Griffith Shukan News

Thursday, December 13^th  2007

CONTENTS:

1.     Gradings From Saturday 1^st December 2007

2.      Monthly Training Fee Arrangements For December and January

3.     Time Table Changes  For Nathan Dojo 2008

4.     Club Planning Day – Sunday January 13^th  2008

1.     Gradings From Saturday 1^st December 2007

As another year draws to a close, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a fantastic grading to end the year with a bang on Saturday. A huge number of kids  graded to their next level colored stripe level and it was fun to watch how relaxed and calm most of them
were during their grading. Congratulations to the aikikids who graded and their sensei’s who did very well to prepare them through this journey.

The adults' class grading was just as extraordinary as the kids'. We had 7th, 6th and 1st kyus this time around; which is pretty unusual since there were no brightly colored intermediate belts grading this time around. I guess we'll be having a very multi-colored range of belts in our next grading in 2008! Kudos to the white belts who showed understanding of the basic aikido forms and principals which were displayed during the grading. Gary and Chris also did a spectacular 1st kyu grading with lots of flow, control and care for uke. As you slip into your hakama for the first few times in the next couple of weeks, just keep in mind the journey you've been though to get to this point in your aikido life, and be mindful where your next step will lead you. Literary speaking, stepping on the hem of your hakama and falling over isn't as funny as it looks. Keep in mind, 'moon shadow, lizard legs' foot movement was invented for a reason since it
will help you heaps in your aikido techniques and from falling over during your hakama days. So that's why we should all commit it to all our aikido techniques as best as we can even at a white belt level. 

Congratulations once again to all who have graded and a big thank you too their senseis and ukes! Griffith Aikido Inc. would also like to thank everyone who made the Christmas Party an enjoyable one.   A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a wonderful time this holiday season.

Ben Tan

2.      Monthly Training Fee Arrangements For December and January

As you know we take a three week break over the Christmas – New Year period.  It is our normal practice that you pay your usual monthly fees in December and no mat fees in January.  In effect you will get 5 weeks of training for the price of four.   For those people on Ezi Debit, your fees will be put on hold in January.  Also for those who graded on Saturday 1^st December, please remember to pay your grading fee.  Please see Jutta.

December Fees

Would all students please pay their December mat fees not later than Saturday, 15th December.

There will be no mat fee charge for the month of January 2008.  The only fee to be paid is the annual membership fee which amounts to $30 for adults;  $15 for University students and $10 for children whose parents are not students of Griffith Aikido Inc.  Where parents train on a regular basis the children's membership fee will be waived.   The annual membership fee is payable by everyone including instructors.  Adults should also complete a membership form for 2008 to update personal details.  These will be distributed at the beginning of the year when classes commence on 8th January.

Thank you,

Jutta

3.     Time Table Changes  For Nathan Dojo 2008

From January 2008, the following time table changes will apply for Nathan:

Saturdays –   Kids Classes will be from 9 am till 10am

Saturdays – Adult classes will be from 10.30 am till 12 midday

There will also be a Sunday Class on Offer for adults at Nathan – Sundays 10.30 am till 12 midday.  Please come along and support this class as it is on a trial basis for the first three months of 2008.

4. Club Planning Day – Sunday January 13^th  2008

Hi Everyone

This is Gary and besides being the treasurer, I also facilitate the club’s annual planning day, and it is almost that time of the year again.  The planning day is the once a year opportunity for every club member to come along and be a part of the discussion about our activities for 2008.  This year it will be a lot less of the strategic stuff and a lot more of the practical issues.  I can’t stress it enough that this day is for everyone not just the committee and senior students.  If you wear a white belt and you think you will be staying with the club for a while, then please come along.  Even if you have nothing to say, come along anyway and listen.  Better still give us some honest feed back so we have a chance to improve.  It is your club and you should have a say in its future.  The day will be about setting our priorities and deciding our plans for 2008.  Below are just a few of the issues we know about for 2008 but if you want to add anything at all to the agenda, please email me or see me at class.

So far, we have some very exciting activities already planned for 2008.  Since the club incorporated, we are eligible for government funding and other grants.  Recently we received a $6,700 grant to buy 3 more 15 meter mats (same as the 3 big ones rolled up in the corner of the dojo).  Bigger mat space will give us room for more growth in 2008.  We also received a Community Crime Prevention grant of $5,000 to deliver personal protection workshops to the community.  As a part of this we will be learning Catherine Schnell Sensei's method when she comes up in February to run some workshops for us.  Logan City Council and Griffith University’s Campus life have already expressed great interest in this project.  I envisage this program becoming one of our core activities outside the dojo, so believe me when I say that this is definitely a ‘ground-floor’ opportunity for any existing club member.

Of course, we will continue to grow our Aikikids program and seek to add a second kid’s class, but we are having difficulty finding a suitable time at Nathan dojo.  We will continue to visit schools again in 2008 and I can see the demand for our services in ‘teaching school students not to fight’ growing rapidly.  The Education Dept. requires every school to have an anti-bullying plan and we are quickly becoming part of the peaceful solution they seek.  However, the limiting factor is finding people who have the time in school hours to help out with this program.  Whilst it is necessary to have a senior to teach, anybody in the club (any belt color) can help out.

As we grow we need to streamline our administration process.  We are thinking about automating and computerising our ‘at the dojo door’ administration but we are not quite sure which way to go at present.  We also need some marketing assistance, both for the dojo and the external programs.  Danny has done a superb job in building a very powerful website which attracts many new people.  Our Shukan News editor, Shirin also does a fantastic job keeping the existing club membership informed.  But still we need help to get the message about our services out into the wider community.

There are a few in-house dojo matters that are on the agenda so far.  These include: additional classes – is there demand? Dojo etiquette – is it slipping a little? Length of classes – should we finish earlier? Mat cleanliness – is it good enough? Off-dojo storage – looking for options!  Just to mention a few.  I will contact you again in early January to get an idea of numbers for catering purposes.  So please come along.  I look forward to seeing you all on the day. 

Time: 9am – 3pm

Date: Sunday 13^th January 2008

Location: Old School Age Care Building N49 (where we had our Christmas party)

Amenities: There are toilets and tap water available

Lunch: Sandwich lunch and orange juice will be provided

Drinks: Water, ice and drinks provided in an esky or two

Dress: Very, very casual, the building is not air-conditioned but has wall fans.  I will find one or two high speed floor fans also

Bring: Yourself and a water bottle

There will be NO: games, embarrassing participation, bonding, team-building, group hugs or hand holding (Danny & Charlie excepted).

Gary Weigh 

As this is the last newsletter of the year, I would like to take this chance to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy new year. See you all in 2008.

Griffith Aikido Newsletter Editor

Shirin Mohebbi

Email:  shirin(AT)internode.on.net