A quick review of dojo policies:
  - roll call at beginning of practice (be prompt!)
  - yudansha practice 1st Monday keiko
  - kata practice 2nd Monday keiko
  - monthly tournament last Mon odd, last Fri even months
  - special practices one Sunday per month
  - new members accepted on 1st Fri of odd months
  - 3kyu and above should be able to lead warm up exercises
  - 2dan and above should be able to lead kihon-dosa exercises

Thank you so much to the moms for preparing the delicious first keiko feast, including fresh mochi and zenzai!

Congratulations to Hahn Lance, 3rd place, and Moon Joshua, honorable mention, both in 0-6 kyu (and the very first tournament trophies for each)!

Congratulations to trophy winners Yoon Courtney (2nd place, 11-13 years) and Kariya Yoshijiro (2nd place, 3dan division). Yoon Courtney and Hahn Danielle were members of the SCKF junior team, which placed 2nd. And Lim Mitchell, Kariya Yoshijiro, Yoon Brian, and Trost Jeffrey were members of the SCKF senior team, which made it to the quarter finals against Team Canada, which eventually won first place. Awesome job, everyone!

We also had yudansha practice from 9-10pm.

• kendo had minutes duty Jan-Mar and will have chair duty Apr-Jun
• Sat 3/17 NYS Youth Banquet, about 1100 guests will be in the gym and judo dojo. Stan will clean the tarps that night and they will need to be folded Sun morning (come early before special practice)
• Sat 4/1 Judo 80th Anniversary Tournament, John Glenn HS. Kendo had not yet submitted our donation ad, but thanks to scrambling by Yoshimura Steve sensei we submitted the ad copy the next morning.
• Sat 4/21 Recognition Dinner will be "island style" (same as last year). Kendo is asked to prepare inari and pineapples (3-6pm).
• Sun 4/29 Center clean up 9am-12pm. All organizations need to provide workers.
• no smoking on the entire premises (have seen butts)
• when using the stoves in the kitchen, be sure to turn on the hoods to avoid falsely triggering the fire sprinklers
• when setting the alarms, be sure the building is empty (cannot rely solely on the alarm sensors). If alarm goes off, must hit reset to reset the sensors.
• each organization is asked to fill out an information form passed out at the meeting to indicate officers, business status, etc

Note: please pay up now even if you don't think you'll be able to participate regularly until later in the year. There is no benefit to delaying (federation dues are the same whether you join now or in December). If you join now, on the other hand, your federation membership will be backdated to Jan 1, 2012. More importantly for returning yudansha, your membership will be continuous from 2011 and you will be eligible for the SCKF Championship tournaments in June and September. If you know anyone who is "missing in action", please contact them to let them know we welcome all old members back!

• Sho Tokyo Dojo has moved to Nichiren Buddhist Temple, which is close to Chuo Dojo. The new practice time is 6-9pm Wed and Fri.
• 2012 AUSKF Junior Nationals will be held 8/3-4 (Fri-Sat) in Kent WA (tentative)
• SCKF kata seminar will be 9/9. SCKF shinpan seminar is still tbd.
• Nikkei Games will be held 8/26. The venue this year will be in Garden Grove (CSULB Pyramid's floor will be undergoing refinishing).
• Nisei Week date and place still tbd, but will probably not be at Nishihonganji due to rising rates (cf Sho Tokyo)

The beginners practiced shiai reiho with Yang Jeanwon volunteering as motodachi.

We congratulate our friends at Norwalk Judo Dojo and wish them many more years of continued success!

• chair duty will no longer rotate among the clubs (Board will chair)
• Sat 4/21 Recognition Dinner: ticket order due asap, deadline 4/14
• Sun 4/29 Center clean up 9am-12pm
• when closing, check faucets and toilets and close fire doors
• new curtains will be installed 4/5. Ted Yoshimura painted the stage area, with help from Bob Hamada and Dave Fusato.
• loose basketball equipment should be stored in the left side storage room (not the right side or by the electrical panel)
• Camp Hanabi for kids 6-10, 7/9-13 9am-3pm, $150. Gakuen is asking for help from all organizations, and is advertising kendo (even though we are still thinking about it).
• food stand application form for carnival passed out, due at the May meeting

Also, kendo has food preparation toban (inari and pineapples) from 3-6pm. Thanks in advance to everyone for volunteering.

Congratulations to trophy winners Hahn Lance (4th place 10 and under), Yoon Courtney (3rd place 11-13), Yoon Brian (3rd place 1-2dan), and Kodama Jean (1st place senior). Also, Yoon Courtney was a member of the SCKF women's team and Kodama Jean was a member of the SCKF kodansha team (all SCKF teams swept NCKF). Congratulations everyone!

