CAA

 CAA MEETING MINUTES February 28, 2021

Virtual Meeting on Zoom

Thanks to Tanya Berardini for the expert handling of the meeting’s Zoom technology

 Opening: Craig Fife Shihan, President  11:47am        
The meeting was called to order by CAA President, Craig Fife Shihan. CAA Members were welcomed and asked to imagine being at Aikido of San Jose, and to “circle up.”  The President read the following quote:              

 We should be aware.
 The most basic precept of all is to be aware of what we do, what we are, each minute.
 Every other precept will follow from that.
 — Tich Nach Han  

Announcement of the 2021 Kagami Baraki Promotions:  

The President read the following list on behalf of the Division Heads:  

Division 2 (Michael Friedl Shihan):
Kayla Feder, Aikido of Berkeley, 7th Dan
Craig Fife, Aikido Northwest, 7th Dan
Daniel Perruchoud, Aiki-Kai Zurich, 6th Dan
Jay Gitterman Aikido West, 5th Dan
Ruth Kedar, Aikido West, 5th Dan
Craig O'Connor, Two Rock Aikido 5th Dan
Frank Roberto, Denver Aikikai, 5th Dan

Division 3 (Robert Nadeau Shihan):
Roy Johnston, City Aikido, 6th Dan
Robert Leichner, Aikido of Mountain View, 6th Dan
Ross Madden, City Aikido, 6th Dan
Michael Brown, Aikido of San Jose, 5th Dan

CAA Webmaster Report: Michael Smith Sensei
Traffic Report:  Traffic for www.ai-ki-do.org the CAA website is down 45% for the same period last year.  Traffic is most likely still impacted by the pandemic, although it is now appearing to slightly trend upwards. The current visits-per-month average is about 500. 
Popular Content:  Top page visits, after the Home page, were: Spotlight On (517), Promotion Lists (516), CAA Directory (380), and Online Classes (372).  In the last report, the top pages were the Online Classes (790) and the Events Calendar (634).  Traffic to these pages has fallen dramatically, again a likely result of the closure of in-person training due to the pandemic. It is notable that visits to the Online Classes page had dropped by more than 50%.  If you are no longer offering online classes, please let me know.  If you are offering classes but are not listed in the Online Classes page, there is a link to the directory submission form on that page.
New Content:  included six Spotlight articles (Jay Gitterman, Ruth Kedar, Tyan Alexander, Jorge Eduardo Olviera, Lance Giroux, Aimen Al-Refai); a Sandan paper (Noah Levine), and one article ("Aikido as a Study in Communication" by Phil Weiner).  Also posted were the March, September, December 2020 Promotion Lists, and the 2021 Kagami Biraki promotion list. 
Dojo Cho were encouraged to check the accuracy of their information in the Dojo Directory, to submit student Dan essays, to post seminars, and to encourage their students to visit and utilize the website. 
The CAA website is not only a valuable center of resources, it enhances our sense of community, and serves as the face of our organization to the world.
There are two CAA Facebook pages. One is used by the CAA executive staff to communicate information to the membership. On the other, CAA members exchange information of interest to the membership.

Bookkeeper Report: Carla Garret
We have $1,410.34 in the Rank Processing Account
We have $6598.35 in the Business account. 
We will have expenses for the LLC, insurance and to pay our CPA for the tax returns.
As of 11:45 am Sunday 2/28 we have collected about $1,054.54 from today’s seminar
We have expenses of $50 for Zoom.
We have $736.20 left in the Dojo Relief Fund.

Rank Processing: Adrianne Wonnacott Sensei
Please submit your name and dojo in the zoom chat log for attendance!
39 Yudansha applications since last meeting (August 2020).

September 2019      22
December 2019         6
Kagami Biraki 2021   11

Certificates are finally back for all of these batches.
If you have problems with application process or website, please let me know and I will fix it as soon as possible.

Feedback from CAA Members
Two people were selected by each division head to speak about the gifts and challenges encountered during the COVID shut down of our practice.

Yvonne Thelwell Sensei, Aikido of Arlington: Our dojo has been in the basement of a church for 30 years, and because of Covid we got booted out last March. We were able to practice outside until it got cold, and then we were able to go back to the church, in another part. We have people come in, get their own mat and keep safe spacing, or families training together. Several of our members stopped coming, so we do a Zoom call Happy Hour once a week.  Personally, living in D.C., before Covid, I used to be always on the go, running around going from work to the dojo without stopping home.  Covid has allowed me to slow down and do more things at home.

