WE HAVE A NEW BLACK BELT!!!!
May has passed by so quickly - and, what an exciting month it was! The Spring Gasshuku was held in Napanee on May 26^th and 27^th. The second EMAC grading and seminars featured a special black belt seminar on the Friday night followed by a very full Saturday beginning with the Black Belt Grading. As most of you know by now, Sempai Lindsay Smith’s hard work and perseverance paid off and she was awarded her Shodan Ho. Congratulations! Following lunch, there were about three hours of seminars featuring various instructors from EMAC introducing new kata, Bo staff drills & self defense among others. After the seminars, for a few brave people, there were competitions in Kata and Sparring. Congratulations to Sempai Russell, Gordon, Franklin, Julie, Lindsay and Lee who all faired extremely well bringing home 6 firsts and 2 second place finishes in various divisions. Our club is very proud of your accomplishments. Hard training, attention to details and practicing in front of our peers all lead these individuals to their success. Well done. For those of you who missed out -- be sure to keep October 14^th booked for the Fall Gasshuku which will be hosted by us here in Perth! We are honoured to be hosting this important event and will be counting on full club participation to make it a success. More details will be made available as plans unfold.

SUMMER TRAINING
As the weather warms up, our dojo can get very warm. On appropriate nights we will train at Stewart Park. These outdoor training sessions are fun and add variety to our learning. Although we are careful to inspect the area for obvious dangers such as glass, stones etc. the possibility exists for minor cuts on the feet. If you are concerned about training in bare feet please be sure to wear either light running shoes or water shoes (available at hardware and discount stores for less than $10.) For very warm nights, students may train in white training shirts rather than the traditional GI top. The T-shirts are available at the dojo for $20. Children’s sizes are sold out at the moment. If you wish to order a shirt for your child, please see Sempai Laurie. We will need to order a minimum of 10 shirts and payment is requested when the order is placed. These are a good investment, as we can wear them year-round under the GI. They help preserve the cleanliness of the GI, provide body coverage during vigourous activities, as well as provide an appropriate completion to our uniform.

NEW ACTIVITIES
Your Instructors have organized a number of ‘in-class’ activities to supplement the hard work and exercise that we do on a regular basis. Remember that we are training our minds as well and we also need some fun. Keep an eye on the bulletin board calendar for announcements! Some events that have been planned include:

Children’s class	-	June 14 Noh Masks
Youth class	-	June 19 Scavenger Hunt
	-	June 26 (rain date)
Adult class	-	June 12 Drawing
Family Socials	-	July 17 'Kata and Cake'
	-	August 30 'Pamper-a-Parent'

CLUB DUES
If you have not submitted monthly postdated cheques for your membership fees for the year please do so as soon as possible. This makes book-keeping easier and avoids reminders. If you have already done so
Thank you very much!

PARENT COACHES
How would you like to come in occasionally to help with your child’s class? You could help with drills, hold shields, give a little talk or small demonstration of something that interests you. Do you have any suggestions? Please see Sensei James or Sempais Russell, Laurie, Lindsay or Kelley. We look forward to speaking with you.

FUNDRAISING
50/50 draws will be starting soon. Please help support your club by buying tickets - you could be the lucky winner!

SEMINARS AND SUMMER CAMPS
Please check the bulletin board for information.

JUNIOR BLACK BELT GRADING
Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 6:30pm. Individuals who are grading will be informed personally by Sensei James. Good luck to the participants.

BIRTHDAYS
Happy Belated May Birthday Wishes to Cameron Halpenny (May 2) and Nigel Wilson (May 26) June Birthday Wishes go out to Joel Brown (June 6) and Gabriel Weekes (June 29)

MONTHLY STUDY THEME
Last Month Sempai Russell introduced Control as our theme for training. There are so many aspects to this word that it deserves another month of focus. Some things to ponder in your journals or to implement into your training are:

Spiritual Control   -   the essence of personal sense and calmness that is essential to the process of learning. Think no-mind Physical Control   -   the ability to throw a technique with power, speed and accuracy, with the force to cause injury and the restraint to "tap" the target without causing injury. Think respect for your training partners. Mind Control   -   the ability to make mistakes and work under stress while still ‘talking’ to oneself with positive words and encouragement. Think learning from your mis- takes. You, as your teacher! Outside the dojo Control   -   the ability to eat, drink, speak, work & play in a manner that respects oneself as well as others. Think of yourself as an example to your family, to your training partners, your fellow employees or classmates.

"The self-controlled soul, who moves amongst sense objects, free from either attachment or repulsion, he wins eternal Peace."Bhagavad Gita