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I'm back from Aikido Summer Camp! I made it thorough uninjured, although pretty much everything is sore, stiff, abraded, and/or bruised. Over the 6 days I was there, I attended 28 classes, taught by senior instructors from Canada, the US, France, and Argentina; my body surprised me by being up for more classes than I expected. A quarter of those were weapons classes, which are a bit easier on the body because they don't involve throws and falls; these were held outside in a large gazebo-like structure.
The venue was quite pleasant, with nice rooms and good breakfasts and dinners (included in the package price). The optional, non-free lunch buffet was a bit disappointing, but it was a minor issue. The pool and hot tub were very welcome at the end of the days, too.
My traveling companion was pleasant and helpful: he had been there the previous year, and was quite well-connected, particularly with the crowd from Montreal, so I had an "in" for some of the social groups, including the evening suite parties of one of the senior instructors. He also guided me in which courses to attend, and encouraged me to keep going when my body was somewhat sore.
All in all, it was a great experience; how much I learned will only really be apparent once I get back to my usual practice, since so much of what I was doing there was new and so many of the other students were well beyond my skill level. I'm guessing that I'll go back every couple of years, schedule and budget permitting.
The venue was quite pleasant, with nice rooms and good breakfasts and dinners (included in the package price). The optional, non-free lunch buffet was a bit disappointing, but it was a minor issue. The pool and hot tub were very welcome at the end of the days, too.
My traveling companion was pleasant and helpful: he had been there the previous year, and was quite well-connected, particularly with the crowd from Montreal, so I had an "in" for some of the social groups, including the evening suite parties of one of the senior instructors. He also guided me in which courses to attend, and encouraged me to keep going when my body was somewhat sore.
All in all, it was a great experience; how much I learned will only really be apparent once I get back to my usual practice, since so much of what I was doing there was new and so many of the other students were well beyond my skill level. I'm guessing that I'll go back every couple of years, schedule and budget permitting.
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