2 important points:
Apologies for any inconvenience caused by these updates, and good luck to those with exams and assignments!
As usual there are sessions running throughout the holiday and exam period, but with certain conditions:
Happy Holidays!
A big congratulations to Sam, Caspar (former University of Sheffield member) and Ian (a non-student who trains at the club) who just passed the nidan grading (2nd Dan black-belt) at the recent Edinburgh grading on the 26th November.
Passing 2nd Dan (and indeed, any Dan-grade) takes years of sustained effort and hard training and there is no such thing as an easy pass. Special mention must be given to Sam for passing with a starred performance and Caspar who put in possibly the performance of the day to pass with 2 stars. Well done guys! 
In the run up to Christmas, there are a multitude of upcoming events:
December 3rd
There is a shodohai (mini informal competition) which will be running at the dojo from 12 till 4. The cost is £5 and you are all hugely encouraged to come along. Members of the Leeds and Nottingham University clubs should also be joining us.
After the shodohai we plan to go to Pop Tarts at the union in the evening. Please get your tickets asap!
December 10th
Climbing social at the edge - climbing session is running from 3:30 till 5:30 and the cost will be £13. After this we will probably end up in a pub or some such place. Speak to Sabrina if you want to get involved (and pay her asap!)!
December 13th
The last grading before the Christmas break. Get practicing now!
December 14th
The infamous santa-hat Christmas training session. Turn up to the session at the normal time and with the normal kit (i.e. gis) for some Christmas-themed Aikido! This will followed by going to the pub Fagan’s for a truck load of curry and beers.
December 17th
Christmas party at Centretainment, bowling from roughly 5 till 8, which includes a buffet. The cost is £19.95 and Sabrina needs a deposit of £5 from everyone who is attending ASAP.
December 25th
Just because it’s Christmas Day doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to stop training! Turn up to the dojo for some Christmas Day action. Perfect for those staying in Sheffield over Christmas. More details to follow later.
7.00-21.00 – Saturday 12th November
£5 an hour or £15 for the whole day
The annual Aikido Marathon is back for the 5th year running. Challenge yourself to do 14 hours of training in one day! This event is open to everybody (including complete beginners) and usually the entire syllabus up to 1st dan is covered during the day (as well as a few other things). There are 5 minute breaks every hour and you are advised to bring lots of food and drink to take in during the breaks.
On Monday 10th October from 6.00-8.00, Celine will be taking a women-only session at the Nottingham University Club. All women are invited to join her. Anyone wanting to go, please be at the Sheffield train station by 4.30 on the day. For more details, please contact Celine.
ShARC is a 4 week programme of intensive training designed to make you fitter.
Your body takes about 4-6 weeks to make any significant changes. What YOU will get from 4 weeks of ShARC:
1. a very noticeable increase in fitness – Randori is start then stop, on then off, everything then nothing. You will get fit – your body will adapt quickly to this type of training
2. sport-specific body conditioning – Aikido requires explosive movements using the whole body. You will develop athleticism – control of your body and useful strength
3. martial skills – Aikido is a martial art – you’ll learn avoiding, falling and throwing. You will learn a ‘budo’ – a way to defend yourself
More info about ShARC:
•It requires regular attendance
◦a minimum number of aikido classes (~ 1 hr 30 min) – 12/month
◦a minimum number of fitness circuits (~ 30 min) – 10/month
•It is run by student black belts belonging to the British National Squad
◦we know what it’s like to be a student
◦ShARC is designed to not compromise your student lifestyle!
•There’s a strike system – too much absence and you’re out until next month!
◦you will feel motivated enough to want to train
It starts on the first Monday of the month. Next ShARC starts 3rd October. Training times are as follows:
Even though the summer holidays have now officially started, the fun hasn’t stopped at the dojo! Sessions will be running throughout the entire holiday almost exactly as before, but with a few small changes:
Money should now be paid directly to Scott (the usual sum of £5 per session, £7 per week or £20 per month). As of today, Tuesdays will have only 1 session between 6:30 – 8:30, the Friday sessions from 5:00 – 6:30 will cease and so will the Sunday sessions. All other sessions will remain the same.
Have a good holiday!
Following the results of the AGM, the new committee for 2011-2012 is as follows:
Captain: Charles Yuen
Secretary: Joe Price
Treasurer: Sam Coveney
Equipment & Safety Officer: Joe Adams
Web Officer: James Ang
Social Sec: Sabrina Gruhl
Inclusions Officer: Cora Fung
Promotions: Sam, Joe (Adams) and Sabrina
Congratulations and well done to all on the new committee for the next year!
The Hong Kong Variety Show is on this Friday and we have been asked to do a short weapons demo for it. The show will start at 7.30 on Friday, so please be on time.
There will be extra training on thursday, at 4.30 for those who are taking part in it.
see here for a bit more information.
