USAF Official Business

Announcement Regarding New Resource for USAF Instructors

May 10, 2013 By admin

Having an in-house reference library based on the experience of USAF instructors is a great way to support each other with tasks that may sometimes seem daunting: How to come up with new ideas for a brochure, how to define aikido for marketing material, what kind of layout for a pull-tab flier works best, where to find a good insurance company or direct billing company, etc. There is now a place where you can share your ideas as well as benefit from the contributions of others.

The Filebrowser section of the USAF website is where important USAF documents and information are stored for your easy access. This is only available to USAF instructors with a login and password. A new folder has been added to this section, titled USAF Resources. Within this folder are currently 3 sections – Dojo Marketing Material, Insurance Company Referrals, and Direct Billing Referrals. With your submissions, this section will continue to grow and will hopefully become a wealth of information that can help support USAF member dojos. The first dojo marketing material document has been upload – a pull-tab flier from Litchfield Hills Aikikai (only pdfs will be uploaded). You will not be informed each time a new addition is made.

Please email me any materials you would like to share. If your contribution falls outside the definition of the current folders, than new folders will be made to accommodate your material. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely yours,

Laura Pavlick

Director of Operations

Filed Under: USAF Official Business

2013 Shihan Appointments

February 16, 2013 By admin

On behalf of Yamada Sensei and the USAF, this is to announce that Aikikai has approved the 2013 appointment of Shihan to the following instructors:

Raymond Farinato Shihan, Aikido of Fairfield County
Irvin Faust Shihan, Albany Aikido
Douglas Firestone Shihan, Aikido of Westchester
Dermot McDonald Shihan, Aikido Institute of Newfoundland
Charles McGinnis Shihan, Aikido of Cincinnati
Edward Peteroy Shihan, USAF Academy Aikido Club
Joel Posluns Shihan, North Vancouver Aikikai
Robert Saad Shihan, Aikido de la Montagne
Frank Wong Shihan, Aikido Curacao

A sincere congratulations to all.

Filed Under: USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

Dan Promotions August 16th 2012 – December 15th, 2012

January 10, 2013 By admin

Test applications received and dated between August 16, 2012 and December 15, 2012 (some listings represent applications prior to Hombu approval).

Shodan

Chloe Allen-Gorman – Portland Aikikai
Jesse Anttila-Hughes – New York Aikikai
Adam Benilous – Palm Beach Aikikai
David Breniak – Aikido of Red Bank
Mark Brodbeck – Peachtree Aikikai Atlanta
Gary Brosius – Aikido of Westchester
Sheila Cahilig – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Massimo Caiati – Aikido of Raritan Valley/Ren Sei Kan
Charles Calcagni – Aikido of Park Slope
James Curcurato - New York Aikikai
Carlos del Pino – Gold Coast Aikikai
Nicholas Delillo – Aikido of Westchester
Peter Discenza – Twin Cities Aikido Center
Thomas Espinoza – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Leonardo Giaccetti – Florida Aikikai
Joseph Giardina – Aikido of Westchester
Vijay Gondhalekar – Central Arkansas Aikikai
Russ Gorman – Portland Aikikai
Christopher Grimes – Chatham Aikido
David Grimes – Chatham Aikido
John Guise – Aikido of Red Bank
Michael Hemmingway – New York Aikikai
Jennifer Henis - New York Aikikai
Nasim Hurd – Portland Aikikai
Michael Kamler - New York Aikikai
Beata Ksel – Sadkane School for Aikido
Ricardo Leigh - New York Aikikai
Chad Lindsay – Minnesota Aikikai
Marcos Mendez – Gold Coast Aikikai
Keith Miller – Aikido of Park Slope
Alexander Milton – Gold Coast Aikikai
Veronica Navarro Ramirez – Peachtree Aikikai Atlanta
Joanna Oniszczuk - New York Aikikai
Amalia Maya Osuga - New York Aikikai
Denis Papathanasiou – Hoboken Aikikai
Juan Pinheiros – Florida Aikikai
Alexander Pitaluga – Gold Coast Aikikai
Anna Piva – Miami Aikikai
Edward Ramos – Florida Aikikai
Pete Reilly – Aikido of Westchester
Alex Romao - New York Aikikai
Scott Rothstein - New York Aikikai
Patrick Scott - New York Aikikai
Olga Sen – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Stephanie Spiller – Aikido Center of Atlanta
John Tuohy – Northern Virginia Aikikai
Robert Villamar - New York Aikikai
Alexandra Vinarov - New York Aikikai
Jose Webster – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Joseph Zinnes – Skylands Aikikai