The beginners practiced kihon shiai (modified form without motodachi).

Congratulations to everyone who passed their ranking exams: Ji Daniel (3kyu), Lim Steve (3kyu), Kim Christie (2kyu), Trost Jeffrey (2kyu), Lim Mitchell (2kyu), Hahn Danielle (1kyu), Yoon Courtney (1kyu), and an extra big congratulations to Kariya Yoshijiro, who passed 4dan.

For those who weren't able to make it, there is some "homework" laundering that we could really use some help with :-).

• Camp Hanabi for kids 6-10, 7/9-13 9am-3pm, $150. Plans are underway, tentatively including Japanese language, crafts, cooking, shuji, kimono, hula, ondo, judo. Kendo will be Wed afternoon.
• carnival booth application form passed out, due at the June meeting
• new curtains were installed. Kids are not allowed on stage or to touch the curtains.
• no gum or smoking on the premises
• kids are also not to be left in classrooms unattended

• the "romanized" name on nafuda must be last name (not first name)
• Jr Nationals: each federation will receive $1000 to support 2 or more kenshi attending the event ($500 if only 1 kenshi attending)
• AUSKF menjo will include AUSID from now on. Replacement menjo will cost $35.
• shinsa written tests will be English only from now on

We also discussed nine items that are important components of yuko datotsu (a valid point), and passed out kendo-ku puzzle #1 (based on sudoku). This is a homework assignment in lieu of Monday keiko (no need to turn it in, just work on the puzzle and think about the terms).

We practiced suburi using just our hands (big motion, with elbows above the head) in a circle around the mirror. We also passed out another kendo-ku puzzle (based on sudoku) as a way to review the components of yuko datotsu.

Congratulations to trophy winners Trost Jeffrey (2nd place adult kyu) and Kodama Jean (3rd place senior).

We also had cake to celebrate the SCKF Championships held last Sunday!

Thank you and tsukaresama to everyone who helped put on the demonstration and lesson: Kodama Jean, Kariya Yoshijiro, Chang Jeffrey, Nakagawa Takeshi, Yoon Brian, Yoon Courtney, Ji Daniel, Kim Jun Bae. By all accounts we were a big hit!

Norwalk participants include Kodama Jean, Kariya Yoshijiro, Cho In Ho, Yoon Brian, Yoon Courtney, Yoon Kay.

After the monthly dojo tournament, Julie Koga of Hikari Taiko conducted a training session on soran bushi. A good time was had by all, not to mention a great work out! Thank you so much to Julie and her assistants Joyce Kawahata and Helen Hijiki.

• the cultural festival was discussed
  - inspectors came prior to start and there were a few problems: kitchen sink should be for prep only (no washing dishes or hands); dango mix preparers didn't have hair nets; ice chest for sushi wasn't cold enough
  - food should not be stored at room temperature, next time should request space in the refrigerator truck
  - booth set up was a problem: need accurate layout provided much earlier (approve at the July operating meeting); inventory all booth materials ahead of time; all groups arrive at the same time to set up (easier if adjustments needed);
  - obstruction problems: gakuen booth combined with spectator chairs obstructed path to front building entrance; dango pick up line created congestion which obstructed path to back building entrance;
  - need to obey all posted signs (hand washing stations, putting trash in dumpster) and keep all booths clean (pick up trash and fallen tickets, etc)
  - expect inspectors every year
  - we will discuss details again in December. Jean Kodama volunteered to work on booth layout (will get current sketch from Linda Kusuda).
  - all groups please submit 1/3 of proceeds to the Center asap
• pancake breakfast and boutique will be 10/13. The gym will be closed Fri 10/12 for set up. Need volunteers from all groups to man the cashier table. Picked up a book of pancake breakfast tickets.
• Camp Hanabi was a huge success. Thanks given to all groups who helped, along with thank you cards.
• bathrooms continue to have incidents. Checklists will be put up; please check and sign so incident time can be pinpointed.
• no food or drinks in gym except water (and even with this be careful, since the stain is water soluble). Floor has some permanent scratches and stains near the wall.
• Dave Iguchi of NYS installed new stage storage hatch doors

Congratulations to Yoon Courtney for winning 2nd place in the 13 and under girls division! Way to go!

We will also need senior kyu and yudansha kenshi (especially 3 dans) to come help!

