WKA Minutes and Documents

This page includes WKA meeting minutes and other documents. Minutes are not available for all meetings. For a brief summary of all meetings and activities, see Past Events .

Current list:

• 02/25/01 Meeting @Jean's house

• 11/24/96 Fundraising Dance pre-event summary
• 01/20/97 Meeting and Dojo Visit @Chuo Dojo
• 02/22-23/97 Overnight trip to San Diego
• 04/27/97 Meeting @Jean's house
• 05/21/97 Meeting @Nice cafe
• 05/30/97 Meeting @Norwalk Dojo
• 08/03/97 Meeting @Jean's house
• 09/12/97 Meeting @Norwalk Dojo
• 10/05/97 Meeting @Linda's house

The dance is almost here! Basic info:

• Where: SEJCC Gym (aka Norwalk Dojo)
• When: Saturday, 11/30/96, 8pm-12am, doors close 10:30pm
• Cost: $8 prepaid, $10 at the door
• DJ: Aftermath (note: this is a last minute change from DJ Island Groove)

• Flyer required to drive through gate
• Photo ID required to enter dance. The guest's name must appear on either the paid list or the "might show" list at the reception desk.
• Dress code (strictly enforced): dress to impress, no G-wear, no hoochie wear, no pointy heels
• No re-entry allowed
• WKA, Norwalk Kendo Dojo, and SEJCC will not be held liable for lost or stolen items, damage to personal property, or injuries

• Facilities used: gym, kitchen, and one classroom (for coats)
• The dance will not be open to the general public; only members of SCKF and friends well-known to the members will be allowed entrance.
• Noise levels will controlled by keeping the gym doors shut and the stage curtains closed.
• The event will be chaperoned by kendo sensei and other responsible adults.
• There will be a hired security patrol to check the attendees as they enter for proper ticketing as well as for inappropriate items and dress. Security will regulate entry to the parking lot and patrol the parking lot areas.
• Security will remain until the premises have been cleared of guests to ensure that the guests leave in a prompt and orderly fashion.
• No alcohol will be present.
• The facilities will be dry mopped before the event and wet mopped afterwards.

• Use the sign-up form, write the name and phone number of everyone who might show up at the dance, also mark whether they prepaid. Have them initial the sheet to indicate they agree to the terms of the dance.
• Write the guest's name and kenshi (your) name on the flyer using a permanent fine-tip marker. Also mark whether they prepaid.
• Use your judgement and don't give flyers out to people you don't know or to people who might cause trouble
• Annie is keeping track of who has how many flyers
• Return sign up forms to Annie by Thanksgiving (Friday latest) so that she can type up the paid list and the "might show" list
• You can fax the form to Jean but it must be faxed before Friday noon
• Each chaperone needs a flyer to gain entry to the parking lot and dance (no charge)

• Arrive 6:30pm to prepare for the dance, including making signs, dry mopping the floor, and setting up the reception table, kitchen, coat room, chairs, and tables
• Bring two 6-packs of brand-name drinks (preferably cold) and a bag of ice
• If you have them, bring (mark with your name): ice chest, water, clothes rack, and wire hangers
• Refreshment items: large cups (Jean), ten 2-liter bottles of soda (Judy), snacks (Judy and Miwa), three 24-bottle cartons of water (Nora), three 5-gallon bottles of water (Mitsuyo). Bring receipts to be reimbursed.
• Other items: sign-in lists (Annie), chaperone instructions (Yuriko and Jean), sign materials (??), coat room materials (??), security and DJ payment (Judy), SCKF booklets (Jean)
• Security: arrive 7:30pm, leave 12:30pm
• Chaperones: arrive 7pm for briefing, including discussion of what to do and station/patrol assignments. Jean and Yuriko will coordinate throughout the evening.
• Reception (Lisa Tauchi and Miwa): ID each person against the sign-in lists and have them initial by their names
• Refreshment sales: Judy and Yumi will coordinate 3-person shifts throughout the evening
• Coat room (Nora plus ??): need 2 people when guests arrive, 4 people when guests leave. $1 charge. Tag each item with a number and mark the number on the guest's hand with a permanent marker.
• Clean up: gym (including wet mop), kitchen, coat room, bathrooms
• Security and chaperones will be on patrol in the parking lot when guests leave to ensure they leave quietly and promptly

The first dojo visit and meeting of the year was held at Chuo Dojo on Monday, January 20, 1997.

