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European Kendama Open 2012

Started by BKA, 10 February, 2012, 16:33:23

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BKA

Somebody move those decimal points....

Patryk

Quote from: BKA on 03 August, 2012, 10:30:19
2011, Munich: 53 competitors of ~6000 convention attendees=~0.088%
2012, Lublin: 28 competitors of ~2000 convention attendees=~0.14%

So this year's comp was bigger than last year's!

For the record, 32 people said they came to EJC just for the kendama.
Expect me in the next year(i bet)

LarsVegas

This was so much fun and I'm more than happy to fail in next year's advance competition. At least, that gives me the chance for an official title :)
Thanks to all who made this competition happen (organisation, judges, ...).
It was also very nice to meet some of this list's regulars in person - and also to meet some that aren't on this list.

I'm looking forward to the next Kendama meeting, lars
EKO 2012 - European Beginner Champion

Patryk

btw anyone already know where EKO gonna be next year?

BKA

Pretty likely to be at EJC Toulouse, France. To be confirmed....

BKA


BKA


BKA



The Void

If you don't want to BUY MY BOOKS 😉, then why not ask your local library to order them in, and read them for free? That would help too. Cheers!

Daniela

thanks void, to collect all the links of the photogalleries from the EJC!!! pretty well to see another pics from the event  :D

SamB

I'll just say thanks to everyone who came to the EJC. Chris and I had the best time[nb]despite being eaten alive by bugs, losing about 5kg in sweat and never mastering the Polish language[/nb] and I can't believe how cool and skilled all you kendama people are in real life.
It was great to see some legendary and rare kendamas in the flesh and some unbelievable tricks pulled every couple of minutes.
When we left my right arm and my legs ached but my skills have improved a lot and I have so many new tricks I want to learn.

And obviously huge thanks and respect to Void for organising and getting all these people from all over the world into a single place all in the name of playing a bit of cup and ball! Seriously dude that's pretty amazing!

Here's to next year!

2013 - Toulouse - 4th Dan and the EKO title will be mine![nb]Maybe if no one else turns up....[/nb]
BKO 2011 - 2nd, SRC 2011 - 2nd,  SRC 2012 - 2nd, EJC 2012 (unicorns) - 2nd, SRC 2013 - 2nd, BKO 2013 - 3rd - Always the bridesmaid...

BKA

Two photos of Shima and Tomoya on the Open Stage on Tuesday by Luke (scroll down):
http://www.lukeburrage.com/blog/archives/1709

ChrisD

Great to see all these reports, photos etc, thanks.  Compensation for those of us who couldn't be there!  I've seen no comparable reports on the rest of the EJC anywhere yet.

Congratulations to the competition winners - I'm particularly thrilled that our local Norwich lad Johnny is European Kendama Champion - is there no end to his talents?  Congratulations also to the many who've increased their gradings, in some cases quite steeply.  Respect, Sam and Void1!

Chris




1 - and no doubt others, I just happen to know these two....

The Void

Time for an essay.... Are you ready?...



An early start, a long travel (including being thrown off a Polish train for having the temerity to only have notes, not coins!) , but finally got to the EJC in the early evening, to find Alex, Kristin & Raul clicking away in the middle of the main hall. Already it feels like "kendama home". Then we met up with the Japanese players, with hellos and hello-agains all over the place. Finally I got my tent set up, and on the way to brush my teeth, ran into 2 young clickers I'd not met before. More of them later.

Sunday was a general play day, with a side order of a grading for Raul. Those 2 chaps from last night turn out to be Thorkild and Mathias from Denmark, and they waste no time in impressing everyone with their fast and furious skilful moves. In the evening, some of us head into town to watch the opening show - a trapeze show based on an impressive large circular rig. Looked really good in the night lighting, with the moon shining down over all.