Nidan

Jonathan Aronson – Albany Aikido
Arjen Bikker – Aikido Curacao
Samuel Cano Zambrano -
Linda Cox – Albany Aikido
James DeFuria – Portland Aikikai
Jon Luca DiBenedetto - New York Aikikai
John Duke – Southernmost Aikikai
Stephen Fay – Kingston Aikido
Patrick Gaucher – Woodstock Aikido
Rose Cong – Albany Aikido
William Green – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Nelson Hayes – Aikido North Jersey
Arthur Hoffmann – Albany Aikido
Kevin Hopkins – Aikido of Park Slope
G.W. Hungerford – Litchfield Hills Aikikai
Alice Hunnicutt – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Richmond Johnston – Aikido of New Paltz
Jeffrey Kishlock – Portland Aikikai
Gasper LaRocca – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Eric Lavigne – Aikido de la Montagne
Dya Levitt – MIT Aikido Club
Keith Lit – Florida Aikikai
Zhe Lu – MIT Aikido Club
Ledale Mahon – Central Arkansas Aikikai
Kenneth Muso - Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Michael Napoli – Portland Aikikai
Pedro Nieto – Florida Aikikai
Amir Andrew Obeidy – Florida Aikikai
Kumiko Shirai – Portland Aikikai
Daniel Small – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Alexander Socia – Florida Aikikai
Yordan Sosa – Florida Aikikai
Gregory Stradtman – Litchfield Hills Aikikai
Noel Tendick – Portland Aikikai
Marie Torrecampo – Long Beach Island Aikikai
Daphne Vassalotti – Vineland Aikikai
Roberto Velez - New York Aikikai

Sandan

Walter Baker – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
James Davidson – New England Aikikai
A. Scott DeJesse – Aikido of Amarillo
Robert Dix – Springfield Aikido School
Ursula Donnelley – Suffolk Aikikai
Matthew Dykeman – North Shore Aikikai
Michael Jones - New York Aikikai
Peter Kalamaras - New York Aikikai
Kevin Kanesaka - New York Aikikai
Andrew Lee - New York Aikikai
Edward Leung - New York Aikikai
Dino Manca – Naka Ima Aikikai
Aaron Muhammad – Aikido School of Southwest Georgia
Angela Murphy – Alamo Height Aikido
Kristin Murray – Suffolk Aikikai
David Pena – Albany Aikido
William Pena – Nations Aikikai
Thorsten Pfeiffer – Aikido of Park Slope
Shabaka Ra’kaa - New York Aikikai
James Shaffer – Long Beach Island Aikikai
Michael Silverman – Asheville Aikikai
James Snyder - New York Aikikai
Mammen Thomas – Suffolk Aikikai
Joseph Vitulli – Aikido of Westchester
Cesar Volpi – Toronto Aikikai
Sahar Ziv - New York Aikikai

Yondan

Maite Azcoitia – Gold Coast Aikikai
Gene Batan – Aikido of Fairfield County
John Chiarolanzio – Aikido of New Paltz
Lou Chukman – Midwest Aikido Center
John Byron Eddy – Litchfield Hills Aikikai
Brian Ericksen – New York Aikikai
John Irvin Hughes – Indian River Aikikai
David Kedney – Midwest Aikido Center
Jonathan Lilly – Puget Sound Aikikai
Ray McGovern – New England Aikikai
Richard Neville – Aikido of Ramapo Valley
Mark Reichert – Cornell Aikido Club
Andrew Small – Aikido Schools of New Jersey
Robert Vichnis – Aikido of Park Slope

Filed Under: Dan Promotions, USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

Dan Promotions 4/16/2012 – 8/15/2012

January 10, 2013 By admin

Test applications received and dated between April 16, 2012 and August 15, 2012 (some listings represent applications prior to Hombu approval).

