Yesterday was the grand opening of Genryukan Aikido and it went pretty well!
It took place in the main hall of the Dover Leisure Centre (Dover, Kent). We were lucky to have an excellent turnout of about 25 people, shame that we had to chase the venue’s staff to get some mats put down!!! I guess you always have to expect some teething problems the first time, it’s just a shame when you are trying to be professional and your first lesson starts in a chaotic fashion.
Despite the noise, having less mats than expected and the high number of participants, we all had a lot of fun. Also, the beginners were very attentive and performed very well, which is very encouraging.
Big thanks go to Jim for helping out and take care of the more experienced members off the mat, while I was dealing with all the beginners on the mat.
Another big thank you goes to the members of Gowaryu Aikido and Katsujinken Aikido who came to support the new club, it made a hell of a difference. It also allowed us to give the new guys a demo of what Aikido is really about, and what they can expect to achieve, from ninindori, to fighting with/against weapon and various katas.
I’m now looking forward to next week and start teaching the new guys in earnest.
I’m opening a new aikido club is opening on Monday 22nd June with the help of Gowaryu & Katsujinken Aikido clubs.
The new club is called “Genryukan” Aikido, Genryukan meaning “Practical flow”.
We will be training every monday from 22nd June at Dover Leisure Centre.
Training sessions will be from 7:00pm until 9:00pm.
Our club is open to 14 year olds and over.
Beginners are welcome at any time, and the first lesson is free. Try before you buy!
The style of Aikido taught is principly ‘Tomiki’, though Traditional and Yoshinkan styles are also explored during the training sessions.All of the coaches are Nationally Qualified to teach Aikido and hold public liability insurance.
Bill Gates spoke before a group of high school students and gave them his eleven rules of life. The rules are taken from the book “Dumbing Down our Kids” by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.
RULE 1
Life is not fair – get used to it.
RULE 2
The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
