Girlies at the Bowden and Premier!

**Lone Kitten** · 6th June 2006, 02:53 AM

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** · 6th June 2006, 03:46 AM

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

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

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...

Maybe one day...

**Alison2805** · 6th June 2006, 04:04 PM

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** · 6th June 2006, 05:56 PM

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

**Lone Kitten** · 8th June 2006, 05:11 AM

Originally Posted by Timeline

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** · 8th June 2006, 05:17 AM

Originally Posted by 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!

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

**Lone Kitten** · 8th June 2006, 05:35 AM

Originally Posted by runsyi

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.

**runsyi** · 8th June 2006, 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by Lone Kitten

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.

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** · 8th June 2006, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by runsyi

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** · 8th June 2006, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by Lone Kitten

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** · 8th June 2006, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Neil Gendzwill

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

She moved back to NZ a few years back.

Jakob

**runsyi** · 8th June 2006, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by Lone Kitten

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** · 8th June 2006, 08:18 AM

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

**Budo Angel** · 8th June 2006, 04:48 PM

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..

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

**runsyi** · 8th June 2006, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by 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..

...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.