On Monday, many JKA gradings took place, with lots of people getting their first feet on the Kyu ladder. I had some unfinished business from my trip to Japan, and after having had a double confirmation that my 45.9 Speed Trick B could be rounded down to 45 seconds, I set about trying the compulsories to complete my 4th Dan. I'd been practising it nearly daily since the EJC, and the practice paid off for me. I was very chuffed to get it. Also, to be the first "Westerner" to hit that level was a nice bonus. (Curse those talented Mongolians for depriving me of the "first non-Japanese" tag! ;) ) This year I managed to retain my composure and not blubb my eyes out, but I was quite shaky. Shame my girlfriend wasn't there to see it (again). Well, that put me in a class of my own, but not for long, as Thorkild and Mathias soon followed along to 4th Dan, with Alex Smith getting 3rd too. An evening meal outside the bar tent, chatting and drinking was just the ticket. By now the Dutch contingent had arrived too, so all was merry.

On Tuesday, the Swiss posse and Czech crew showed up, and the party was really in full swing.  More gradings, including Nic stepping up into the 4-strong 4D club, and Sam leaping 3 levels to 3D. In the afternoon I got my paperwork into gear for the next day, and decided not to do Seeding this year, but go for Random Draw for the Advanced division. I made the draw, but kept it secret - people could discover their opponents when called onstage. Another evening session in the beer garden, now with Matt and Sam in attendance, along with friends Luke and Chris who got well into the spirit of things. Luke's comment of "I don't know where to look!" is typical of a first-time attendee of an EJC. Later we all snuck into the big top just in time to catch Shimadera-San and Mukai-San's appearance on the Open Stage. To a tent-full of jugglers, they both rocked some great stuff, Shima with a standard set-up, Tomoya with stringless, juggling style. I'm glad to say the jugglers really liked it. Outside, RaphaĆ«l had brought a bilboquet with a crescent moon instead of a ball, and my achievement of the night was to get a Furiken-Earth (Moon!) Turn- Fast Throw Lighthouse-Swap In. Woo!

Sleep. Need sleep....

Wednesday morning saw Alex R sneak in a grading, and get himself up to 3rd Dan. Go KendAlex! Headed over to the renegade area with Thomas and Daniela to prepare for set-up. (Remember to eat! Remember to drink! Check.) News comes through that Jeffrey was feeling really rough, and had gone back to his hotel to recover. No Dutchkendama in the comp then. :-( After the tent looking bare the day before, Wojtek and Daniel provided us with a stage, lighting and sound system. Now that that arrived, I decided we would stay in the tent after all, and not head outside, which had been the back-up plan. Right, roll up those tent sides!

Okay, let's get this comp underway!

The new rule of "only 4 misses" for the beginners worked out fine, rewarding consistency as intended. Phillips gave Lars a run for his money, but couldn't quite pip him to the top.

This year for Speed Trick Challenge, there was no Pre-qualifying, as it was all decided on live heats, 4 players at a time.

The advanced random draw threw up some interesting matches, but all in all I thought it worked out well. Last year's final was repeated in this year's semi-final, but no appearance in the final for Nic this year. After having to enforce a couple of rules quite strictly, and some close calls here and there, it all boiled down to a final between the polar opposite styles of Johnny Malcolm (nervous, smiley, fast) and Tomoya Mukai (focused, slow, deliberate). By getting to the final, Johnny had already guaranteed himself the title of European Kendama Champion 2012. J had his chances to score points off Mukai-San, but Tomoya's intense focus saw him triumph... For the second year in a row. Congratulations to both of them.

While I went through the paperwork to get the exact results in order, Raul ran the Best Trick competition. It sounded great, but I didn't see a single trick, so I look forwards to seeing it on video! Thanks Raul.

Prize-giving and a group photo, and time to relax after another successful EKO. Lublin was a little awkward/far for several people to get to, but I expect we will have a large turn-out again next year in (...To Be Confirmed...) Toulouse.