Survey

A survey regarding the following items was taken to determine the logo and 1997 activities for WKA.

• Logo - Men with a woman's eyes (15 votes), design of the letters "WKA" (8 votes), other (5 votes)
• San Diego Trip - 17 votes
• Dojo Visits - 21 votes
• Seminar - 20 votes
• Kendo Garage Sale - 18 votes
• Activities with Other Women's Groups - 11 votes
• Barbecue - 22 votes
• Dance - 17 votes
• Calendar - 22 votes
• Hachimaki, T-shirt Sales - 24 votes
• Other suggestions:
  • Hiking, nature walks, camping
  • More kendo activities with the women
  • AUSKF promotional video (note: if you're interested, contact the project leader Tsvia Tabuchi)

Logo

The matter was voted on again and discussed. It was decided to defer selecting a logo until other designs are submitted, including a design combining the two logos. If you would like to submit logo designs, please give them to Jean Kodama by February 9, Sunday morning. The designs should be approximately one inch high. Ideally, the logo should be more than a good design, it should visually convey the meaning or character of our organization (women in kendo, etc.) even to people who don't know much about us.

San Diego Trip

This is scheduled for February 22-23, 1997 (approximate arrival time at San Diego: 6:00 p.m.). It will include a practice on Saturday night, slumber party, and indoor climbing on Sunday morning. The cost for the trip will be $20 per person; if other people, including guys, are interested, they are welcome to join in. Lisa Yamamoto's apartment will be set up for the guys; Lisa's parents' house will be available for the girls. Since space will be somewhat limited, please sign up with Jean Kodama or Yuriko Shikai as soon as possible. Maps, release forms, and other details will be forthcoming.

Next Dojo Visit and Meeting

The next visit will be at Monterey Park Dojo on a Friday in mid-April, due to a busy March schedule. The next meeting will immediately follow the dojo practice. The exact date will be announced later. We may also hold some discussions during the San Diego trip.

Tournament Divisions

The women's division during tournaments is composed of a mixture of kyu and yudansha kenshi, although we had expressed a desire to have two divisions for kyu and dan. Since having two divisions is more expensive (SCKF must buy more trophies), Jean Kodama suggested that WKA may want to provide trophies for a second division with the money accumulated through WKA fundraisers. There are several possibilities for the two divisions, such as dan and kyu, 18 years and older and under 18, etc.

Committees

The following committees will create proposals to be presented at upcoming meetings. If you are interested in participating, contact the committee members.

• T-Shirt and Hachimaki Committee Members - Charlene Song, Yumi Nakabayashi, Linda Fu, and Casey Kuykendall
• Calendar Committee Members - Nora Izumihara, Linda Fu, Miwa Nagano

Summary

• $20 per person, includes keiko Saturday night and climbing Sunday morning
• Slumber party Saturday night with potluck snacks and continental breakfast
• Please work out your own carpooling arrangements
• Maps, directions, and release forms will be available shortly
• Space is limited so sign up early! Contact Jean, Yuriko, or Lisa Y.
• Non-WKA members are welcome

• Saturday
  • 6:00pm - arrive at Rimac Center, UCSD campus. Drivers drop off passengers, then either park on campus ($5-7 parking pass or $1/hour meter) or park at the Salk Institute and caravan back. $5/person for use of Rimac Center.
  • 7:00pm - keiko
  • 9:00pm - shower at Rimac Center. Bring your own towel.
  • 9:30pm - (optional) go to Gaslamp area for dinner (Spaghetti Factory)
  • 11:00pm - slumber party, girls at Yamamoto Sensei's house, guys at Lisa's apartment (extremely limited space available for senseis and/or parents at Yamamoto Sensei's house in guest bedrooms)
• Sunday
  • 8:30am - wake up, potluck continental breakfast, get ready for climbing
  • 10:00am - leave for climbing, $15/person fee includes shoe rental. Start with basic safety and climbing instruction, then do climbs.
  • 1:00pm - group lunch (optional), return from San Diego

