2010 Summer Camp Jul 30 - Aug 2, Ashton Creek, BC

　

I started my journey in Kyokushin Karate in June 2009, and I missed summer camp that year. In a strange way I am glad that I did as it gave me a chance to earn my orange belt and arrive at summer camp with the knowledge that Kyokushin is a part of my life now. That being said, I am now aware of what I missed out on, and I will endeavour to never miss another summer camp. The intensity and unpredictable nature of training in Kyokushin became very apparent as the depth and breadth of classes that I experienced at summer camp was amazing. It was incredible to see how many people turned out for this event and it is quite a sight to see that many dogi’s on the field and to imagine how many years of collective experience that the number entailed. It is important to note that there are those who could not come this year not because they didn’t want to but because there are a limited number of people that can attend this event and it was important to me not to take this opportunity for granted and train as hard as I could. To those of you who read this who have never been to camp understand that I want to tell you so many things in order to prepare you for this experience but I have decided that those traditions are better learned first hand. Osu!

            However, I would like to tell you some of my personal highlights that I will remember quite fondly. I count myself very lucky to have gotten to know better some of the people I have trained with at the downtown Vancouver and Richmond dojos. They are all incredible people with such spirit and dedication, and it was a privilege to be in their company. Training with Anne in Goshin Jitsu was so much fun and when she found the nerve in my hand and shifted my wrist the right way she brought me to my knees. I can remember being so excited for us that the technique that was being taught to us was working.

　

Board breaking class was intimidating at first until I successfully broke my first board with my seiken on my first try. I am pretty sure I jumped up and down after that, what a rush. I also was lucky enough to watch Keegan fly through the air and break a board with his foot and all I could say was WOW!  Water training, besides being a great relief from the heat was fun! The resistance that the water provided was surprisingly a great asset in controlling my movements. I partnered up with John and the splash of water in the face from his foot as we practiced our kicks was great. It was also quite the experience to sit seiza with the water up to your chin, so relaxing, and then to finish the exercise by floating down the river in your dogi was a little slice of heaven.

The morning run, well I never run for exercise and I was a little worried I wasn’t physically up for it. Again I was lucky as along the way I got to meet Megan and her sister Sierra, we slowly jogged together chatting along the way and if it weren’t for them I probably would have stopped and walked. But with them I think I felt what seichin is as a team, it’s amazing how those two eight year old girls kept me going all the way to the end! Commando training was demanding, and as a student at UBC in the Faculty of Forestry I must say I will never look at a log in the same way again. I also found out that training under the stars is definitely the way to go. Air horns are effective, enough said. Watching Sempai Curtis and Sempai Alex do repeated spinning kicks till you absolutely knew they were dizzy but kept going until they couldn’t any longer not because they didn’t have the will but because the world must have looked upside down was really something.

I had an amazing amount of respect for Sensei Tats before summer camp; he is an inspiration to us all. But I must say that seeing him fight ten fighters at the Black Belt kumite test on Sunday because he just chose to has left quite the impression on me that has inspired me to train as hard as I can and then some. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised at how emotional I got watching the Dan Candidates satisfy their kumite requirements but I definitely wasn’t prepared for the tears that I tried to hide fall. I sat beside a lovely woman at the event and I am sorry to say I don’t remember her name but I do remember what she said to me. “Don’t feel strange for tearing up, I do every time.” Watching the Dan Candidates receive their new belts and stripes from Shihan Stuart Corrigal and Shihan Don Corrigal was an honour and I will remember how the energy in that hall felt for the rest of my life.

Later that night we all attended the Sayonara BBQ and to my surprise my Scottish blood was quite excited that a piper was invited to play at the event, it was good for the soul. The food that was served to us that night tasted so good and was greatly appreciated and the dance that followed was a lot of fun, again air horns are effective.

Our last training session on Monday morning was a little bittersweet. Although I felt sore and tired from all the training that we had done during the weekend I knew that as soon as it was over I would have to wait another year before I would experience this again. I tried my best to finish the session well, and as it turns out, finishing last is ok because sometimes the act of completion is in fact the lesson you learn.

            In closing I would like to thank Shihan Stuart Corrigal, Shihan Don Corrigal, and Sensei Larry Robinson for organizing such an incredible weekend. I would also like to thank all the other Sensei’s and Sempai's who helped in all of our training sessions and were willing to answer any and all questions with patience and dedication. Thank you again Sensei Tats for encouraging me to go, I am grateful. Osu!

Tracy Wotten
Vancouver Kyokushin Karate

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A lot more photos are available at this great looking slideshow prepared by Anne.

Some video clips of the camp are available at our facebook page.
Check them out!