Girlies at the Bowden and Premier!

[Lone Kitten]

hey hey

for all the UK girls out there, it was really good to see so many of us at the Sir Frank Bowden Taikai and the Premier's Cup this weekend! I didn't compete (spent the whole weekend serving sarnies and coffee/tea to the BKA top brass!) but there seemed to be a fair few of us there. Can't wait for the British open... i'm going to compete, i just hope lots of u guys do too... last time i competed i managed to come 5th in the women's competition - mainly because there were only 8 competing!!!

just thought i'd post. I think it's great that more of us ladies are gettin in there and competing... i know there are never very many of us, but women's competitions are great and kinda help to raise the profile of women's kendo in the UK!

So... were any of you guys in Ollerton this weekend for the comp? post up people!

[GreenArrow]

I shouldn't really admit this, but to be honest, it kind-of passed me by...:eek:

As I've said before, I'm still a green newbie so don't really count in the Kendo world- so I keep out of the way of that sort of thing. Besides, the GreenArrow was living up to her namesake and doing other sorts of tournaments this past weekend:wink: Although the wind was a particularly difficult one at 80 yds on Sunday...:)

Seriously though, I wouldn't be particularly confident to go to something like that, even if I had gotten chance to play in bogu- after all, newbies like me keep getting our noses rubbed in it (both on some of these KendoWorld forums and elsewhere) about what low forms of life we are... :D

Maybe one day...

[Alison2805]

Youll be competing in no time GreenArrow! Even if you arent competing yet, when you have a chance go and watch the advanced women, its amazing.

[Timeline]

Hiya,
How were the competitions? Do you know any results from the two days?

[Lone Kitten]

Hiya,
How were the competitions? Do you know any results from the two days?

I do that!
At the bowden I think it was Mumeishi 'A' that won the taikai - four japanese guys and a brit. Have to say they were rather good, even if i didn't get to see much kendo - i spent the day serving and making the sarnies and coffee everyone was buying!
Gibbo won the Premier's cup again. He beat Brian Hayes (from Kagami Shin I think) quite quickly, but some one i know who was sat near him and said that he walked in with his eyes shut twice (I don't know, i was sat in the refreshments bit). I think he could have given Gibbo a good run for his money though. Maybe just a bad day for him.
Some lad called Mark Richardson (I think) won the juniors event - that one i did see because i was recording for that one. Michael Scally from Kashi no ki (my dojo!) came second and did bloody well too!

hope that helps

Greenarrow - i agree. It definitely helps if you watch the more experienced compete - the brit squad girls were there. Alex Birch is a very good fencer - only wish i could be like her some point!

[runsyi]

hey hey

for all the UK girls out there, it was really good to see so many of us at the Sir Frank Bowden Taikai and the Premier's Cup this weekend! I didn't compete (spent the whole weekend serving sarnies and coffee/tea to the BKA top brass!) but there seemed to be a fair few of us there. Can't wait for the British open... i'm going to compete, i just hope lots of u guys do too... last time i competed i managed to come 5th in the women's competition - mainly because there were only 8 competing!!!

just thought i'd post. I think it's great that more of us ladies are gettin in there and competing... i know there are never very many of us, but women's competitions are great and kinda help to raise the profile of women's kendo in the UK!

So... were any of you guys in Ollerton this weekend for the comp? post up people!

What's a sarnie? Good luck in the British Open! Only 8 competitors? What division is that?

[Lone Kitten]

What's a sarnie? Good luck in the British Open! Only 8 competitors? What division is that?

For our American colleagues a "sarnie" is brit slang for a sandwich - egg and cress anyone?!

It's the women's division. There are just so few girls that compete in the uk that they do it that way. That's why the BKA website is always appealing for more women to join the squad, there are just so few of us! I would go to squad, but it's expensive because they get no funding for their trips. you also need to be able to give up considerable time to travel, compete and train, and i just don't have that. I went to squad practice once and it was really expensive for the weekend - maily because it was near london.:disapp:

[runsyi]

For our American colleagues a "sarnie" is brit slang for a sandwich - egg and cress anyone?!

It's the women's division. There are just so few girls that compete in the uk that they do it that way. That's why the BKA website is always appealing for more women to join the squad, there are just so few of us! I would go to squad, but it's expensive because they get no funding for their trips. you also need to be able to give up considerable time to travel, compete and train, and i just don't have that. I went to squad practice once and it was really expensive for the weekend - maily because it was near london.:disapp:

Egg and cress? Sounds interesting. Did they cut the crusts off too? Usually here the "brass" get the same bento as everyone else. The women's division is all ranks? Sometimes they do that here but usually it gets grouped by rank, not sex.

[Lone Kitten]

Egg and cress? Sounds interesting. Did they cut the crusts off too? Usually here the "brass" get the same bento as everyone else. The women's division is all ranks? Sometimes they do that here but usually it gets grouped by rank, not sex.

lol, no they were in bread rolls. U never had egg and cress? good combo. egg mashed up with mayo and mixed with cress. v nice. lots of protein. the brass got fed. I made onigiri and they went down very well!

They can't split the women up because there would only be about two in the yon dan and above division. they can't do it.

[Neil Gendzwill]

They can't split the women up because there would only be about two in the yon dan and above division. they can't do it.Is Liz Dutton still competing? I met her a few years ago.

[JSchmidt]

Is Liz Dutton still competing? I met her a few years ago.

