Mountain Training - Easter 2010
Text contributed by Micheal Nagle Sensei
Since the Winter School moved from Camp Yarramundi in western Sydney several years ago, many students have not had the opportunity to take part in the mountain training that was held at Mount Banks in the Blue Mountains. Addressing this issue, Aikido Victoria organised mountain training over the 2010 Easter weekend at the Mount Hotham ski resort in the Victorian Alps.
The training was led by Robert Botterill Shihan, John Watson Sensei and Ray Oldman Sensei, based on their remembrance of this type of training with Sugano Shihan over many years. Twenty four trainees attended with about one-third kyu grades and one person from interstate. Family members and partners also came along, with most people living together at a very comfortable ski lodge.
One aim of the weekend was to foster comradery among the students. Consequently, the training schedule was not overloaded and there was adequate time to engage in social and outdoor activities. The weekend began with a relaxed drive from Melbourne on Good Friday with diversions to wineries and various gourmet food outlets.
We were fortunate to experience exceptionally good conditions over the whole weekend, given the fickle nature of mountain weather. Each session took place at a different location, selected to provide a variety of outstanding views and training conditions. The things underfoot included rocks, tussock grass and various small shrubs.
The training began on Saturday morning with a short drive and walk to the summit of Mt Hotham at 1861 metres. Led by Botterill Shihan, the group began our traditional sunrise meditation about one hour before dawn and we were fortunate to experience a spectacular sunrise through a low bank of cloud. It was followed by misogi and weapons training.
A number of sessions followed over Saturday, Sunday and the Monday morning with the instructors, consisting of weapons work and training without throwing. Following training on Easter Sunday morning, we had a hunt for 150 Easter eggs secreted around the lodge, much to the delight of our youngest (and many of the older) people attending. Of particular note was the sunset training on Sunday afternoon on a mountain ridge that attracted the attention of a number of bemused bushwalkers. The sunset training was followed by an impromptu unlit meditation in the lodge
To aid accessibility for everyone, the weekend was organised at a modest cost which included accommodation, food and drinks. The weekend’s training covered all expenses and resulted in a small excess of funds for the state’s association. Given the extremely positive feedback from the participants, the mountain training will continue at about three-year intervals so that it is kept as something special.
Thanks go to the Instructors, Linda Godfrey Sensei for organising the event and the accommodation, David Bell and Beverley Webster for organising the food and refreshments, and Richard Nicholas for acting as the registrar. Everyone helped with the cooking and cleaning during the weekend.
Some Photos
There were many hundreds of photos to choose from. Here are just a few.
