The Madness that was March had passed, so it was time for the IGA-Kendo Club to get into the Amazing month of April! No joke, it really was Amazing!
First off, members of both Arena and Dasma Dojo were able to display their charitable side by volunteering to lead a Kendo workshop during the Gentle Warriors event in the Cultural Center of the Philippines last April 13. This was a fund and donation drive to help out with the on-going Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan relief effort. In this event, various groups were invited to conduct workshops/lessons on their particular activity, and participants would, in exchange, make donations for the drive. IGA-Ken was there of course to introduce Kendo to the participants.
IGA-Ken showcasing Kendo to Gentle Warriors participants. (Please click on the picture to view more.)
IGA-Ken then took a break for most of the Holy Week, but then Black Saturday heralded a most momentous event for Philippine Kendo in general. For the first time ever, the two major Kendo organizations in the Philippines, IGA-Kendo Club and the Manila Kendo Club, got together for an official event. This was the first ever Interclub Shiai and Godo-Keiko between the two clubs.
To mark the occasion, Mr. Ned Pascual, the President of MKC, had a few words:
Happy Easter!
I would like to express my thanks to everyone for coming yesterday to participate and being a gracious host in our first joint shiai activity with IGA-KEN.
Thank you also to our Senseis who supported this activity and being our Shinpans in the shiai event.
Yesterday`s joint session with IGA-KEN is, I hope, the first of many to come that will advance our sport in this country.
The shiai featured team IGA-Ken (drawing participants from the Arena, Dasma and UP-Ken Dojo) versus team MKC, with 13 players representing each side. The rules followed the East-West tournament format, where a winning player will keep on fighting until he loses and the first team to eliminate all the players on the opposing team wins. The shiai ended with team MKC winning with four players left. In the end though, it was about experiencing the shared camaraderie and learning from one another, not about winning. Both teams walked away with a new found respect and appreciation for their opponents. Both clubs are certainly looking forward to the next time they can do shiai.
We would also like to thank the Sensei of both clubs who made the effort to shimpan all the matches. Kudos too to the shiai logistics team, headed and organized by IGA-Ken members. The shiai was a smooth-going one, thanks to all your efforts.
The 1st Interclub Shiai of IGA-Ken and MKC. (Please click on the photo to view more.)
The final amazing event in April was a TV featuring, showcasing two members of our successful Women’s Team in the recently concluded 14th Hong Kong Asian Open Kendo Championships. The show was the GMA News TV All Sports, and featured were team senpo Sugawara Shinmei and taisho Loida Estanilla-Inting. Congratulations to our lady kendoka!
Our Ladies’ Team being awarded for their 2nd place finish in the Hong Kong Open.
April certainly was Amazing. We are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year will bring. Cheers to all!