Shodan

Minoru Akiyama – Aikido North Jersey
Matt Bourbon – Aikido of Denton
Lilianne Bourgouin – Aikido de la Montagne
David Breitman – Aikido of Nassau County
Abderrahim Brimelli – Aikido of Central new York
Thomas Carlucci – Skylands Aikikai
Elisabeth Carter – Jersey Shore Aikikai
Clayton Crawley – Nations Aikikai
Abelardo Cuevas Jr. – Aikido of Nassau County
Manuel DeJoya – Midwest Aikido Center
Noemie Dumais – Aikido de la Montagne
Deborah Ely – Skylands Aikikai
Vincent Fantauzzi – Center Island Aikido
Michael Foster – Aikido Center of Savannah
Carlos Frick – Kenosha Aikikai
Mario Gaerlan – Aikido North Jersey
Marilene Gelinas – Monteregie Aikikai
Damon Grace – Kingston Aikido
John Graham – Aikido of Fairfield County
Nevil Hawkes – Central New Brunswick Aikikai
Glynn Johnson – Aikido of Nassau County
Damien Kick – Austin Aikikai
Won Kim – Tarzana Aikikai
Andrew Konopacki – Albany Aikido
Jan Ksel – Sadkane School for Aikido
Steven Lasher – Aikido of Central New York
Reuven Lirov – Florida Aikido Center
Thomas Mallen – Aikido of Nassau County
Galen McDonald – Twin Cities Aikido Center
Kimberly McNeil – Aikido of Champlain Valley
Tia Marie Miceli – Davis Aikikai
Ramin Miri – Aikido de la Montagne
Paul Nicholson – Naka Ima Aikikai
Mary Tran Niskala – Framingham Aikikai
Douglas Perrins – Albany Aikido
James Reed-Jones – Aikido of El Paso
Karim Rohelm – Aikido de la Montagne
Rebecca Roth – Naka Ima Aikikai
Henry Schoneck III – Aikido of Central New York
Chris Schulz – Aikido de la Montagne
David Taylor – Aikido of Denton
Ben Trupin – Central Illinois Aikikai
Kennilyn Vellocido – Newport Beach Aikikai
Ken Wilcox – Aikido of Denton
Nelson Zorrilla – Aikido North Jersey

Nidan

Luis Alvarado – Newport Beach Aikikai
James Bologna – Albany Aikido
Mel Burgess – Vicksburg Aikikai
Bryan Coffie – Aikido Curacao
Yelitza Cuevas – Toronto Aikikai
Jorge Garcia – Aikido of Austin
Carlton Harris – Aikikai of Philadelphia
Sheng-Cheng Huang – Aikido of Austin
Saskia Kole-de Wolf – Aikido Curacao
Shanat Kolkatkar – Aikido de la Montagne
Alex Kuznetsov – Aikido of Fairfield County
Jerry Madden – Aikido of Dallas
Mario Marquez – Aikido of El Paso
Ikumi Oshida – Aikido of Dallas
Evie Pond – Central New Brunswick Aikikai
Kathy Pratt – Aikido Center of Atlanta
John Robinson – Aikido of Austin
Kenneth Robinson – Bermuda Aikikai
Matthew Roder – Aikido of Fairfield County
Nancy Supanich – Tarzana Aikikai

Sandan

C. Barry Benjamin – Aikido of South West Florida
Robert Bergman – Naka Ima Aikikai
Brian Byrne – Austin Aikikai
Louis Caron – Aikido of Santa Barbara
Jean Clark – City Aikido of Los Angeles
Jeff Hodges – Austin Aikikai
Roderick Johnson – Aikikai of Philadelphia
Peter Kiai – New York Aikikai

Yondan

Taro Amemiya – Northern Virginia Aikikai

Filed Under: Dan Promotions, USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

Dan Promotions January, 16th 2012 – April 15th, 2012

January 10, 2013 By admin

Test applications received and dated between January 16, 2012 and April 15, 2012 (some listings represent applications prior to Hombu approval).

Shodan

Juan Carlos Casanova – Aikido Institute of Newfoundland
Sean Gallagher – Open Sky Aikikai
Robert Humphreys – New Castle Aikikai
Evan Katsuranis – Davis Aikikai
Shella Keilholz – Aikido Center of Atlanta
Mark McDonald – Fudoshin Aikikai
Steven Miller – Raleigh Aikikai
William Morriss – Aikido of Cincinnati
Donald Pacholka – Aikido Institute of Newfoundland
Collette Phillips – Aikido Institute of Newfoundland
Eric Poma – New Castle Aikikai
Phil Sellers – Aikido Center of Atlanta
Charles Traver - Aikido Center of Savannah
Mehmet Ulker – Raleigh Aikikai

Nidan

Steve Brandon – Aikido of Charlotte
Jeffrey Brown – Kentuckiana Aikikai
Charles Long – Center Island Aikido
Adam Roehrig – Kentuckiana Aikikai
Brian Runstrom – Davis Aikikai

