Lancaster Course

We arrived quite late on the Sunday after what had been a weekend for me, having been in Lincoln for a friends wedding on the Saturday.

This year most of us were able to go for the full week which is great as usually we only make it for half the week due to lack of annual leave, etc.

Once everybody had unpacked all that was left to do was await the first session which started 8AM (!) the following morning. As is usual on the first day everybody arrived with tons of time to spare (and were stuck onside a locked hall in a freak rain storm!). Gradually throughout the week it’s usual to see everybody arriving later and later, until on Friday everybody arrives 5 milliseconds before training is due to start.

The first couple of sessions where excellent, but in the back of everybody’s mind was Wednesday 2nd session. The dreaded and yet eagerly anticipated Frank Brennan session. This session is always the hardest, but more importantly it marks the point where you have trained with each instructor at least once. Psychologically it confirms that you have survived and as such are invincible (!) and that the remaining sessions must be possible despite the fact that your body has more or less given up on you!.

We were joined on Tuesday morning by Euros and Sarah who had flown back from Australia the day before and high tailed it up to Lancaster (now that’s keen for you – silly muppets). Later that day and the following morning a few others arrived until we numbered 23.Yet again the largest group there.

What the late comers had missed is the annual trip to the cinema (without air conditioning). This year to see “Terminator 3”, which is considerably better than last years “Eight legged Freaks”, which was only made tolerable by Philip Roberts-Burt’s added commentary and Sophie Griffiths with her Arachnophobia.

Sensei Maclaren gave a very interesting lecture on Japanese culture. His extra BO (stick fighting) classes were enjoyed by most of the Kyu grades. The Dan grades had turned into hibernating polar bears, which were grouchy due to fatigue.

Thursday afternoon saw one of the most violent games of football Lancaster has yet seen. All notions of resting before the grading had been thrown out of the window; all that mattered was getting the ball at all costs. As usual Alice and George pretended to be rubbish and yet seemed to play like premiership players – mmmm.

Friday was here far too soon. We had 8 people grading, but to due to a slight administrate oversight 3 people turned out to not be eligible. (The people involved have been sacked don’t you worry!!!!! )

The five that took their grading where ace. Mike Blair, Vivian Watson-Smith and Meredith Cane all passed with flying colours. Brenda unfortunately made a slight mistake in her kata, but passed basics and displayed some excellent kumite (only has to go back and do kata next time). Kaley – well what can you say? She has now become famous for doing one of the best 2nd Dan grading I have ever seen, only to end up facing 180 degrees the wrong way at the end of the kata (which was indeed a good kata) – her face was a picture!. A silly mistake which could have happened to any of us. She only has to go and do kata next time and we will all be looking forward to that one – I wonder what she has up her sleeve for the next grading ??

All in all a very good week, well worth the effort.

Simon