New Students
We're delighted to welcome Jose and Garcia to the adult class. Train hard, train safe, and have fun.

Rank Promotions
Sensei is pleased to announce the following promotions, in the adult and children's classes. For the adults, congratulations to Kevin, who passed his 4th kyu test, and Lawrence, who passed 6th kyu.

And in our children's class, congratulations to Gabriel, Conner, Gavin, Vanessa and Ana. Gabriel received his green belt, Conner received his yellow belt, black stripe, and Gavin, Vanessa and Ana each received their yellow belts.

Our next kyu tests are scheduled for Saturday, April 3, for both adults and children.

Kid's Movie Night
Also known as parent's night out, our second movie night for 2010 is scheduled for Saturday, March 6. As always, you can expect pizza, popcorn, Aikido games, and an awesome movie. Movie night is also a great way to introduce a friend to the dojo-so bring a guest!

The only question we have for you is the movie. What would you like to see? Let us know!

Dojo Raffle
Sensei and I love raffles. They're exciting, a great way to build community, and frankly, give us something cool to write about in our newsletter.

So, here's our idea. Starting in March, for every day that you attend class, you'll receive an entry. At the end of the month, we'll hold a drawing, and the winner will receive an awesome prize, to include t-shirts and dojo gift certificates.

So the more you train, the better your chances. Isn't that great?

Train For Free
Our student promotion is still going strong. In a nutshell: For every new student you refer, we'll credit your tuition by the amount of the new student's first tuition payment, up to your monthly rate.

Refer a friend, and you train free for the month. Refer twelve, and you're good for the year. Domo!

Women's Self-Defense Seminar
On Monday, February 22, Christine led a self defense seminar at the dojo for her homeschool group. Her theme was Biblical self-defense and its relationship to Aikido. After an interesting and thought provoking presentation, Christine took the opportunity to throw Sensei and myself around a bit. Following her rousing demo, her guests joined her on the mat where she demonstrated practical self-defense techniques against a variety of common attacks. The seminar was very well received and great fun to boot.

Aikido Demonstration at Church of Christ
And speaking of self-defense seminars, on Saturday, March 27, the dojo will be conducting an Aikido demonstration at the Church of Christ on Bowden Road. The occasion is the Church's singles retreat, so the emphasis again will be on practical self-defense. We're looking for volunteers, both as uke and nage, and would welcome your interest.

2010 Camping Trip
Spring is in the air, the birds are singing, and my camping gear is getting dusty. Which must mean its time for our annual camping trip. We're looking at April this year, and are open to suggestions regarding the campsite. First, however, we will need to know everyone's availability.

As you may recall, last year's trip was an absolute blast. Don't believe me? Well, you can read all about it in our March 2009 newsletter. (And you can also read my crazy ramblings about my ill fated hike on Tonya's blog.) Need more proof? Check out our trip two years ago in our April 2008 newsletter. Want something a bit more visual? Reminisce with me as we enjoy soothing slideshows from both Huguenot Memorial and Gold Head park. (Links to which you can also find on our multimedia and school pages.)

Convinced? Good. Everyone is welcome: kids, adults and family members. As always, you can look forward to vigorous Aikido, a roaring campfire, good conversation and great food.

Parents Class - Are You Ready?
We've scheduled parent's class for Saturday, March 6. What is parent's class, you ask? Well, it's a chance for our parents, with the help of their children, to experience Aikido first hand.  For our kids, it's a chance to show Mom and Dad how much they've learned. And for our parents, it's a painless way to experience the art first hand.

Upcoming Seminars
On March 20, Brevard Aikikai is hosting Peter Bernath and Penny Bernath Sensei. Dee and I plan to attend, and will be organizing a carpool.

On April 17 and 18, Sand Drift Aikido is hosting a seminar featuring Michael Moreno Sensei. 

For up to date information on the multitude of federation seminars scheduled monthly, check out the USAF seminar calendar, also available through the upcoming seminars link on our website.