• $20 plus money for optional dinner and lunch, also gas money for carpool
• Signed release form
• Maps
• Kendo bogu, shinai, keikogi, hakama, tenugui, etc (whatever you need to practice)
• Toilet articles and towel. Note: the plan is to shower at Rimac Center after keiko to avoid overstressing Yamamoto Sensei's facilities.
• Sleeping bag, pillow, pajamas, etc (whatever you need to sleep)
• Loose, comfortable clothing for climbing. Climbing shoes will be provided.
• Potluck items: continental breakfast item (pastries, juice, fruit, etc) or slumber party snack item (drinks, snacks, etc)

• Who you're riding with
• What you're bringing for potluck
• Your schedule, if different from the basic schedule

A WKA meeting was held on Sunday, April 27, 1997 at Jean Kodama's house from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., after which Jean treated the members to delicious curry rice. (Thank you, Jean!)

Attendees were:

• Norwalk Dojo: Jean Kodama, Linda Fu, Nora Izumihara, Astra Woo
• Chuo Dojo: Yuriko Shikai, Rika Uto, Judy Abe
• Covina Dojo: Tsvia Tabuchi
• Gardena Dojo: Yumi Nakabayashi, Charlene Song, Tomoko Takeuchi
• Sho Tokyo Dojo: Lydia Sakae

These projects are still in the early stages. Linda may have a connection at school for Tshirts. A budget should be researched for the calendar, perhaps based on current SCKF membership. People interested working on the calendar should find examples of calendars they like and pool their ideas. Interested people include Linda, Nora, Astra, Yumi, Charlene, and Casey Kuykendall.

Summer Event

A beach party or barbecue may be held in the summer. This would be a good time to get together with those friends who will be off to college this fall. The party committee will be in charge of making arrangements. A date needs to be found which does not conflict with the many carnivals and other scheduled activities.

Invitation to Japan's Former Women's Champion

Tom Tew has offered to help in inviting Yurika Taniyama, a former women's kendo champion of Japan, to Southern California to practice with us. Taniyama-san is with the Kyoto Police Department and was the captain of the Japan Women's A team in Kyoto.

One way to raise funds for this endeavor is to sell candy at the next tournament, the Southern California Championships on May 18. We need to have as many people as possible donate a box of candy or other treats to sell. Astra and Nora will head the candy sales committee. Jean will ask permission from SCKF to sell the treats.

Another way to raise funds is to accept donations. We may be able to provide a jar for donations at the entrance to the tournament.

San Diego Trip

The San Diego trip last February was thoroughly enjoyed by those who participated. We will schedule another trip sometime on the weekend. It may be combined with Taniyama-san's visit.

Takako Yamamoto's Invitation

Takako Yamamoto Sensei, the person who originally encouraged the formation of a support group for women kenshi, had extended an invitation to participate in a women's practice session in Japan last March. Lisa Yamamoto was able to participate. It may be possible in the future to organize a group of women from Southern California to travel to Japan and practice with the women kenshi in Japan.

Videos

After the meeting the group watched videos provided by Tsvia (Kozure Okami performance), Jean (10WKC home video), and Yuriko (10WKC programs taped from Japanese television).

News since the meeting

• Candy sales 5/18. We have SCKF approval to do fundraising at the So Cal Championships on 5/18. Everyone is asked to donate at least one box of candy or other treats to sell. Nora and Astra will be calling to organize the sale and will also coordinate booth duty for the day of the tournament. Please help out!
• WKA group photo 5/18. As we did last year, we will be taking a group photo of all female kenshi at the So Cal Championships either before or right after roll call. Mr. Parr has agreed to be the photographer.
• Dance late June?? Annie Chiang and Lisa Tauchi are interested in organizing another fundraising dance, one that would be more like a commercial dance. This means it has the potential to raise a lot of money, however it would require a much larger budget than last year's dance, possibly $800 to $1000. Annie and Lisa are preparing a detailed proposal to seek the group's approval. They are targeting late June for the event.
• Dojo visit and meeting @Monterey Park Wed 5/21. Yuriko has spoken to Murakami-sensei and he welcomed us to practice anytime. Keiko is from 7:30 to 9:00pm. We will try to meet afterwards, perhaps at a local coffee shop such as Tiny Naylors. We need to decide whether the group supports having a dance and discuss its details, as well as discuss the other projects.
• Kumiko Kawasaki visit in late May. Warren Wong informed us that Kumiko Kawasaki, a 4dan kenshi from Japan who is currently studying in Canada, will be in So. Calif. from 5/24 to 6/4. She won first place in the women's division at Steveston earlier this year. Warren will be taking her to various dojo the week of 5/26; details are forthcoming.
• Kawasaki-san special practice 5/31 @Norwalk?? If we can get a commitment to participate from at least 15 women, we will host a special practice for Kawasaki-san at Norwalk Dojo on Saturday night. It would be an open practice. WKA members are being polled and a decision will be made Monday or Tuesday (5/12-13). Please let either Jean or Yuriko know asap if you are interested!