The session will be held from 8pm to 9pm in the judo/karate dojo, which is in the northwest corner of the building. Park on the north side of the building (past the dumpster). Be sure to review the pages on equipment and promotion.

• Mr Yoshimura will be cleaning out classroom #1 before the coming weekend
• NYS Rascals basketball program (5-7 year olds) is starting this Sunday. Gakuen is handing out flyers; kendo can too.
• 10/14 Richard needs help folding gym tarps at 7am, before our special practice
• membership dues handout from the Board includes details such as:
  - membership is by family, $10 per month or $100 per year
  - life membership if make $1000 donation to SEJSCC
  - coaches and instructors are exempt from membership (but if join another group, must pay dues through that group)
  - seniors 65 and older in the Nikkei Seniors Club are exempt (but if join another group, must pay dues through that group)
• turned in carnival check and coupons to Richard, pancake breakfast check (payable to Norwalk Youth Sports) to Lynn

• Nikkei Games: Inouye sensei asked us to pass along his thanks to Fu Linda for helping keep score, especially for the special kachinuki prizes (most points and most wins). Hopefully next year we can return to the CSULB Pyramid (Next Step had problems with parking, seating, and no AC).
• SCKF will hold monthly junior training practices for 18 and under (for Oct-Dec they will be the first Sunday of each month at Silverado Park, 1545 W 31st St, Long Beach 90810 from 8:30am-noon)
• SCKF will host Kamei sensei from Japan to hold SCKF-only seminar (including kihon kata) either th 1st or 2nd weekend in November
• SCKF will join with other So Cal federations to host Nakata sensei Dec 8-9 (during the last leg of the AUSKF education tour)

Congratulations to 3rd place women's team (Yoon Courtney, Domen Sumi, Hahn Danielle) and 3rd place yudansha team (Kim Andrew, Yoon Brian, Chang Jeffrey, Domen Sumi, Kariya Yoshijiro, Yoshimura Steve)! Way to go!

Also, thanks so much to Yoon Brian for setting up his canopy and to the moms for serving up the great sandwich assembly line for lunch. Norwalk is the undisputed champion of tailgate parties!

Welcome new member: Kim Matthew.

Welcome new members: Kim Sun, Kim Ashley, Kim Alvin.

Norwalk Dojo will be closed for practices next week. Funeral services will be held Monday, 10/15/12 (see link for details).

The classroom memorial will also be open on Mon 10/15/12 during the reception at Norwalk Dojo after the funeral.

We will also be hosting a reception at Norwalk Dojo following the services. We will need a lot of help preparing the food and the program, and also with clean up afterward. See the planning page for details.

Congratulations to everyone who passed their ranking exams: Lim Jennifer (5kyu), Moon Joshua (5kyu), Hahn Lance (5kyu), Kim Andrew (2dan), Huang Michael (2dan), Takeshi Nakagawa (3dan), and an extra big congratulations to Chang Jeffrey, who passed 4dan.

Koh sensei, we wish you well, and thank you for your many years of service to the dojo!

• Sun 12/2 general meeting from 12-2pm, each organization to give a brief report. Kendo ordered 5 obento.
• kendo has bingo toban in Jan, need to give provide asap
• carnival registration form passed out, all groups serving food and beverages need to turn in at the Jan operating board meeting 1/2. Carnival will be 7/27-28. This will be the 50th one; suggestions are solicited.
• NYS is already under the Center tax id; kendo and judo to be added if possible (need to provide income/expense/balance sheet). Dean recommending an accounting firm experienced with nonprofits for consultation.

Bento orders ($8): Sat 5 (Henmi, Kodama, Kariya, Yoon, Yoon), Sun 3 (Kodama, Kariya). Dinner party rsvp ($20): Kodama, Kariya, Fu.

Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make the party a success (especially the moms, who always take care of us all year long). The food was great (as usual!), and a good time was had by all.

Congratulations to kenshi who received special awards at the party: monthly tournament winners Moon Joshua (0-5kyu), Yoon Courtney (4-1kyu), Trost Jeffrey (adult kyu), and Kariya Yoshijiro (yudansha); good attendance Yoon Brian, Yoon Courtney, Ji Daniel, and Moody Anthony; and sensei's pick for Steveston Taikai Kariya Yoshijiro and Chang Jeffrey See 2012 taikai summary. Also, congratulations again to everyone who received new ranks in the May and October shinsas.

And thank you to Trost Jeffrey for being MC, to Domen Sumi for slideshows for Yamaguchi sensei and Norwalk activities, to Sumi again for planning/running the games, and to Mrs Horii (TOR) for her wonderful photographs.