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Lancaster 2019 – Day 2

Day 2 and again no rain. Fortunately the weather seems to be defying the forecasts! Quick cup of tea and it’s off the the sports centre for the first session of the day.

 

 

 

 

I’m back taking photos. Richard Naylor Jones is training, so the deal is I take photos of him first session and he takes some of me in the next one. It is nice sometimes to have proof  I was here! As Sensei Sherry comes in he asks me if I can take some videos using his camera. So off I trot, my camera on one side and Sensei’s on the other. Unfortunately after 10 minutes Sensei’s camera runs out of battery so I am back just taking pics.

Session over and it’s back to the room for breakfast and to don my gi for the second time this week.

Next up is a Sensei Billy Higgins brain scrambler. We start off doing many different combinations that I know we will be using in partner work later on. It does help (a little) that I have done these before. But given my current lack of fitness I was a little concerned I wouldn’t be able to keep up. So partner up time. Great – I get someone young and fast! so off we go, A rough start and we get going – wow this is going well. We work through a few of the routines and then we get put into threes. We are joined again By Adam Willsmore. Now this routine I definitely know, I even use it sometimes in my classes. So I start in the middle and off we go. We all get a go and then it back to me. Sensei says do it 3 times, one slow, one medium and the last strong. I look at the young lad and we nod. So that’s three times strong 🙂

Then we get put into twos again, but this time there is an odd number, so I bow out as my knee is starting to hurt and the last thing I want to do now is overdo it.

Kata Time – Jitte.  A few times to the count fairly fast and then no count. Then we switch to Kihon Kata with kicks. My legs are feeling it now, and my knee is complaining about doing more work in one session than it has done in a long long while.

Feeling tired now, but Sensei Higgins has not finished with us yet! Back into threes and we all get allocated a number. Continuous freestyle with Billy calling numbers. When your number is called the other two attack you and it goes around and around. And we are finished, well at least I am.

After breakfast at the accommodation, it’s back to the sports centre to take photos.

This time the seniors have Sense Bob Rhodes for another of his full on Bunkai Classes. Kata was again Jitte. At the end of the class some of the young fast KUGB members demonstrated the Bunkai routine.

It’s now a half hour break and then  the Dan grade class starts. So it’s back to taking a few photos until 2pm when the Instructors assessment starts. Now that my son George has passed his 2nd Dan he can now do the assessment.

George and another candidate had to do a mini 15 minute class each with the volunteers. After the class there was a number of questions to asses knowledge of the KUGB. And its a pass all round!!

Now back to my room to post photos while George moves on to the BO class.

George calls me early to pick him up from the Bo Class. There is a mains water problem and half of Lancaster has no water and they are closing the sports centre. This is a worry for tomorrows training and tonight’s meal.

We pop out to the pub round the corner for a meal and sure enough it’s not serving food thanks to the water problem. Fortunately the Stork a bit further out does have water and is serving food. We have been here before a few times, nice food and beer and there are very nice walks around the area.

Then it’s time for a couple of red wines before retiring to bed.

Day 3.

Lancaster 2019 – Day 1

And here we are day 1. I look out of the windows and…. no rain – phew. Quick cup of tea and it’s gi on ready for the first walk up to the sports centre.

It’s always great to chat to fellow karateka and see all the old faces from previous years.

I had an a knee op  last October which was successful, but I was still getting pain. I have recently found out I have a cyst on the knee and also a bad back, so my plan was to take painkillers and train through. Guess who forgot to take his pain killers this morning!

So after the warm up it was a session with Sensei Sherry with Sensei Frank Brennan always there watching. And we know he does not miss ANYTHING! Starting off with basics but in great detail we quickly moved on to kumite. I partnered up with Adam Willsmore, a dedicated regular to these events. I was pleased my knee and back held out. Next on to Bassai Dai in great detail. As usual with Sensei Sherry we finished off with more kumite. So my first proper training session since my knee op 9 months ago was over. And a bonus was getting through the whole class without Sensei Brennan booming MR CRAGGS <insert something wrong here>.

Back to the room for breakfast and change out of my gi before the next session.

For the last few years I have cut back to one training session  a day. During the classes where I’m not training I take photos, often along side Richard Naylor-Jones who takes the official KUGB photos.  I then post my photos onto Facebook. Many a time I have prompted a Facebook profile picture change.

Then a nice steam and sauna before the walk back.

In the afternoon there is a BO class taken by Sensei Ian Maclaren. I drove over to take my son George to attend the class. I have joined in myself in previous years, but I’m saving my energy for the main classes this year.

 

A nice meal and then it’s onto the social at the Red Lion on campus. Nice to see everyone, but sadly the University seemed to forget that a bar really needs beer.

 

 

 

After a while a few of us went over to the Grad Bar (aka the Herdwig) for some proper beer.

It was really nice discussing karate with Senseis Billy Higgins, Bob Rhodes and Ian MacLaren.

Then to bed to prepare for Day 2.

 

 

Lancaster 2019 – Arrival Day

It’s that time of year. The KUGB annual summer school at Lancaster University. This will be our 8th consecutive year.

The journey up was uneventful until the heavens opened. When we arrived thankfully the rain had stopped. Now we had to do the search to find Carol and Christine to pick up the keys. That done we unloaded the car and settled ourselves into our accommodation. Two minutes later the heavens opened and the thunder started.

As we where on the ground floor we had a good view of rather bedraggled arrivals wading through large puddles.

We then hoped this wasn’t the start of the wettest Lancaster we have been too. The daily walk to the sports centre is no fun in the pouring rain!

After settling in it was time for our our annual trip to the Plough for a nice meal and a pint or two.

This time we didn’t escape the rain, but it was worth the effort.

A couple of glasses of wine back at the accommodation and it was time for bed to rest for the exertions of Day 1.

Grading results April 2018

Well done to James Matthews who successfully graded at Handbridge last night.

Also grading from Handbridge and Westminster Park where:

Mason Artell
Elliott Barnes
Jake Nieri
Sophia Sullivan
Niele PeraltaBezerra
Kevin Swanton
Victoria Kolodziejska
Pati Holowacz
Sarah Reynolds
Lydia Stent
Jessica Partington (Hutton)
Lowri Jones

Great training session and grading with Sensei Sherry followed by a full on senior class.

Gym Closures – Karate Classes

The Gym is closed on Saturday the 20th and 27th of April.

Nuffield members are invited to train at the Westminster Park Scout Hall class 9:30am on both Saturdays. There will be no charge for this class.

Westminster Park Scout Hall

Members are also welcome to join us at our Wednesday class 5:30pm also at Westminster Park Community Centre. Please note, there will be a small charge for this class.

Westminster Park Community Centre

For more information, please contact Dave Craggs on 07711009041 or you can use out contact form.