I was quite exhausted after the comp, but after eating food (thanks, Mirek!), and drink, and issuing the certificates to all the title-winners, I began to recover. By now it was ~5.30 (?) , and the next few hours were a complete blast. (Hey, Jeffrey's back! Hooray!) We had group games of Candle Conkers, Last Man Standing, K.E.N., and Unicorns (if you don't know what those are... I believe/hope there will be video forthcoming...),  and a mass session of "will you sign my kendama please?", photograph taking, drinking chatting and relaxing. A wonderful day, thanks everyone for coming!

A little later, back at the hall (to escape the mosquitos!) there was unicycling attempts, Running Aeroplane silliness, Raph dancing his butt off, and general Hanging Out with friends. (No, that's not a trick, it's a lifestyle :) ) Oh, and goodbye Matt and Luke, off in the early hours....

Sleeeep? Well, maybe a little.

Thursday. More gradings. It's a new month. I'm allowed to have a crack at 5th Dan compulsory tricks (Moshi Kame and Speed Trick B already under my belt). Well, I have very little hope of actually doing it, but let's give it a go... Shimadera-San: "Please let me know when you are ready." Me:"I'm ready." Here we go.

Cosmos and Birds went okay. Likewise Hanging Spike, but Jumping Stick takes 9 goes. Oof. 4 1-Turn Aeros should be pushing it, but no, they're okay. The 1-Turn LHs I'm less worried about and they pass by fine. Now the new level of tricks. Slip Grip Special? Settles in okay. Now BFOTValley... Getting very tricky, missed a couple of the "...and In"s, but got there in the end.

Home stretch? Well, yes, but now it's getting stupid hard. The Somersaults I'm okay with, and get them in a few goes. But now Hanging 1-Turn Aeroplane, and surely this is my demise. By the start of the week, I've realised that everyone is doing this trick "string in the middle", and I'm a "string outside" kind of guy. But.... Do I change my technique at this stage? No, I'll stick with what I know. Got one on 2nd or 3rd go! Phew. But then, it's miss, miss, miss. And add a couple of misses for good measure. Damn, those were all SO close, the spike was RIGHT by the hole. Okay, focus,... Miss. Last go then, oh well, it was fun to get this far, and I'm very happy to have got my 4th Dan, so no worries. Hold, backswing, lift, throw, grab the ball, maybe it should go somewhere about..... There?

It's In! PHEW. I've got to admit I didn't really know a lot about that last catch, but I'll take it.

But now 2-Turn LH. I hate this trick, and despite getting some tips when I was in Japan, I'm still very inconsistent,  and I would put myself somewhere around 1 in 25 with it. And I need 1 in 10. Okay, let's try.

Miss, miss, miss, etc. Then a couple of cup-to-ball contacts, but not smooth enough to hold the balance. Another miss, then on the 7th(?) go, the ken lands on the ball.... Without touching my fingers.... And... Stays there? Yes? Still? For 3 seconds?

YES!

Shimadera-San says "Congratulations, you are 5th Dan!", but I can't quite believe it. Shaking. (Thanks Jeff, but I can't shake your hand yet, I need to bow to my examiner first...) When Shima stands up, it's all I can do to squeeze out a Thank You and a handshake, before the tears start coming. Now I'm looking around at all my lovely clicker buddies standing around and applauding me, (Thank you, guys, that's a lovely mental photograph that will stay with me forever!) and I lose it completely. Face in towel time. No girlfriend here again, damn. I sneak out to phone her, and blubb into her answer phone. :-) Back in for the presentation of my certificate, and I can just about keep it together to smile for a photo.

Wow, that was my lucky day for sure. Wow. Did I say Wow?

Raul, Eelco, Mirek and Jeffrey all boost their gradings too - Big Congrats, guys!

Later in the day, I finally get the chance to induct some non-Brits as BKA examiners. Thanks for spreading the grading system, dudes!

Time for another of Mirek's K.E.N. games, and then it's time for the Japanese contingent to pack and head off. Many more photos and goodbyes. It was great to see you again/meet you, and a big Thank You from me and all the European players for coming so far on your holidays to meet us all, and share your knowledge and expertise with us all. We are all so grateful for the huge input you have given to our scene. I look forwards to meeting you all again in Toulouse ( and if I'm lucky, in Japan again, too).

