Editor's Corner

Welcome to the winter edition of USAF Aikido News. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and that you're enjoying the many expressions of winter that have swept across the country so far this year!

This edition introduces a new section, entitled "USAF Official Business." This month's section contains recent documents that have been sent to Chief Instructors but are also important for our members to see. This is a place for future articles that relate to USAF policies, thoughts, expectations, visions for the future, or any official communications from the Board of Directors or Technical Committe. I hope you find this a useful and beneficial enhancement.

I would like to thank everyone who followed the guidelines and submitted their paperwork on time for the New Year's promotions. The 5th and 6th dan promotions were just approved at Hombu, and those certificates should be returned to me shortly.

The 2010 USAF Summer Camp committee has announced the dates and location for the upcoming camp. The camp will be held again a the Dolce Seaview Hotel and Resort in Galloway, NJ. The luxurious accomodations, beautiful scenary, gourmet food and warm welcome made last year's camp a huge success. We will be repeating all of the benefits of last year, as well as expanding on some new and exciting ideas to make this year the best camp ever. Stay posted to the new USAF Summer Camp facebook page for a continuous stream of news about camp.

Another exciting USAF project that is underway is the re-vamping of the USAF website. The beautiful new site will have many features in addition to learning about the USAF, finding dojo and viewing the events. Instructors will also enjoy the user-friendly inter-active element that will be available in the near future.

The USAF administration, the Board of Directors, the Technical Committee, and Yamada Sensei are all working together to continue to enhance your experience as members of this organization, and to provide clear and productive guidance for the future. Your membership in the USAF is valuable to all of us, and we continue to be committed to creating and growing a strong community in which we can all practice aikido for many years ahead. The USAF is more ready than ever to embrace the new year and the many exciting challenges that lay ahead!

The next edition will be online May 15th 2010, so take notes, take pictures and stay in touch!

Laura Jacobs Pavlick