Michael McVey Sensei, Yellow Springs Aikido: In 2019 we lost our building of 23 years. We moved into a Yoga Studio where we only had to pay when we used it.  When it was shut down in March, we started outside practice. We moved back in and were doing three classes per week, then as things changed we had to go down to once per week, and now we’re back to two classes weekly.  Someone put together an Ap of me demonstrating all of the Iwama techniques; we watch the video, then practice the technique.  We practice a lot of weapons. I like the idea of the weekly Zoom meeting.

Jeramy Hale Sensei, Aikido Arts in the Valley: There is such an overriding sense of positivity, resilience, and connectivity in our community. In the midst of all of these challenges, we can come together in our individual and collective being. 

Molly Hale Sensei, Aikido Arts in the Valley:  Ahh, the individual and collective being; Yes, there have been challenges, but there have been so many gifts and opportunities. Like, attending Linda Holiday’s Kangeiko, we were able to train with people from all over the world. We now have opportunities jto train with people from places like Ethiopia, France, and (more).  We don’t want that to stop! The defined borders of ‘this kind of aikido and that kind of aikido’ are evaporating. 

Laurin Herr Sensei, City Aikido of SF: My office has turned into a place for producing podcasts, video-conferencing. With Ken Kron, Richard Moon, and the help of Brad, we’ve been producing classes for Nadeau Sensei since March 13, 2020.  Previously, for my profession, I traveled 100,00 miles a year. All of that came to a complete halt, it was a complete shock to my system. And to my wife’s! Working to innovate aikido online, to continue the training, there have been many willing collaborators. I’ve reached out to Mary Heiny Sensei, Linda Holiday Sensei, Danielle Smith Sensei and Michael Smith Sensei, and others. We’re now reaching a global community. We have 40 to 50 people training internationally. The biggest challenge for me personally, after 50 years in aikido, is I miss the touch, the physical training. So much of my sense of identity is tied to it. Some gifts are being at home safely with my wife and aging dog. Of course the fires were frightening, and brought a sense of hopelessness and fear.  The new challenges have helped me to not be bored. I don’t feel at all stuck. I started taking Tai Chi with Jack Wada Sensei; he is a master in the art.  I’ve come to appreciate the inner practice of Aikido, the deeper refinements, cosmology, breathing, the cycle of misogi, striking again and again, then reflection…..

Bob Leichner Sensei, Aikido of Mountain View: I’ve been surprised by the exceptional joy in these times. There’s a feeling of connection to the widespread aikido community around the world because of the Zoom technology. Every day I do the same practice: settle, ground, open, breathe.  I do this same alchemy several times a day now. I feel an incredible sense of gratitude to all the teachers and my teachers: Nadeau Sensei, Doran Sensei, Heiny Sensei, and Anno Sensei.    

Words from the Division Heads
The Division Heads were asked to discuss:  How has the pandemic effected our practice and our dojos? What do we teach, and what do we do to keep our community together in the midst of COVID? 

Hendricks Shihan:
Even though Covid has been hard, it’s challenged every single person in the way they needed to be challenged. I equate it to doing a lone spiritual retreat where so much comes up.  We’ve all grown. Techniques are more internal and spontaneous.  We are living life with more respect and more feeling of being right here in this moment, because we don’t know who will be sick or pass away.  We’re moving forward, and I hope we don’t forget all the lessons we’ve learned. I’m grateful. We thought we’d lose our dojo, and somehow we didn’t--through the heartfelt gifts from all of our students. I know it’s been hard for everyone but it’s also been the biggest gift from the universe we could ever imagine. Love to everyone. 

Friedl Shihan:
Just looking at everyone on Zoom--seeing how many are here--speaks to how much we treasure our community.  We’ve increased our ability to be enriching, supportive, creative, imaginative, in order to navigate this pandemic. Appreciate.  It’s like being in a very long randori: figuring out how to deal with it, finding the breath to keep going, we’ve done this as a constant practice, and now we have really had to live it.  The pandemic has allowed us to bring our aikido from the dojo to practice and live it in real life situations.  I hope we can keep this.  Outside is where we can make a difference.  I luckily never have a resistant uke on Zoom.  In teaching and watching people move on Zoom, when they have a no-resistance uke, they can really practice the technique being taught, because in person, what if their partner had grabbed them in another way, or too hard.  I am finding the challenges and creativity of this time enlightening, inspiring, and bringing a new depth of study. 

Nadeau Shihan;  
I agree with all the nice things everyone said.  And, I want to remind you of O’Sensei’s down time--for many years during the time of World War II.  It wasn’t great living, living a dirt-floored hovel in Iwama.  For practice he might only have one or two sleepy kids to work with. But he really developed during this down time he went through pre-war / post-war.  It was several years, stuck in a dirt-floored hovel in– not the one year we’re bitchin about.

