This past weekend, we held our first practices of the semester. Along with retraining all of our muscles to perform in matches once more, we were tasked with the annual duty of welcoming our new kohai (“younger” members). After the Club Sports Expo, we received a larger amount of interested students than we had initially anticipated. Imagine our surprise when nearly half of those same students arrived at practice this past weekend?
We counted nearly 30 new kenshi on Saturday, with many more expressing their interest and apologies for missing practice. Sunday, we also had a special guest instructor – Jimmy Eitoku-sensei from California! Together with Coach Alex Eitoku, he lent his knowledge and efforts to both the beginners and experienced members, physically and mentally challenging both groups for the coming semester.
BU Kendo regulary attends a variety of tournaments throughout the school year. The first competition – the 13th Cornell Kendo Tournament – is scheduled for Columbus Day Weekend (October 12-13), and BU has championship aspirations (as usual). The semester will be rigorous, but Coach Eitoku and Captain John Yi have plans to ensure this team does nothing short of its best come October.
For some of us, this marks our final year at BU and as members of BUKA. We have grown as men and women, we have grown from kohai to sempai (older members), and we have grown as kenshi. We have grown from observers to competitors to champions! But, most importantly, we have grown as a team, as a family, and as a community. We have watched our kohai follow a similar path, and we will continue to watch them grow as we, too, improve ourselves. This year, our bond as a group will be tested, but the chains will never be broken so long as we work together.