Sandan

Cynthia Bogel – Puget Sound Aikikai
Steve Sandage – San Francisco Aikikai
Sac Tran – Greater Hartford Aikikai
Andrew Wood – Open Sky Aikikai

Yondan

Matthew Flamm – New York Aikikai

Godan

Edward Pincus – Aikido of Champlain Valley

Filed Under: Dan Promotions, USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

USAF Interactive On-Line Database

December 28, 2012 By admin

As of last night, the interactive capabilities of the USAF website, www.usaikifed.com, are available to all USAF instructors and administrators with a log-in and password, allowing for direct private access to a dojo’s database. This will allow instructors to submit annual renewals online, mark members as paid, add new members, change member ranks when promoted, renew shidoin/fukushidoin certifications, submit seminar announcements etc. Any changes made to text, such as adding a new member, changing a last name, changing dojo phone numbers, can be saved directly to the database. Any change that is associated with a fee (rank, renewals, dues etc) will be marked as pending until main office review and approval. An automated email confirmation will be sent with the changes and fees in each “batch” submitted.

In order to help familiarize the dojo administrators with this new program, over the next few weeks several conference call tutorials will be scheduled as well as on-line instructional videos posted to our website.

This is a very exciting tool for USAF instructors to help manage their dojo membership, quickly and easily submit rank promotions, and maintain an updated, accurate list of inactive and active students and ranks, with all of the information at their fingertips at all times. With 2013 only days away, the launching of this database promises to simplify our renewal process and all future administrative tasks for our members.

Laura Jacobs Pavlick

Director of Operations

Filed Under: USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

Q&A Regarding Dan Applications

November 15, 2012 By admin

Each year I am presented with several recurring questions regarding the dan application process. In order to address these questions, I thought a short Q&A in our newsletter would be helpful to our membership. If I do not answer any of your particular questions, please email them to me and I will add them to this article for public reference as well.

1. Are there any deadlines for submitting dan applications?

There are no deadlines at all for shodan, nidan, sandan and yondan applications. These can be submitted to the USAF and then to Aikikai any time of year. However, godan and higher ranks may only be submitted to Aikikai once a year and are considered New Years Promotions. The deadline for these applications is November 1st – that is the date by which they must be received by the USAF office. This allows adequate time for them to be processed, prepared, and mailed to Aikikai before their November deadline.

2. How frequently does the USAF mail Aikikai dan applications?

A package of dan applications is mailed to Aikikai approximately 4-5 times per year. There are no set dates for forwarding the applications, but rather it depends on the volume of applications I have received. We do not mail one application at a time but wait for a substantial number of applications before sending. The approximate dates tend to be December or January (after the NYA seminar), March or April, June or July, September and November.

3. Are the dan certificates and books mailed to individuals?

No, all certificates and books are mailed to the member’s dojo. It is up to the instructor to then distribute them. Certificates are mailed in tubes, and if a yudansha book is not included in the tube than it is mailed in a separate envelope.

4. How long does it take to receive the certificates?

This question is based on 2 factors. First, if you submit an application to me right after I have sent a batch to Aikikai, then your application will not be mailed to Japan for another eight weeks or so. If I receive your application right before I prepare a mailing, then the turn-around time for your application to be forwarded to Aikikai is very quick.

Once I mail the applications, there is generally an 8-10 week turn-around time until I receive the certificates from Japan. Then, within a week or two, I will package them and mail them to the dojo. However, the year-end and New Year’s batches generally take several weeks longer for Aikikai to return to me, as they are inundated with a large volume of applications from around the world at that time.

5. When are the fees for dan applications deposited?

In general, I make deposits (both bank and credit card) twice per month. So, depending on when your paperwork and fees are received, your payment will either be deposited right away or there may be a couple of weeks of waiting before your payment is processed. I do not deposit payments individually, but wait for several receipts before depositing.

6. What if you do not know your Aikikai number because you have lost your book?

In general, when the Aikikai number and registration date are left blank on the application, it does not cause a problem with the process as long as the person is properly registered with Aikikai. If I am notified of a problem it is usually for one of two reasons. First, the individual has not waited the proper amount of time between ranks before their new promotion, or the individual did not submit previous application(s) and therefore is either skipping rank or did not register their shodan and is therefore not registered at Aikikai.

7. What happens if you tested a while ago but were not able to submit your paperwork for any number of reasons?

Aikikai does not backdate any applications. That means that they register the date of your promotion as the date they process your application. Therefore, if you wait an extended period of time before mailing your application and fee, you may lose the time towards your next promotion. This is not relevant if it’s only a few weeks, but applications that are not submitted for extended periods of time do suffer consequences in the testing time-line. Therefore, whenever possible, please submit your paperwork shortly after the date of your promotion.