Announcement of New Members:  Division Heads
Div 1, Hendricks Shihan: Eric Winters  (Dojo TBA)
Div 2, Friedl Shihan:  Aikido Arts in the Valley, Molly and Jeramy Hale, Grass Valley, CA
Div 3, Nadeau: none to report at this time

General Membership Announcements
 O’Sensei Revisited 2021 Virtual Workshop  (Lauren Herr announced)  
March 6, 13, 20 & 27, from 3:00 to 5:00pm, CA time. 
12 Instructors, Gi and Hakama Optional.
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/osr-2021-tickets-142829084637

Granlibakken Tahoe Seminar (Michael Friedl Sensei announced)
Nov 7-12, Sunday through Friday.   
Hosted by Friedl Sensei and Jeramy Hale Sensei: working hard to make it happen!
Instructors will include Friedl, Fife, Richardson, and others.  

Gratitude Statement from Craig Fife Shihan:
As many of you know, several months ago I crashed my motorcycle badly. Actually, it was five months ago today. I want to express my deep gratitude to all of you for the support, thoughts, prayers, and contributions toward my healing and recovery: You people have been incredibly generous and kind. I look forward to giving all of you a hug when we can.

Announcement of Next meeting: Craig Fife Shihan
President Craig Fife announced the next meeting will take place August 22, 2021 at Aikido West – if we can meet in person. Otherwise, Zoom. 12:34pm

Meeting adjourned:
President Craig Fife adjourned the meeting

Members In Attendance:
Craig Fife, Aikido Northwest
Robert Nadeau, City Aikido
Pat Hendricks, Aikido of San Leandro
Michael Friedl, Aikido of Ashland
Carla Garrett
Adrianne Wonnacott, Aikido West
Michael Smith,
Shawn Ellingson, Aikido Mountain West
Keith Fink, North Texas Aikido
Carlos Gomez Collado, Golden Triangle Aikido Dojo
Frank Doran, Aikido West
Ben Tyler, Aikido Mountain West
Ray Gardiner, Three Rivers Aikido UK
Graham de Vall, Aikido of Caerphilly
Mitch Johnson, Aikido of Monterey
David Floeter, City Aikido
Micah Peters Unrau, Golden Triangle Aikido
Mike Koenig, Aikido Academy of Redmond
Linda Holiday, Aikido of Santa Cruz
Yvonne Thelwell, Aikido of Arlington
David Eves, Aikido of San Jose
Ricardo Jenez, Aikido West 
Lance Giroux, Aikido of Konocti
Luis Martinez, Borderland Aikido, El Paso TX
Laurin Herr, City Aikido of SF
Tom Gambell, East Bay Aikido
Ursula Doran, Aikido West
Fernando Sanchez, Michi Dojo Brazil
Cal Koshiyama, Aikido North
Manuela Steinmann, Aikido Sursee
Markus Steinmann, Aikido Sursee
Charles Bland, Kinjo dojo Colorado
Bonnie White - Aikido North
Kevin Peters Unrau, Golden Triangle Aikido
Lucas Peters Unrau, Golden Triangle Aikido
Erin Neuner, North Texas Aikido
Weiliang Chen, Golden Triangle Aikido Dojo
Mary Tesoro, Aikido of San Luis Obispo
Louis Jumonville, Hikari Dojo
Ben Blazke, Aikido West
Ana Tucker, East Bay Aikido
Doug Reichert, Aikido of Winnipeg
Bob Leichner, Aikido of Mountain View
Ross Madden, City Aikido
Jarek Adamuszewski , Royal City Aikido
Tony Clinton, Aikido Northwest
Leanne Reichert - Aikido of Winnipeg
Mark Kruger - Aikido of Eugene
Phil Wiener, Aikido Mushin
Larry Bardach, Aikido Central Coast
Michelle Simone, Aikido Central Coast
Dennis Kyriakos, City Aikido
Jane Nason, Aikido West
Jay Snortland, Aikido West
David Gay, Aikido of Caerphilly
Kevin Gay, Aikido of Caerphilly
Jem Sebastian-Wortman, Hikari Dojo
Alex Gologorsky, Aikido West
Frank King,Aikido Mountain West
Stefan Barton, Golden Triangle Aikido
Veera Kasicharernvat, Ganshinkan Dojo
Cowie, Borderland Aikido
Paul Filbert, Aikido West
Robert Cook, Aikido Club of Ogden
William Gray, Aikido Academy 
Bill Essig, Aikido of Berkeley
Tanya Berardini, Aikido West
Jordan Kramer, Aikido of San Leandro
Michael McVey, Yellow Springs Aikido
Kevin Kemper, Aikido and Healing Arts of Roseville
Molly Hale, Aikido Arts in the Valley
Jeramy Hale, Aikido Arts in the Valley