COVID-19 Situation

Good evening fellow Kenshi,

The last few days has included a lot of changes and updates going on concerning the operation of the Kentucky and Cleveland tournaments that have been planned to occur over the last few weeks.  As I'm sure all of you know, the spread of the COVID-19 virus around the world has caused event organizers to weigh the risks of hosting an event where large amounts of people plan to gather.  Some of those planned events have, unfortunately, been canceled or postponed out of consideration to public health.

Unfortunately, after weighing the risks to our own Federation and possible visitors, the ECUSKF has decided to postpone the Kentucky Tournament for the time being.  For those of you that have already sent in your money for the tournament, those checks will not be processed.  The silver lining is that the promotion will still go on as planned, but it will be moved to Columbus.  We're still trying to nail down a time, but the location will be at the following location:

Worthington Recreation Center
345 E Wilson Bridge Rd
Worthington, OH 43085

There was also a series of joint practices that were going on this month to prepare for the Junior Nationals and the AUSKF National Tournament this year.  Those have also been postponed until a later date (the Jr. Nationals have also been canceled. The AUSKF Tournament's fate hasn't been decided as of this email).

Yesterday, we were also informed that ALL events surrounding the Cleveland Tournament (tournament, promotion exam, seminar and godo-keiko) have been canceled.  At this time, I'm not sure if it will be rescheduled at a later date, but I'll let you know about the latest developments.  If anyone has already pre-paid for the tournament when they signed up, the organizers are working on a way to make sure that everyone gets a refund.

As for our regular practices, I currently don't see a need to cancel practice at this time.  The only thing I can really say at this point is to pay close attention to your health and stay home if you start to feel sick (don't try to "brave" it out for the sake of ego).  You also want to keep yourself, and others, healthy by practicing good hygiene (washing hands, showering, etc.), getting enough sleep and eating properly.

There's still a lot of activity going on behind the scenes with the situation, so I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.  If there are any questions or concerns, feel free to ask!

Chris George

Changes To Tomorrow's Practice Schedule

Good morning everyone,

Sorry for the last minute notice, but there will be a joint practice tomorrow from 10 AM - 3 PM at the College Hill Rec Center.  Iaido will still go on as normal in Dillonvale, but we will be joining everyone for the joint practice for Kendo.

Chris George

No Practice Sunday

I will have to cancel practice this Sunday because I will be in Detroit for the Kendo tournament.  See you all on Wednesday!

Holiday Practice Schedule

This is everyone's notice that, due to the holidays, we won't have any practices for the rest of the year.  That will make the next practice happen on Sunday, January 5th.  Happy Christmahanakwanzaka!

No Practice Wednesday

The College Hill Rec Center will be closing early tomorrow for the Thanksgiving holiday, so we won't be able to have Iaido or Kendo practice.  I will be in town, so we will have practice for those that will be available.

Important Announcements For This Weekend!

There's going to be a lot going on this weekend, so here's the breakdown:

    Since Kato-sensei (from New York) and Inoshita-sensei (from Portsmouth) are planning on coming in Friday evening, they wanted to get an extra practice in before the main event.  Due to that, there will be an unofficial godo keiko (joint practice) this Friday from 7PM to 9PM at the Griffin Sports Elite facility.  In order to make sure you get to practice on time, plan to be there for 6:30.  As for anything after practice, nothing has been planned at the moment, but try to keep your night free just in case we decide to do something.
    - On Saturday after the AUSKF board meeting, there will be another practice from 5PM to 6PM (try to get there at 4:30 PM) at the Griffin Sports Elite facility.
    - Sunday is the day of the promotion exam (11AM - 5PM).  Since I have to help with the event, and it overlaps with our practice, I will be canceling practice this Sunday.
        - However, this doesn't mean that this is a simple break from practice.  I'd like you all to come to the event location (Griffin Sports Elite) and watch the exam.  It's great that you guys come to practice and all, but this is a chance to participate in mitori-geiko (practice through watching) by seeing how higher-ranking tests are conducted and what would be expected of you when you get to that level.

I would really like it if you could make it to all of the events going on throughout the weekend.  It's one thing to come to practice every week, but it's not often that there's an opportunity to train with and watch people from different regions of the USA practice and see the different styles going on.  If you have any questions, please let me know ASAP!

P.S.  The address to the facility is 700 Dolwick Dr, Erlanger, KY 41018.  It's located just before the intersection of I-71/75 and I-275.

Chris George

***I made a modification to the practice times for Saturday and Sunday!***

Johnson Cup

Good evening everyone,

Due to the ECUSKF having the Johnson Cup in Columbus this weekend, we will not be having our normal practice this Sunday.  If you want more information about the event, you can go to the ECUSKF website for the event schedule for Saturday and Sunday.