A WKA meeting was held following the Monterey Park Dojo visit. The meeting was held at Nice Cafe.

Attendees were:

• Norwalk Dojo: Jean Kodama, Annie Chiang, Linda Fu, Nora Izumihara
• Chuo Dojo: Yuriko Shikai, Judy Abe, Miwa Nagano

Financial Report - Judy made a treasury report. Contact Jean or Yuriko for details.

WKA Picture - Due to unexpected circumstances, Mr. Parr was not able to take a group picture of WKA members at the last tournament. We will try to get a group photo taken during the Nisei Week Kendo Tournament in August.

Kawasaki Practice - The WKA is hosting a special practice with Kikuyo Kawasaki Sensei from Vancouver at Norwalk Dojo on Saturday, May 31 at 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Please bring munchies or drinks to the practice. After practice, we will go to Jean's house for more drinks and munchies to get better acquainted with Kawasaki Sensei.

Dance - The following was reported on by Annie and discussed.

• Date: possibly June 26 or 27
• Time: approximately 8 or 9pm to 1 or 2am. Doors should close at 12am.
• D.J.: Nostalgia, Mainstream, and Kokoro are possibilities; Mainstream and Kokoro will probably attract more people
• Age: 18 and older will be preferred to attract more people and thus more money
• Security: Gordon, who was in charge of security at the last dance, is the first choice.
• Promotion: 10,000 flyers will cost approx $250. Distribution at malls one or two weeks before the scheduled date would produce greater attendance; expect 200 to 300 people. Can also promote over the Internet.
• Refreshments: Only soda and water should be sold. WKA members should donate drinks.
• Location: One possible place is the Torrance Performing Arts Center next to the police station, but it may be expensive; may cost $1000 to rent. Another possibility is Long Beach, next to a sheriff's station. Other locations need to be looked into.
• Price: Approx $12 per person at the door; $10 prepaid
• Preparation: Preparation time is one month. It was unanimously decided to try to have the dance. If preliminary preparations cannot be completed by the end of May, the dance will be cancelled.

T-Shirts - WKA shirt prices will depend on color, design complexity, etc. Linda will investigate further regarding getting T-shirts for WKA. Miwa's acquaintance has extra T-shirts for sale; they are red with the Nike mark. It was decided not to use these for WKA shirts, but if anyone wants to buy them individually they are $7 each.

Calendars - Ideas for WKA calendars include collages of kenshi and tournaments, funny or lighthearted pictures of head sensei, and WKA group photo. Cost, time required to produce calendars still unknown. We need to know how much to sell, when to sell and budget. Calendars can be advertised at the October promotional tournament, but a sample needs to be ready by then. This project must be started as soon as possible. Linda will gather information.

Next meeting - Saturday, May 31, 1997 at 5:30 pm at Norwalk Dojo, before the Kawasaki special practice.

A WKA meeting was held at 5:30 pm on Saturday, May 31, 1997 at Norwalk Dojo, after which a special practice with Kikuyo Kawasaki Sensei from Vancouver was held. Kawasaki Sensei gave WKA members some useful kendo tips regarding holding and swinging the shinai, body movement of women as opposed to men, how to do jodan, and defense and offense against the jodan.

Dance - Location is the only undetermined item as of this meeting date. Torrance seems to be the best choice. Old World may be another choice; the place is safe, although it may not be "pretty." Gordon, the person in charge of security, may have some suggestions regarding location. Everything else is set. D.J. will be Mainstream. The flyer design will be something simple, such as a photo of a sunflower. If the location cannot be determined within one week, the dance will be cancelled.

