dojo in southern Illinois

[motoko]

Hi I am new to this site and kendo and I cannot find a dojo in southern Illinois or southeast Misouri other than one 2 hours away. Thank you for any help or advice you can offer.

[xvikingx]

I am from Chicago, but I don't know S. Illinois that well. How far is U of Ill. in Urbana? I know have both nagianta and kendo there.

[motoko]

I think urbana is about four to five hours away from here

[xvikingx]

Oh. That is pretty far. Hhhmmmm...

[Hongsermeier]

Four to five hours? where do you live Carbondale?
I'm originally from Belleville. Never even heard of Kendo till I moved to California. Wish I would have heard of it back there. Then Maybe I wouldn't be so bad at it now. :cross_eye

[motoko]

Right now I live in thebes about one and a half hours from Carbondale but in two years when I go to college at siu I will move to carbondale

[Hongsermeier]

I haven't been able to find any place closer to you than Memphis TN. Not be sound like a commercial, but I would recommend ordering the first three training tapes from E-Bogu. They will give you something to watch and some very basic info to start with. Stay in touch here and ask lots of questions. Get to a dojo to spend some time with a Sensei every chance you can. Maybe they will have or can start a club at SIU. :cross_eye

[motoko]

Thanks for the info and I think siu has a club but its not really formal and I dont think it is auskf affiliated (does that matter?) and thanks for all your help

[Hongsermeier]

I don't think it's affiliation is any problem. I'd still get the tapes. If you can find out some info about the group at SIU I'd be interested. Would give me a reason to come visit friends. :cross_eye

[motoko]

I found a contact name and number for the siu kendo club, Todd Stoudt at 1-618-457-5530.

[Matlock]

Thanks for the info and I think siu has a club but its not really formal and I dont think it is auskf affiliated (does that matter?) and thanks for all your helpOooh, the sorrows of my heart!!!! I worked since the year Fall of 2000 to put the SIU Kendo Club together and have it affiliated with the Midwest Kendo Federation as well as the AUSKF. The main contact for verification would be Ken Sakamoto-sensei in Chicago. Current ranked members are ranked under the MKF.

Not formal? What are you smoking??? Most would say it was too formal. It was ran pretty tight even though the numbers of the club varied from 5 to 15. I even had my sensei from Japan come for a week to train (7th dan). Now that is heavyduty stuff. Now that I am no longer there, (left in 2002 but still visit when I can) I think the club has suffered but still has help from intructors visiting from the Niigata campus of SIU in Japan.

They could use all the support that can get from any advanced kendoka in the area. So Hongsermeier, if you are in the area anytime, please stop by. The contact that was cited, Todd, has not been there since 1999 or so. Use the club e-mail at: siuckendo$hotmail.com. Just put the @ mark where the dollar sign $ is.

I know this thread is old but had to make these statements. Thanks for the chance.:smiley: