up and this is the last batch before grading. They are as follows.

SENIORS:
Friday 29 May Burnside Dojo, 6.00pm 5th kyu – 4th kyu

Friday 29 May Burnside Dojo, 7.30pm 3rd kyu - 1st kyu

Sunday 31 May Burnside Dojo, 5.00pm - Yudansha.

KIDS:

Tuesday 26 May 4.45pm Linwood Dojo

Wednesday 27 May 4.45pm Burnside Dojo

Saturday 30 May 10.30am Rangiora Dojo

NB: the P.T. should not take up the whole class so please if you are not testing come along, do uke during the tests and then train afterwards.

Takase Shihan regularly travels to Christchurch for the mid and end of year gradings. Typically he teaches a one day seminar on Saturday with the grading on Sunday. However, for some time we have been eager to develop the seminar training with Takase Sensei to a deeper level and thus suggested a weekend seminar. Takase Sensei kindly agreed to teach an Autumn Seminar for the weekend just gone [2/3 May].

During school holidays a number of schools and organisations hold the OSCAR program to provide care for children including the Christchurch Chinese Church in Greers Road. On Monday 20 April Andrew & Irene gave 16 children from the OSCAR program their first aikido lesson at the Burnside Dojo. The kids were a great bunch ranging in age from 6 to 12 and had a lot of fun. The hour session passed by very quickly.

The next round of proficiency tests are:

SENIORS:
Wed 29 April Burnside Dojo, 6.00pm 5th kyu – 4th kyu

Wed 29 April Burnside Dojo, 7.30pm 3rd kyu - 1st kyu

No yudansha or juniors this time.

The normal training schedule will apply during Easter.

The Rangiora Open Day was held on Friday 27th March at the Rangiora Dojo, Northbrook Studios. Around twelve members of the public turning up. The Open Day was led by Kevin Allen and supported by the senior regulars from the Rangiora Dojo. Several of those watching stepped onto the mat and everyone stayed until the end. Three of those watching were from Kyokushinkai karate. We are hopeful that class numbers will increase by 5 or so as a result.

Kevin Allen

AUTUMN SEMINAR
We have an Autumn Seminar planned with Takase Shihan. Takase Shihan is NZ’s only Shihan. He is a wonderful instructor – this is a seminar that you should try not to miss. Whilst he has taught short one day seminars at most grading times this is the first 2 day seminar we have held in Christchurch with him for some time.

The details are:
Date: Saturday/Sunday 2nd & 3rd May
Training Schedule:
SATURDAY 11.00am – 4.30pm
SUNDAY 9.30am – 3.00pm

Congratulations to Daniel Lilburne [Linwood Dojo] for bringing the most friends along. Daniel had 12 friends along to the Kids Bring a Friend day and so he wins the $50 Warehouse card.

Three Kids Bring a Friend Days were run:

Linwood Dojo - Tuesday 3 March
Burnside Dojo - Wednesday 4 March
Rangiroa Dojo - Saturday 7 March

These days were a chance for exisiting kids to bring their friends and have them train in a class. We taught the new kids their first aikido techniques with the experienced kids traing with the beginners.

Each class at each dojo had record numbers and we hope many of the kids will go on and join.

Thnk you to all those kids that brought friends.

We are holding a yudansha proficiency test on Sunday 8 March 5.00pm at the Burnside Dojo.