Calendars - Astra brought her school calendars as samples of how we may want to make our calendars. Ads can be put at the end of the calendar. They are sold for $5 at her school. If enough ads are sold to cover the cost of printing, the calendars sold would be pure profit.

Barbecue/Beach Party - Date is changed to August 2, 1997

Candy Sales - The rest of the candy which was not sold at the last tournament will be sold at the Nisei Week Tournament on August 10, 1997.

11th World Kendo Championships in Santa Clara (2000 A.D.) - An elimination tournament to pick semi-finalists for the U.S. team will be held in February 1999. From those participating, 20 women and 20 men will be chosen. During the summer (either June or July, probably at the kendo summer camp), the chosen group of women and men will be eliminated to 10 women and 10 men; they will be part of the U.S. team (12 women and 12 men) to the world championships. The first and second place winners of the women's and men's divisions at the U.S. Championships will become the last 4 people on the team. If these winners happen to be non-citizens or already on the team, the coach and manager will choose replacements based on tournament records. Now is the time to practice to make the team.

Next Dojo Visit - San Fernando Valley Dojo will hold its 30th anniversary practice at PCI Dojo at 10:30 am on Sunday, June 22, 1997. WKA will have its next dojo visit there.

A meeting was held at Jean Kodama's house on Sunday, August 3, 1997, at 4:30 p.m. Attendees were:

• Norwalk Dojo: Jean Kodama
• Chuo Dojo: Yuriko Shikai, Judy Abe
• Costa Mesa Dojo: Junko Uehara
• Gardena Dojo: Charlene Song

Treasury - Because WKA does not have a checking account, we cannot accept checks. Judy has been investigating checking accounts. Free checking is available for one year at Union Bank, after which the service fee would be 15% unless a significant balance ($2500?) can be maintained; other banks have similar offers. In order to open an account we need officers and a tax ID number from the federal government. Additionally, since we are not a nonprofit organization, donations to WKA are not tax-deductible. Since Southern California Kendo Federation has tax-exempt status, perhaps we can work out something with them.

Dance - The WKA dance was cancelled due to lack of an appropriate location.

Taniyama Visit

• People are willing to donate money for Yurika Taniyama's visit in November. She will be coming with another kenshi, Nahoko Yamamoto, who is also with the Kyoto Police Department. We need many donations and fundraisers to pay for their trip.
• A preliminary WKA schedule of their trip follows. Yuriko will discuss it with Taniyama-san to see if she has other suggestions. Sign-up sheets for being in charge of dinner and sightseeing duties should be created.
  • Monday, 11/17/97: arrival. Practice @ Chuo Dojo (?)
  • Tuesday, 11/18/97: sightseeing in L.A. Travel to and practice at San Diego Dojo
  • Wednesday, 11/19/97: rock climbing, sightseeing in S.D. Travel to LA; Tom Tew's turkey dinner at Jean's house.
  • Thursday, 11/20/97: LAPD tour and ride-along. Practice @ Covina Dojo
  • Friday, 11/21/97: sightseeing in L.A. Practice @ Norwalk Dojo
  • Saturday, 11/22/97 shopping; afternoon women's seminar; sayonara dinner @restaurant
  • Sunday, 11/23/97 departure
• Preliminary cost estimates - Tickets: $1200, Hotel: 600, Meals: 500, Sightseeing: 300, Gifts: 50, Total: $2650. We may need to revise this budget depending on how successful we are at fundraising.
• Airfare - "Yobiyose" specials for plane tickets run between $500 and $600. These special rates will be available in September for November departures. Yuriko will be in charge of obtaining plane tickets. We will try asking SCKF to help us by paying for the plane tickets if we can guarantee enough donations to cover the cost of the tickets.
• Accommodations - Tom Tew has offered to house the two guests at his home. Another option is having them stay at a hotel. Yuriko will ask Ms. Taniyama which she prefers, as well as sightseeing preferences.
• Seminar - Norwalk Dojo's availability on Saturday, November 22 is uncertain. The Norwalk dance group has reserved the facility at 6:00 p.m. on that date, and the Norwalk basketball group may have the morning and afternoon reserved. Jean will try to negotiate with the basketball group for reserving the facility on Saturday afternoon. Covina Dojo may be another option. The seminar will probably be a closed seminar, open to women only. Women from other states have already shown interest in attending the seminar.

