Aikido Shobukan Dojo is hosting its annual weapons-intensive summer camp seminar from June 30-July 6 at Catholic University.  All Georgetown Aikikai members in the DC area for the summer are definitely encouraged to attend!  Contact Michelle if you need more details.

Here is Georgetown Aikikai’s Spring 2008 Practice Schedule.

Mondays
No Practice

Wednesdays
7pm-8:30pm
McBride Sensei

Saturdays
2pm-4pm
Kiritz Sensei

Sorry for the confusion about the schedule.  If you would like additional training opportunities, check out Shobukan Dojo’s schedule.

Our first class in the new year will be on Wednesday January 9. We will announce by email whether it will be at 7pm or 7:30pm. Additionally, we will be resurrecting our Monday class next semester, so please be on the lookout for new regarding its location and time.

Also, please mark Saturday January 12 on your calendars. It Shobukan Dojo’s annual Kagami Biraki (鏡開き)–a traditional Japanese post-New Year celebration. This year’s guest will be Raso Hultgren, Chief Instructor at Aikido of Missoula. Classes will run 10:30-12:30 and 2:30-4:30 with lunch provided in between. Hope everyone can attend!

Warm congrats to Drew who successfully tested for his blackbelt (shodan) on Saturday Dec. 15! Photos/video are available here. Also, please note that Webnesday Dec. 19 will be the last class on campus before the winter break. If you would like to train during the vacation, please feel free to go to Shobukan or talk with Nick to locate a dojo in your hometown.

Please note that our Fall 2007 schedule has changed.  We will now be meeting half an hour earlier on Wednesday evenings: 7-8:30pm.  Also, due to room scheduling difficulties, we will not be holding Monday practices until further notice.  Hopefully we will be able to get this cleared up before long.

If you are interested in going to Shobukan Dojo (aikido-shobukan.org) , please contact Kevin or Conor. The class will begin at 10:30am, and testing itself will begin around 11:30.  Transportation usually involves the 9:23am G2 bus to Dupont Circle and the red line to Takoma Station (wmata.com).  We will be holding class at GU afterwards at the regularly scheduled time.

Thanks, everyone for coming out this afternoon to train.  In case you didn’t get your fill of aikido today, you can come out to a party with the aikido club this evening.  Like we discussed in class, we’ll meet around 9 pm in Village A105.  Feel free to stop by and hang out.  We’ll have snacks and sake, as well as some games and either martial arts movies or Guitar Hero 2.  If you need directions, give Kevin an email or call (see his email for his contact information, or use the contact form on the site).  If you can’t make it tonight, I hope to see you all on Wednesday!

Georgetown University Aikikai will be holding its first aikido class of the semester this Saturday from 2:00-4:00pm in Riverside Lounge. We’re very excited to meet any and all of you who are curious about the martial art that we train, and are looking forward to training with you.

Many of you were curious about whether or not you needed prior experience to train, and the answer is NO. We accept any and all backgrounds regardless of whether or not you’ve trained aikido, or anything else for that matter. I personally joined GU Aikikai my sophomore year with no previous martial arts experience. So come ready to try something new!

Location: Riverside Lounge (on the Prospect St. side of New South, next to the MSB Computer Lab) (map)
Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm Saturday 9/8/07
What to wear: Comfortable long pants and a t-shirt

If you cannot make it this Saturday (or any Saturday), our next class will be Wednesday from 7:30pm-9:00pm in Riverside Lounge. This is the schedule every week for the fall. I look forward to meeting all of you, and feel free to bring your friends!

If you are interested in training Aikido at Georgetown University, please stop by our table at this Sunday’s SAC Fair.  We will be giving a live demonstration at 1:15pm on the White Gravenor Steps (we’re the first student group up), so don’t be late!

On account of Spring Break at Georgetown University, classes will be held at Shobukan dojo between now and the end of the break. Classes at Georgetown will resume on Monday, March 12.

Come celebrate Georgetown University Aikikai’s 10th Anniversary on Feb. 24th in Riverside Lounge.

Charlie Page Sensei, a 6th degree black belt, will be teaching. His style is accessible to everyone, even if you’ve never trained before.

Riverside Lounge is located behind New South next to the MSB computer lab. It will be an excellent opportunity to experience Aikido for the first time!

Class schedule on Feb. 24th:
10:00am - 12:00pm
2:00pm - 4:00pm

Feel free to come to one or both of the classes. If this is your first time trying out Aikido, you should wear a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

For more information, use any of the email links on the site, or email Kevin at kdb33@georgetown.edu.