2019 - We did that this year?

by Deborah Maizels

​Feeling like the past year went by in a blur, I looked at my calendar to remind myself what actually happened at the dojo in 2019. Turns out that, in addition to a lot of keiko, we had 1 shodan exam and 18 kyu tests (!), workshops with Sawa Sensei and with Kim Sensei, as well as Kangeiko, Tai Sai, the Tahoe Gasshuku, and our Holiday Party. We had our first dojo demo in our new location, transitioned to new leaders for our Kids Program, and 4 of our students traveled to Japan to study with Inagaki Sensei at the Founder's Dojo in Iwama.
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All that and we all still found time to hang out together, eat, celebrate, and even take a Dojo field trip to the race track.

Below are some pictures to jog your memory as to what 2019 was like at the dojo.

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WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, DEMO

• Sawa Sensei returned for a 3rd year and gave a seminar at our dojo as part of his annual Bay Area visit.
• Kim Sensei drove down from Mendocino to teach several Workshops and mid-week classes this year. 
• Deborah was Ginny Breeland Sensei's guest and co-instructor at a workshop at Cotati Aikido. Theme: Aikido from a Woman's Perspective.
• Students and instructors presented our first demo in our new location!

KIDS PROGRAM - PASSING THE TORCH

• Lars Eric Holms and Martha Evans-Holms, our Kids Program leaders for over 15 years, passed the Kids Program torch on to a new team so that they could focus on their careers.
• Chris Porto, sandan, and Zoe Laventhol, nidan, are the new leaders of the program. Classes Tuesdays and Saturdays!

IWAMA

• July 2019 - Scott Krumsee trained for 3 weeks. During his time there he created an exquisite Journal.
• October 2019 - David Lewin, Simona Balan, and Scott Roberts trained for 2 weeks.

KANGEIKO, TAISAI, SHODAN EXAM

• Kangeiko (Winter training) - Train in the early morning cold and dark as Winter moves towards Spring. You'll feel great and your Aikido improves... Really.
• Kangeiko: Having fulfilled your 4 week commitment, get some excellent Logo Wear. This year we got windbreakers.
• Taisai: Celebrate and honor the life of O'Sensei 
• Shodan Exam: There's the exam itself and months of training to prepare. There's putting on a hakama for the first time. And then there's waiting until you get the certificate that proves it really did happen.

DOJO UPDATES

• KITCHEN SHELVES installed!!! (Thank you, Dave and Simona. And Thank you, Jim and Rie Beno for the installation)
• A new clean up process initiated with a focus on deterring spider webs
• A branded baseball hat
• A beautiful, branded tablecloth (Thank you, Eddie!).

HANGING OUT

• Many Kanpai (toasts) to celebrate workshops by visiting Sensei
• Lots of good food for birthdays and just because
• Coffee and pastries 
• More kanpai
• A field trip to the racetrack 
• Cleaning and Setup