• Internet Book Seller - The WKA site is now an Amazon.com Books Associate, which means that we will receive a percentage of any purchases of books initiated from our web page. We will be listing kendo and budo books, as well as books related to women's health and sports. See the books and references page for details.
• Calendar - we may work with SCKF to make the calendars, since this involves dojos and the federation, if so profits will be divided on this fundraiser.
• Mugs - Lisa Yamamoto is working at a company that produces mugs, pens, and other souvenir items. She can get cobalt blue, goldleaf-designed mugs for $5/mug.
• Carwash - Charlene suggested a carwash as a fundraiser. She has had experience with carwashes which have produced $400 to $500 in profits. A gas station or some store such as Target will usually permit use of their premises for free. Tickets can be pre-sold. This fundraiser can be done on Saturday or Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; old T-shirts, rags, newspapers to wipe windshields, buckets, and soap are needed.
• Golf Tournament - Junko has had experience with setting up the SCKF golf tournament which netted $2,000 profits.
• Candy Sale - Charlene and other Gardena kenshi will be in charge of selling candy at Nisei Week.

Nisei Week Tournament. The Nisei Week Tournament is on Sunday, August 10, 1997. We will ask Mr. Parr to take a WKA group photo on that day early in the morning.

Visit. Judith Mack of Oregon will be visiting Los Angeles in September. Our next dojo visit will be at Norwalk Dojo on Friday, September 12, 1997, to coincide with her visit.

Meeting. We will have a WKA meeting at 6pm on September 12 at Norwalk before keiko.

Late news as of 8/9/97:

• Jean attended the SEJCC Board meeting on 8/6 and was able to reserve the Norwalk gym from 1 to 6pm.
• SCKF has agreed to pay for the plane tickets for us in mid-September; we have guaranteed that enough donations will come in to SCKF cover the cost of the tickets. All donations for the WKA must be clearly marked as such. In addition, we may be able to get financial assistance from SCKF.

• We are getting surprise "going away to college" gifts for Annie Chiang and Stacy Tsai. Although Stacy hasn't been active recently, she has contributed a lot to the WKA and we'd like to let her know we appreciate it and want her to keep in touch. If you would like to contribute contact Linda Fu at Norwalk, or talk to Yuriko or Jean.

WKA held a meeting and practice at Norwalk Dojo on Friday, September 12, 1997. Attendees were:

• Norwalk Dojo: Jean Kodama, Linda Fu, Astra Woo
• Chuo Dojo: Yuriko Shikai
• Covina Dojo: Tsvia Tabuchi

Also present was guest Judith Mack of Obukan Dojo in Oregon. We thank her for her participation in our meeting and practice and are looking forward to seeing her again in November.

Fundraisers:

• Bowling - On Saturday, October 18, 1997, WKA will host a bowling night at the Friendly Hills Lanes, open to all. The cost will be $15 for adults and $10 for 18 years of age and under. We need donations for door prizes and volunteers to help with this activity. Jean Kodama and Junko Uyehara will chair the event. Many thanks to Andy Yoshida for his help in setting up the event. This fundraiser will help in paying for the Taniyama visit in November. More details to come.
• Car wash - This is a possible fundraising event. This activity should be held in a city with charitable people to get good results. Car wash tickets can be pre-sold and/or sold on the day of the event. One way to advertise is to walk around the crosswalks with a big sign on the day of the car wash.
• Gameworks; Dave & Busters - These are two arcade/amusement facilities located in the Ontarios Mills Mall, suggested by Tsvia as possible fundraisers. Children, teens and young adults will probably enjoy going to these interactive game centers. Further discussion will probably occur after November.

