Zone3 team competition back to top
Congratulations are in order for several of West Coast Gojukai’s members that made the zone team today and are on their way to the provincials – anyone who placed in the top 4 secured a spot on the zone team:
- Jaclyn Chong and Kelsey Wallace for placing 2nd and 3rd respectively in their division to go on to the PROVINCIALS in January.
- Dale Bird for competing in his first tournament ever and doing a good job representing our dojo in both kumite and kata. He has his sights set on next year now! You go Dale!
- Mason Gardecki-Browett for getting a bye and moving straight to the Provincials…he had less than 5 in both his kata and kumite division so he is automatically on the Zone team with Jaclyn and Kelsey.
Thanks to Chris Browett for doing the medical for the tournament again this year.
Thanks to Dale and Chris for packing/unpacking the mats and bringing them to/from the tournament.
Thanks to Jaclyn and Kelsey’s Dads for their support and encouragement at the tournament!!
Provincials will be on January 23/24th this year. Check the Karate BC website for details. www.karatebc.org
North America Seminar 2008 back to top
This past summer, West Coast Gojukai in conjunction with IKGA Canada hosted the
North America Seminar 2008. Work for this event began back in August 2007 when
we approached Simon Fraser University for space to hold the event. After getting
confirmation of our training space in March 2008, we began to get the registration
forms out and to formulate the plan for training and for Saiko Shihan's visit.
We had approximately 65 people attend the seminar events. That included our IKGA
president, Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi, his assistant from Japan, Shigeki Yamada
Shihan, a Japanese student/guest, Kobashi Sensei, IKGA's lawyer and karate student,
Sensei Kakinuki and son, a visiting Shihan from USA, Ian McGarrity Shihan and our
own country representative for IKGA Internationally, Shihan John Priegert. When
Saiko Shihan and Yamada Shihan arrived to Vancouver on the Wednesday before the
seminar began, many of us met them at the airport. Senpai Chris Browett was our
official driver and took our guests and other individuals back to their hotel.
Wednesday night we had an organizational meeting to finalize the weekend's events.
Thursday was a slow day for our guests as they sorted out jet lag. The evenings
events included the Meet and Greet at the Village Café where a special guest was
in attendance, Yoshio Yamashita Sensei. He was the first IKGA Shibucho for Canada,
he is also John Priegert Shihan's instructor. The food at the Meet and Greet was
great and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. Friday morning started early
with the instructor class at our dojo in Coquitlam. Thanks to all of you who assisted
with dojo cleaning; the place was spic and span for our guests to enjoy training.
Twenty IKGA instructors were in attendance and we were able to train hard for 3
hours (in the heat). How we all fit into a small space I am not sure but everyone
seemed to be aware of where everyone else's feet were going and no one got injured.
Lunch was delivered, courtesy of West Coast Gojukai. Meetings in the afternoon
took us to 3:30 PM. It was quite a rush to get to SFU with all the registration
stuff for 5:30; however, with help, we managed. Thanks to Kris Nordgren (and Marcel)
for getting poor Master Gogen whom I forgot at the dojo (no speeding tickets?).
Thank you to Susan, Stella, Caren and a few others for helping at the registration
table. Training during the weekend was fabulously hot and wonderful. The grading
on Saturday night was long, hot and probably stressful for most.
I was so tired and full of camp "stuff" that the exam was a welcome relief.
I didn't have to think, just to work hard and spill my technique onto the mat (ok,
a couple of stressful bits). The training weekend ended with the open class and
a demo from members of U of A dojo and Sensei Nawata. A second demo was from Saiko
Shihan, Yamada Shihan and myself (eek..). The seminar formally ended with the banquet
dinner on Sunday night with presentations for all those passing their exam and food
enough for everyone. All went very well and we have many people to thank for their
endless support and words of encouragement, especially the many members of West
Coast Gojukai who helped with this event. Thank you to Yukiko Sensei from Calgary
for her support with translations, Rob Sensei for his work on the beautiful program,
Priegert Shihan and his dojo for the wonderful cloth bags, Ron's Auto for the pens,
West Coast Gojukai for the instructor's class lunch, and Duncan and Calum Scott for
the pipes and drums for the opening class.
Saiko Shihan and Yamada Shihan had a nice three days of resting, sight-seeing and shopping after the seminar and left happy (I think) and rested (I hope).
