A letter from Kevin Choate on the 2012 Summer Camp in the RockiesKevin Choate, Chicago AikikaiHello,I would like to invite you to join me at the Boulder Aikikai Summer Camp in the Rockies to be held at Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, July 22-29, 2012.Now, what I need to explain is why you should attend, and why I have, for longer than I would like to admit. That's not true. I am proud to have attended and grateful for the opportunities the camp has created for me over the years. I have met people and made friends and had insights I don't believe would have happened anywhere else.In 1980, when I started attending camp, I thought I was doing pretty well-I was Saotome Sensei's student, up in front all of the time, taking lots of ukemi, enjoying all of the "show time." It took years for me to figure out that the rest of the time, which was the majority of the time, was as important, if not more important than show time. Over time my brilliance faded and Saotome Sensei and the camp taught me the value of instruction and training and the difference between the two.read more