8. What happens if a student joins the USAF with a high rank from an organization that is not recognized by Aikikai and wishes to qualify for his/her next promotion?

Because Aikikai does not backdate any promotions, this member will need to register their shodan first, as of the date that the shodan paperwork is submitted. On occasion, Aikikai will accept more than one promotion at a time, but each rank must be paid for at the time of application. However, it can also transpire that the individual will have to wait the proper time between each rank after shodan as well as then pay each rank fee. Depending on the circumstances, a special exception may be requested by Yamada Sensei, however the final determination is by Aikikai. They rarely allow for multiple ranks at one time and will usually will not put through a promotion that does not have the proper time requirement since the last promotion.

9. Is there a place where you can see the dates that your applications were either mailed to Aikikai or mailed to your dojo?

USAF Chief Instructors have a login and password for accessing USAF official documents on our website, www.usaikifed.com. One of the folders is titled Dan Applications Mailed to Aikikai. Within that folder are the dates and list of applications mailed to Aikikai.

10. Is there a place on the website where you can access dan applications?

The USAF does not have a public location where everyone can access dan applications. Chief Instructors have access to the forms through their login and password, and it is their responsibility to forward the forms to their students as needed.

11. Can dan applications be submitted if hand-written?

No. All dan applications (4 forms for shodan, 2 forms for nidan, sandan and yondan, and 2 forms for godan and above but it is a different Aikikai form than the lower ranks) must be typed. Our forms are in fillable pdf format so it is easy to type directly in the fields and then print them out.

12. Will an application be submitted to Aikikai if the individual is not current with their USAF dues?

In order to be promoted through the USAF, your membership fees must be current. Your instructor will be notified if this is not the case, and late fees will be applied. If you have not paid your dues in 5 years, and you have submitted paperwork for godan, then you will owe 5 years of membership fees along with 5 years of late fees before your dan application can be processed. Therefore it is very important to maintain your individual membership and pay your annual dues on time each year.

13. Should dan applications be mailed into the USAF office in advance of the seminar at which you are testing?

No. If a member is testing, he/she must submit his/her paperwork at the location and time of their test.

14. If you are testing at a dojo that is not your home dojo, whose responsibility is it to mail in the application and fee?

If you attend one of the major seminar at which there is testing, please take your application and fee home with you after the seminar so that you or your instructor can submit the paperwork to the USAF office. It is not the responsibility of the host dojo to mail in the test forms for all the guests attending and testing at their seminar.

Laura Jacobs Pavlick

Director of Operations

Filed Under: Dan Application Information, USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

Help fo Hurricane Sandy Victims

November 13, 2012 By admin

The USAF extends its deepest sympathies to its members who have suffered hardship caused by Hurricane Sandy. We hold you, your families, friends, and communities in our thoughts and our hearts.

To help support the recovery efforts, Yamada Sensei has made a $1,000 donation to the Red Cross. In addition, the USAF Board members have contributed individually, and we ask that you follow this aikido spirit of generosity by making a donation as well.

In case you are not sure where to make your donation, below are various links found through reputable resources for your consideration. Thank you for your participation in helping those who now face many difficult challenges in their days ahead.

The Humane Society of the United States

AmeriCares

Direct Relief International

Feeding America

Filed Under: Uncategorized, USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

USAF Summer Camp 2012 is now OPEN FOR REGISTRAION

April 14, 2012 By admin

We are excited to announce that you can now register for Summer Camp 2012. We strongly suggest that you register through our online process. It is easy, fast and safe. Your payment for camp will go through the secure paypal site, which accepts any form of credit card. You will receive immediate confirmations, as well be able to book your hotel room to help guarantee your spot. To register online, please proceed to the USAF Store. If wish to mail in your registration, you can download the forms here: USAF SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION FORMS AND INFORMATION. The process for reserving a hotel room has changed, so please read carefully all information posted on the registration pages.

We look forward to seeing you at camp!
Sincerely,

The Summer Camp Committee
Laura Pavlick. Paige Chapman, Skip Chapman, Joe Nemeth

Filed Under: Summer Camp, USAF Latest News, USAF Official Business

Welcome to 5 New Dojo

March 29, 2012 By admin

The USAF would like to welcome the 5 new dojo that have joined us since the New Year. We look forward to working and training together, and thank them for their membership. They are: