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| Photo courtesy of T. Imanishi |
What a whirlwind year 2019 was for me. It seemed to come and go quicker than I've ever seen in prior years. One minute I was ringing in the new year, and now I stand on the edge of this year, not to mention this decade.
2019 brought a lot of changes for me, both big and small. I started a new job, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I was able to start traveling again, which I've always loved to do (even if it is for work). We have not one but two new venues for training here in Spokane and were able to finish out the last few months strong, even though we had a bit of a lull in training due to no dojo. Despite that, though, I was still able to clock 92 days of training this year. Not bad for not having our own dojo for six months, I think. I'll be shooting to break that number next year!
One of my biggest wins this year, personally, was the fact that I consistently did suburi every single day. I'm part of a group on Facebook called the Hundred Suburi Club (shoutout to them!). It was started by Tsai Sensei in New Zealand and has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. I've been logging my days there and giving/receiving encouragement from a great group of people on there. My personal goal for each day was 300-500 suburi, which I was able to achieve. I even got a little crazy one day and did 1000 suburi in a single session. My forearms were crying the next day but it was a good pain.
As I mentioned briefly, I was able to start traveling again for work, and this also brought new opportunities for training. I visited my friends in Seattle quite a bit and benefited from training there, as well as strengthened those friendship bonds (and playing some wicked and downright hilarious games of Mortal Kombat 11 in between!). I was able to get over to Portland and train with the Portland Kendo Club, which was a first for me. I know many of them teachers and members there but it was nice to actually be able to practice at their dojo. I was also able to take a couple of extended trips to the Dallas and Toronto areas and make many new and wonderful friends at their various dojos. I'm hoping this next year gives me more opportunities to get out of my comfort zone here in the PNKF and broaden my kendo horizons. Every little piece I gain from there I bring back to cultivate at our dojo, so it's a win-win situation for all of us here in Spokane.
My own kendo has felt a bit up and down this year, although I'm hoping with each practice I'm elevating it just a bit more and smoothing out those inconsistencies. Everyone has a bad day, of course, and I know that our extended break from local training had a lot to do with it, as well. I'm hoping to dig in and really tweak some details next year, now that we're back to regular local training. I have just over two years until I'm eligible for godan, and while I might not take the test immediately then I want to feel like I'm at a point where I can realistically challenge it. I'm also looking forward to more tournaments this coming year, both inside and outside of our federation, as I'm always interested in pushing myself there. Last year wasn't a super stellar year, although I did walk away with a few new trophies and some match highlights. Let me tell you, going toe-to-toe with Team Hawaii members is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating!
Last year, just like my kendo, had its ups and downs, but I'm glad that it's ending strong and on a high note. I'm looking forward to more keiko, more tournaments and more friends in the new year. Here's to 2020!
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