On Thursday evening, some clickers and I head into the renegade tent to check out the completely indescribable Rumple, who was 24 hours in to an attempted 53 hour show. Yes, 53 continuous hours onstage. I'm glad to say that the clicker crew did not think I was completely mad for suggesting we go and see him, and shared my view that Rumple is bizarrely fascinating. "It's just a man looking for things!!!" - Chris. More of Rumple later....

Back in the gym, there was a little clicking, but quite a lot of sitting down, and a mass ken-balance session.

Friday, and the fatigue was beginning to set in. I've done more clicking this week than I've ever done before. It's been great, but my legs are starting to feel it. So, a slow start to the day, some lunch, a little light clicking, and then it was head into town for the gala show. I met up with Nils and Lars in the queue, and Alex and Kristin joined us soon afterwards. (It was at this point that I realised that I'd missed saying goodbye to the Dutch crew. See you next time guys, and great to meet you Eelco!). I've seen loads of shows, so I'm a bit jaded, but there were 4 acts I thought were really really good. A skate/ball bouncer, a ring juggler, an acrobalance duo (someone later said, "Hey, he was doing kendama tricks with her!", which made me laugh), and a hoop roller.

After slightly melting in the hot tent, Alex, Kristin and I headed for food. We found a restaurant with good vege options, and K and I both ordered big! Thorkild and Mathias joined us, and we collectively approved of the ice coffees that contained ice cream. Yum.

Back to site, and a slightly depleted crew spent the evening hanging in the beer garden, chatting. Then it was back to check on Rumple again. Still going strong, and Mirek plays his hunting horn. I went back to the gym for a while (D.A.M.A. With Raul, and the Danes, and I FINALLY manage to give someone a letter with Half Swirl Aero! Also, I remember far too late that I'd recently spent 2 months practising the WKC tricks, so manage to score with one or two of those too. Thorkild still beat me tho, :-) ), but was gutted to later hear that I missed Mirek becoming Rumple for a couple of minutes, to give the Worldly Kangaroo Jester of Oz a loo break. At least there are photos!

Back at the renegade tent, we head back for Rumple's finale. The tent is JAMMED, but we manage to sneak in behind the stage to get a front-back row seat for the craziness that followed. Again, indescribable, but we'll never hear Iron Man again without thinking back on this. 53 hours, he did it. A late evening farewell to Sam and Chris.

Saturday morning, and I've missed Mirek & Lucia's departure. :-/ Cya guys! Another chilled start to the day, and it's Goodbye to Thorkild and Mathias as they pack their tents away. Raul and I head into town to watch the juggling games. We meet up with Kristin, and then Alex, for a nice afternoon sat on the castle steps watching jugglers compete in skills technical and silly. Ice cream helped. Food time.... Back to the same restaurant as yesterday - it was that good! After food, on to the local park, where we realise that we were now down to the same group of 4 clickers that we each first encountered on arrival. First in, last out. Fighting off the mosquitoes, we had a chill click, then sat down for a rest before the fire show. On the way to the fire show, though, I realised that I am completely exhausted, and have to pack up before my early morning departure.... And I've seen a squillion fire shows anyway. So it's goodbye to Canada, and back to site for me before falling over.

Sunday morning, and off I trudge to the train, to start my long journey home, leaving Raul as the Last True Clicker onsite. What a great week, thank you everyone for showing up, and for all being such a lovely bunch of people to hang out with. To those who *couldn't* come, hope to see you next time. To those who could, but *didn't* come... Your loss - don't make the same mistake next time!

So many more memories I've left out... I'm tired, so tired.... But very happy. :-D

CLICK CLICK!
If you don't want to BUY MY BOOKS 😉, then why not ask your local library to order them in, and read them for free? That would help too. Cheers!