She moved back to NZ a few years back.

Jakob

[runsyi]

lol, no they were in bread rolls. U never had egg and cress? good combo. egg mashed up with mayo and mixed with cress. v nice. lots of protein. the brass got fed. I made onigiri and they went down very well!

They can't split the women up because there would only be about two in the yon dan and above division. they can't do it.

Sounds good. I'm assuming by cress = watercress? The last big taikai we had the women's division was separated into seinenbu and yudansha.

[Paburo]

dear kitten, won't you get the pictures/videos coming up...? :D

[Budo Angel]

Sadly the women's division has been about 8-10 for some years now...new blood comes in, but old blood no longer competes.

lone kitten is sadly correct, there would only be 2-3 if that if the women were split up.. :down:

...so please don't knock the fact so few compete, what sort of division is that...everyone wants more of a competition :((:

[runsyi]

Sadly the women's division has been about 8-10 for some years now...new blood comes in, but old blood no longer competes.

lone kitten is sadly correct, there would only be 2-3 if that if the women were split up.. :down:

...so please don't knock the fact so few compete, what sort of division is that...everyone wants more of a competition :((:

Not knocking anything. Just curious about the division breakup.

[Alison2805]

here the women compete dan and kyu together cos theres so few of us.

[Kenshi]

Not knocking anything. Just curious about the division breakup.

Britiain is well behind a lot of European countries in female numbers and dan ranks... but we still managed a couple of Team Bronze medals in the European Championships in 2001 and 2002.

Mind you, my dojo in Japan has 70 members..with about 3 being female!

[The great I AM]

Well, slowly but surely things are getting better. I've got 5 noob girls in UCL this year, and 3 of them are going to squad this weekend, so I'm doing my bit! The problem is keeping these young ladies interested in kendo long enough for them to be able to sustain their own enthusiasm. Once they actually "bite" then they just keep on bashing through just like all the blokes. I think part of it is being able to show them that ladies can get good just as easily as blokes can. At UCL we were quite lucky to have a very very good korean lady visit for a while, and the girls had a good chance to watch her and talk to her. That helped massively, I think!

And Brian might as well have had his eyes closed, but I can tell from where I was standing they were open.....snoogins.(couldn't resist....sorry Brian!)

[sjp]

And Brian might as well have had his eyes closed, but I can tell from where I was standing they were open.....snoogins.(couldn't resist....sorry Brian!)

I did consider making him walk home on Sunday :wink:

[Lone Kitten]

It is sad about the women's numbers at taikai - even sadder is i just forund out that I can't go to the open this year (NOOOOOOOOOOOO!) as am having towork because evil manager is being nasty and letting someone else have the day off (god i'm so childish!).

Gibbo - you'll have to get some of your UCL student girlies competing. As for keeping them hooked - it's an interesting point. Watching someone reall good gives you something to aspire to - I aspire to be like my high school sempai - she's studying with Sumi sensei now (lucky thing!). Btw - good boy for doing your bit, roll over and i'll scratch your tummy! :silly:

Paburo - as for the whole vids/pics things, i'll have to ask around at the club. I didn't have a chance to take any as my little bro has, ahem, appropriated my camera. May have to take it back by force!

[fitzj]

I had a great time at the Bowden this year and fully intend to be back for the Open later this year too. I might even last longer than the first round! I managed to talk to a lot of people and watch some great Kendo. Just sorry that Brian put Gerry out. I would have enjoyed seeing Gerry and Gibbo in the final but there is always next year

[The great I AM]

Gibbo - you'll have to get some of your UCL student girlies competing. Actually two ladies were in team c in the bowden, and one of those entered the premier cup.

[Lone Kitten]

ah yes - think i saw them. The ones with the big "Dai" on their gi? Didn't really see them fence - was concentrating on kashi no ki and northumbia A when i actually got to watch. Shame that there aren't enough girls to do a women's team event in the bowden - right now i think we have enough women to have two teams!

[Budo Angel]

right now i think we have enough women to have two teams!


That happened one year, from Hizen, and I was proud to be a participant of the first all women's team in a Bowden, so was Jeff Humm who couldn't stop grinning proudly he had a dojo big enough to pitch an all womens team (& there were spares available). Most of us who could, also wore white - we also didn't get knocked out immediately (if I recall, but someone else may have strong recollection of events - as we were a good mix of dan, and couple kyu)

A dojo should go for it - it does look good and boosts moral.

[Lone Kitten]

That happened one year, from Hizen, and I was proud to be a participant of the first all women's team in a Bowden, so was Jeff Humm who couldn't stop grinning proudly he had a dojo big enough to pitch an all womens team (& there were spares available). Most of us who could, also wore white - we also didn't get knocked out immediately (if I recall, but someone else may have strong recollection of events - as we were a good mix of dan, and couple kyu)

A dojo should go for it - it does look good and boosts moral.

now that would be ace! I've always dreamed of it! Shame the rules won't allow teams in the bowden from lots of different dojos! Would be ace. it looks really good when the whole team dresses alike - when i was out in japan, we had a brill team uniform - two in fact - one was blue and had gold embroidery on them, they looked so cool. the other was white with red embroidery. Our team Dou were this cracked gold pattern and had the school mon on them. They were brilliant. The boys team had similar, only their dou were burgundy. soooo coool! Shame we couldn't do that! Only stipulation should be that the women's squad couldn't enter as a team - they'd whup our asses! (heee heee!)