University Kendo in Eastern US?

[Dervish]

Another thing I'd like to ask is how often interclub relationships happen.

I've seen 3 marriages in one dojo.

I've never heard of anyone having a problem practicing with a significant other.

[ShinKenshi]

I also saw that Penn and Princeton seems to be linked under a single dojo. Speaking of inter-dojo interaction, I wonder if that could give chance to get to know Princeton students.

Both are under the perview of the same sensei and I'm sure the two interact but as far as how often, I think it's not too often given the distance but I can't say for sure.

Lastly, how bad is it getting to Kendo practice from the dorms? From few of the campuses I've visited, freshmen dorms seem really far from the main campus, so the locality of dorm-practice commute is definitely something to consider because my laziness demands it's already a pain walking from my car in parking lot into my dojo.

This really depends on the campus and how much you're willing to tolerate. In the end, no matter where you end up, the distance between your practice location and your dorm isn't going to change (unless your dorm is next door) so you'll just have to bite the bullet on that one.

The horror of having to trudge through snow to get to practice gets me worried that I'd be worn out long before practice starts with half a mile remaining to walk! I guess that builds stamina and character if I can continue Kendo under those circumstances....

Trudging through snow with bogu really isn't that bad. But then again, 4 years in Minnesota would make anyone say that. I find rain to be more of a pain in the rear.

By the way, in NYC, I imagine I'd have to take the subway if I choose to attend practices outside the university club. But how would one manage to carry bogu and shinai in a subway station being so cramped without attracting unwanted attention?

It's NYC, people see strang things all the time and you wouldn't stand out all that much. Cops might stop you and ask what's in the bag (happened to me once but he just wanted to make sure it wasn't a gun) but generally people leave you alone. A dojomate of mine makes trips to NYC every Sunday and she's never been stopped or bothered by anyone on the trains or on the street.

[enkorat]

Yea, Ann Arbor is usually under snow for half a year, most of the time when the academic year is in session. Not going to get much sympathy about snow and carrying bogu to be honest.

Compared to your other schools, Ann Arbor is very different from NYC, in that its in the midwest and is essentially a small college town. I have heard that it is comparable to Ithica and Cornell. At the time I started school at U-M I considered it a miracle that there was a kendo club on campus. Now that I've left after more than 6 years there, I really appreciate that I had very easy access to high quality instruction and training.

If it is an important part of your decision I would consider practicing at each school, to both gauge the type of instruction and whether or not you will be a good fit. I would of course caution that even though incoming students with kendo experience were always appreciated, new students, even those with grade are junior to those who are already in the club, and speaking from experience those who came in with preconceived notions of what the training should be, and then attempting to wrest control of the club and boss people around from the get go were not appreciated very much, and were eventually asked to change their approach. When I moved and joined a new dojo I kept my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open for almost a year before I said anything substantial.

[nederlander]

For the record, the sensei-status students at Columbia are all Japanese law students, with police experience. A godan and two yondans, I believe. NYU and Columbia are quite good about going to tournaments for the most part, and both make quite a strong showing. Bogu and shinai in NYC subways isn't too bad, and some dojos will let you store your gear there.

[Toshiro Mifune]

Cornell: One of their players Gin Park has previous experience in kendo and doing jodan before he started. The other guy I'm not sure if he had previous jodan experience but depending on your rank it is still probably best to ask your sensei first. You come back from winter break trying to show off your new jodan before receiving permission you might receive more tsuki than normal.

Like others said especially students coming from Japan most of them will already be sandan if they started kendo at a young age. My instructor when I started I believe passed yondan his junior year in college. He was my friend and senpai so it wasn't like the same interaction as regular sensei/student because we were both college students.

Relationships: It happens just hope you have more than one girl in the club or a group of girls in your freshmen class.

The walk/transportation: Stop being lazy.

Start contacting officers if you haven't: finals, graduation, looking for a job is going to make it difficult. But facebook will probably make it easier to get in touch with them.

[Missingno.]

Cornell: One of their players Gin Park has previous experience in kendo and doing jodan before he started. The other guy I'm not sure if he had previous jodan experience but depending on your rank it is still probably best to ask your sensei first. You come back from winter break trying to show off your new jodan before receiving permission you might receive more tsuki than normal.

Their other jodan player I believe started jodan with the club. He just earned his nidan, and took first place in the shodan nidan division at the Rutgers taikai using jodan.

[hhrt]

Their other jodan player I believe started jodan with the club. He just earned his nidan, and took first place in the shodan nidan division at the Rutgers taikai using jodan.

The other guy doing the jodan is called Mevlana Gemici, i believe. He took second place at the Harvard shoryuhai individuals tournament this past weekend as well. Last year he placed 3rd place in the same tournament if I remember correctly.

[Shinsengumi77]

Personally I'd never consider hitting my girlfriend speaking from my past experience so I guess I lack the perspective.

I guess if you ever have a kendo girlfriend it just means you'll lose every time you face her.

Seriously though...come on, Kendo is 99.9% safe and people wear bogu for a reason. It's not like you'd be abusing her or anything, and if she does kendo she's probably tough enough to handle it anyway. My girlfriend was in the same club, and we've clocked each other thousands of times. It's just practice.

[nahneun]

I am a Cornell Kendo alum. If you have any questions about the club, feel free to ask me. I can answer pretty much everything you want to know