Taniyama Visit

Yurika Taniyama, along with her companions, Nahoko Yamamoto and Miho Kinoto, will arrive in Los Angeles on Monday, November 17, 1997. Their tentative schedule is:

• Monday, 11/17/97: morning arrival, LAX from Osaka. Practice @ Chuo Dojo 7:30-9:30(?)
• Tuesday, 11/18/97: Disneyland. Travel to and practice at San Diego Dojo
• Wednesday, 11/19/97: rock climbing, sightseeing in S.D. Travel to LA; turkey dinner potluck at Jean's house.
• Thursday, 11/20/97: LAPD tour and sherriff's ride-along. Practice @ Covina Dojo 7:30-9:00
• Friday, 11/21/97: Universal Studios. Practice @ Norwalk Dojo 7:30-9:00
• Saturday, 11/22/97 shopping; women's seminar 1:00-6:00; sayonara dinner @restaurant
• Sunday, 11/23/97 departure, LAX to Osaka (12:30)

The guests will be staying at the Miyako Inn in Little Tokyo. Jean will take the guests to San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yuriko will take them to Chuo Dojo on Monday and Universal Studios on Friday. Tom Tew will cook a traditional turkey dinner on Wednesday and has arranged for the LAPD tour and sheriff's drive along on Thursday. We still need volunteers to pick the guests up from LAX on Monday, take them to Disneyland on Tuesday, take them shopping on Saturday, provide transportation to Norwalk Dojo for the seminar, take them to LAX on Sunday, and whatever else needs to be done to allow the guests to enjoy their visit here. If you are interested, please contact Jean at (562) 926-9406 or Yuriko at (213) 261-6501. We may want to consider an additional kendo activity on Sunday for other out of town guests who are staying over.

The seminar will be open to women only. Kikuyo Kawasaki, who had visited us a few months ago, may be able to come to the seminar also. Members expressed a desire to learn new techniques and practice tips when playing larger opponents. It was suggested that small groups of kenshi rotate around different sensei stationed at various areas of the dojo. People from other states and Mexico expressed an interest in attending the seminar. We need interpreters for the seminar; if you are interested in translating, please let Jean know.

After-Thanksgiving Practice

Members have expressed a wish to have another after-Thanksgiving practice to burn off some of the turkey dinner calories. Last time we saw a good turnout at the practice. Details will be announced in the near future.

Next Meeting - Sunday, October 5, 1997, at 3:00 p.m. at Linda Fu's house.

(end of minutes)

Addendum:

Bowling - At Friendly Hills Lanes, 15545 E Whittier Blvd, Whittier, 90603, across the street from the Whitwood Shopping Center, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Cost includes two hours of bowling, shoe rental, and door prizes. Tickets will be printed for us by Friendly Hills Lanes and should be available by the Gardena Team Tournament. 200 tickets will be printed, since the capacity of the facility is 32 lanes with 6 people maximum per lane.

Taniyama visit - Yuriko is working on biographies of the guests. Kawasaki-san will not be able to join us because she is returning from Canada to Japan in October. The dojo visit to Chuo Dojo on Monday night may be cancelled.

• Norwalk Dojo: Jean Kodama, Linda Fu, Lisa Tauchi, Astra Woo, Nora Izumihara, Masami Hatagami
• Chuo Dojo: Yuriko Shikai, Rika Uto
• Costa Mesa Dojo: Junko Uyehara

Bowling - Will be held at Friendly Hills Lanes in Whittier. We may be able to rent out the whole facility if we sell 128 tickets or more. We will probably be able to sell at the door. Deadline to let the bowling alley know how many people will attend is October 15. The event will be from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. WKA members are to donate $10 worth of prizes - either one $10 prize or two $5 prizes. To offset this donation, WKA members will pay $6 for their own tickets. The shinkyu shiai (promotional tournament) will be the last chance to sell the tickets; we need to sell as many as possible before then.

Taniyama Visit - The following is a schedule of their visit:

