#ukkc

So this week, 'Give it a Go' commenced. A feature which includes Sean Mackey of CSR, and myself, as we endeavour to try our hand at as many sports as we possibly can. The feature came about in somewhat what of an uncanny fashion, as we all came up the with the idea at the very same time, so it was a no brainer to work with one another to do all we can to promote and enhance the profile of our Team Kent sports clubs.

First on the cards was Lacrosse, a team sport of Native American origin featuring sticks, balls and helmets. I was a little nervous, due to the sports physically and the fact that you can ‘hit’ someone with a metal pole in order to gain to possession of the ball. Sunday mornings play host to the clubs development sessions between 10-12pm on the 3G up in Parkwood. Sean its safe to say isn’t the most sportiest of people and he would be first to admit, hence why a feature of this nature would provide entertainment for those who have the pleasure to witness his antics, whilst on a serious note, showing that our clubs are inclusive to all, regardless of their ability.

Sunday morning, and you never guess what, it was raining; in fact it was pouring. We arrived at the Pavilion just gone 10am and the weather wasn’t easing up, Sean’s there in his brand new trainers, brought specially for Give it a Go, and a pair of shorts he’d borrowed from a housemate, he looked the part, but that was going to be as close as we were going to get to playing Lacrosse that day, as our hopes were dashed by the rain and a subsequent waterlogged pitch, much to Sean’s delight, he’d got away with it, but just this once!

I went away in the hope of finding our next activity, one that would ultimately kick-start the project after the disappointment of Lacrosse and we were so very fortunate to have something lined up for the following day, we were off to Kendo.

Kendo meaning the ‘way of the sword’ is a modern Japanese martial art, which descends from traditional swordsmanship. I couldn’t wait, I’ll be the first admit I didn’t particularly know what the sport entails though before I knew it, I was in the sports centre getting changed into what is known a ‘Gi’, a traditional item of clothing worn to practise Kendo.

We were asked in advance for our height and chest dimensions, and yes, Sean is considerably taller than me. I quickly came to realise that there was an art to Kendo, not just in the physical aspect of the sport but more so the preparation, after taking a good ten minutes to get dressed. The way in which one presents themselves is extremely important and I have never tied such a precise bow when fastening my Gi. I already had established huge respect for the sport and those that practise it after seeing how much they value and personally respect their equipment and how much it meant to them.

We soon made our way to the Small Hall, in waiting to enter, we were asked if we’d practised before and when we revealed that it was our very first time a few were surprised, due to the way we prepared and in particular the way we were dressed, Sean and I couldn’t help but laugh! We definitely looked the part!

After bowing before we entered the hall, it was time to warm up. We ran around in circles, oh Sean loved that, not! We soon followed it up with a series of stretches, in doing so we were taught to count to ten in Japanese.

We then all knelt down to listen to the instructions for our sensei, oh my, I’m not made to kneel, and how everyone else does it with such ease, I do not know. Our teacher or sensei as its known in Japanese, Utaka Jz, was absolutely fantastic, she along with all those that are a part of the University of Kent Kendo Club welcomed us both with open arms and I cannot thank them enough for the incredible opportunity.

We started with the basics and learnt how to ‘cut’, which entailed taking the sword from above our left shoulder to our opponents opposing hip. We practised by attempting to hit a piece of cloth, dropped from a height, before it reached the ground. We then had the opportunity to practise with a budding volunteer in armour.

The time then came to divide the group, the experienced Seniors went one way and us Juniors went the other. We were then taught the traditional elements of Kendo, in particular the pre-fight routine/ritual, which entailed bowing and looking your opponent in the eye, stepping 5 paces forward, engaging swords, swatting, and the retracting your sword before rising and arriving back at your original position.

Whilst all of this was going on, the seniors were making a lot of noise next door as they practised in full armour. It was an impressive sight, a little overwhelming, the noise, the power and the precision was incredible and I will have to definitely pop along to a fight or two over the next year.

We then rounded off the session with some birthday beats, one of the Seniors celebrated their birthday a few days before and we all had the opportunity to strike him around the head, shouting ‘men’.

We then came together, and knelt to the ground to listen to Utaka, her closes remarks made me release once again how very fortunate we were to be given this opportunity, with the University of Kent Kendo Club (UKKC) being the only club in Kent.

I must take this opportunity once again to thank the University of Kent Kendo Club (UKKC) and all those involved for having Sean and myself, especially at such late notice, in particular I must send my appreciation to Him Wai for making this all possible, we had a blast and just you wait to see what else we’ve been up to!

I can safety say that the activities that I have took part in this week, I could never have imagined I do in a millions years prior to this feature and that’s the beauty of what we’re doing. I can’t stress strongly enough, that during your time here at the University of Kent, you should visit and have a go at as many clubs and societies as you possibly can because you’ll never be apart of anything like Kent Union ever again, where you have 60 sports clubs and 226 societies all under one roof, so go on, like Sean and myself, give it a go! 

#giveitago