Spring Camp This Spring Camp was my second one. In 2015 I came to MacKenzie Lake alone to represent our Edmonton Lakewood dojo. After coming back I spread a word so this time we arrived as a team of five. I took with me my wife’s daughter Elena with her twin sons Dmitri and Nikita from Moscow where they trained for over a year. I brought them just two days after their arrival to visit Canada because this camp combines great training sessions with wonderful gathering of friends. Our instructors were Sensei Dean Bawtinheimer from Port Coquitlam dojo and our own Sempai Michi Nagase with occasional intervention by Shihan Brad. Sensei Dean maximized attention on punch/kick combinations and Kihon Kumite. Sempai Michi was responsible for extensive warmups so familiar to us but quite surprising to Calgarians many of whom felt sore the next day. Special memories: kumite in the dark from Dean and Kiba-jumps from Michi. After main trainings we had a mini tournament where everybody could demonstrate their kumite abilities directly to our instructors simply by sparring them. This year Ana Feher and myself are candidates to Shodan. Shihan Brad took part in our nervous anticipation of coming Technical Test and trained both of us personally between general sessions. On Saturday night Sempai Michelle organized the cultural program the way only she can do. I still keep a Spiderman tag stuck to my back which I had to figure out by asking “yes/no” questions. After twenty minutes of mental struggle my 24-year life in North America finally provided me with the right guess. On Sunday after the camp we drove to Downtown Calgary and walked Steven Avenue. Calgary is beautiful this time of the year! Alexey Atrazhev Edmonton Lakewood.
Spring Camp The camp was an incredible immersive experience in Karate. Not only for training but in building friendships within the club. Instructors Sensei Dean Bawtinheimer and Sempai Michi Nagase brought much to the classes not only for training and flexibility but also a teaching style that brought history and humour which was both engaging and exemplary. The training sessions pulled so much together from leg blocking, footwork, punching (close quarters), upper blocks and blocks with body movement all combined with sparring. I paired up with with Richard who really coached and helped me to get so much more out of all that was taught. The Spring training session taught me a great deal about the principles of Respect, Patience and Perseverance under pressure (Osu no seishin). I have a long way to go for training in all facets and found the camp a real treasure both in new techniques as well as how the club is so willing to share and teach. Thank you Shihan, your family, Sensei and sempai's who made this possible. Regards, Arden