• November 17. When Yurika Taniyama and her two friends arrive at LAX in the morning, we need people to pick them up from the airport. The Shikais will take the group shopping on Monday. Chuo Dojo practice is still not definite. Monday evening, Yuriko will drop off their bogu at Linda's house, which Jean will pick up the next day before taking the visitors to San Diego.
• November 18. For the Disneyland trip, Shigenori Shibutani, who works at Disneyland, can get 3 free tickets for the visitors. We need someone to drop them off at Disneyland. Jean will pick them up from Disneyland and take them directly to San Diego.
• November 19. Jean plans to take them rock climbing and maybe Sea World, time permitting. That evening, Tom Tew will cook a Thanksgiving dinner at Jean's house; those who want to join in may do so (don't forget to bring a dish if you do!)
• November 20. Tom Tew will take the guests to the LAPD tour and to Covina Dojo for practice in the evening.
• November 21. Yuriko will take them to Universal Studios (tickets donated by Pil Soo Kim of Chuo Dojo), after which she will take them to Norwalk Dojo for practice.
• November 22. Astra and Nora will take them them shopping in the morning, after which they will take them to Norwalk Dojo for the women's seminar. The seminar will probably start at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:30 or 5:00 p.m., after which there will be a one-hour godo keiko (open practice) where everyone (not only girls) will be invited to attend. We will have a dinner after the seminar and practice. The restaurant is as yet undecided; it will probably be in or near the Cerritos area. This dinner will be open to everyone and should be approximately $15 to $20 per person. Approximately 50 people may attend; a restaurant with a private room and plenty of parking would be preferable. Korean barbeque may be a possibility. Linda and Astra will investigate restaurants in the area.

We should also have gifts for the guests; a collage of pictures of their kendo practice here with engraved picture frame was suggested. Astra will look into the engraved picture frame; Jean will ask a photographer to take the pictures.

If we need another fundraiser, a garage sale may be a good possibility. We may do this fundraiser in front of Linda's house on a Sunday morning, October 26 or November 2, depending on the bowling fundraiser and the weather.

Next meeting will be at Lisa Tauchi's house at 3:00 p.m. on November 2, 1997. We will finalize plans for Taniyama sensei's visit and have a full bowling report.

• Chuo Dojo: Judy Abe, Yuriko Shikai
• Norwalk Dojo: Hatagami Masami, Yumi Endo, Jean Kodama
• Santa Barbara Dojo: Adriene Aono

• Women's tournaments
  • Recommendations for SCKF women's divisions
    • Change women's kyu group to 3kyu and above for youth group, any kyu for adult group. This will allow the 4-5kyu group to proceed in parallel with the women's kyu competition.
    • Women's yudansha division: 8-10 people is too small of a group
      • Should be more than 50 women yudansha, we need to get word out to encourage more participation
      • If not enough yudansha sign up, say less than 12, consider one or both of the following:
        • combine kyu and dan, but restrict yudansha to one of the four subtrees
        • mix 1kyu with yudansha, depending on how the numbers turn out
    • Jean will pass on these recommendations to the SCKF Board
  • Note: this year's North-South Tournament will have women's team for the first time.
• Treasury: Judy gave a report, we have enough to do several modest projects without fundraising activities.
• Ideas for events
  • Invite a woman sensei from Japan, maybe in the fall of 2003
    • Maybe winner of world championships, or Japan team captain, or Japan Champion
    • Yamamoto sensei?
  • Trip to Japan to keiko with women kenshi
    • Yuriko will talk to Matsueda from Northern CA and get Yamamoto sensei's number.
    • Talk to her re the Japanese women’s group keiko schedule and organizing a trip
  • Host a tournament based on points
    • like the world championship eliminations, round robin within several shuffled groups, such that each person has many matches (see SCKF article)
    • Can make the top rankings public and the rest available to individuals
    • Have a party for the shimpan afterwards
    • Finances
      • Pay for gym, for party, shimpan, etc.
      • Participation fee? Prizes (cash?)
  • Rockclimbing (with Dr. Yamamoto)
    • Indoors @ Vertical Hold in San Diego
    • Outdoors - Joshua Tree - High Desert Dojo, 29 Palms
    • Potluck brunch
    • Jean will ask him re info
  • Santa Barbara trip
    • Lotus Land; Solvang; etc
    • Adriene will investigate
  • Trip to No Calif, Oregon, Seattle?
    • Must get response to see interest level and plan further
  • Seminar?
  • Dojo visits
  • Start these up again, a good chance for women who don't normally have other women to practice with
  • First dojo visit: Norwalk Dojo. March 16 or 23? Adriene will let Jean know which is better for her, since she has finals around that time. Jean will ask Mike Yoshimura (head instructor).
  • Chuo, April 19 or 26, Thursday. Yuriko will ask her husband (head instructor).
  • Fundraisers - will wait until we actually get an event plan
  • Next meeting - after the Norwalk keiko
  [ Minutes list | WKA home ]

  ---

  Send comments to jkodama@alumni.caltech.edu.