Women’s Aikido Camp
2023
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Welcome to the Women’s Aikido camp 2023, being held November 9-12 at the Prindle Pond Conference Center in Charleton, MA.
First held in the 1990s in New Mexico, Women’s Aikido Camp was created to support women instructors and practitioners. A second generation of camps continued in the 2000s under the direction of Kristina Varjan Shihan in Santa Fe, with the last held in 2019. Liese Klein Sensei of New Haven Aikikai and other instructors came together this year to organize the first Women’s Aikido Camp on the East Coast. All of the camps have been open to Aikido practitioners of all styles and affiliations. This year's camp is a program of Aiki Access, a 501C(3) nonprofit that seeks to expand access to the martial art of Aikido. A coalition of women from various organizations are working together to present the event.
This camp will run from Thursday evening through Sunday morning. Registration for the full package includes accommodations and 8 meals in addition to training. There is also a commuter option.
Please note that this is a women-only event that intends an inclusive definition of women. We are welcoming and respectful of women, including trans women and those that are nonbinary, gender non-conforming and any others who identify as a woman.
Questions? Contact us at WomensAikidoCamp23@gmail.com
Camp Information
Dates: November 9-12, 2023
Location: Prindle Pond Conference Center, 19 Harrington Rd, Charlton, MA 01507 (www.naturesclassroom.org/prindle-pond-conference-center) Located in a forested area with a lake, Prindle Pond Conference Center is an affordable venue with heated accommodations and an expansive (heated) dojo space. It is close to the regional airport in Worcester, Mass., and an hour or so from major airports in Boston, Providence, Hartford and Springfield, Mass. Most rooms accommodate four people in bunk beds; several hotels are nearby. Early November in this part of Massachusetts is chilly (average of 50 degrees) but usually free of snow and ice.
Outside of Training Activities: In addition to many Aikido classes, we will also be offering classes in a variety of other activities, including Yoga, Feldenkrais, meditation, and stretching, to name a few.
Instructors: What many love about Women’s Aikido Camp is the community feeling and non-hierarchical training, so we will not have a featured instructor or team of instructors. That said, we want to center women of color, women of all ages and a spectrum of Aikido lineages. We also want to support and celebrate those who are dealing with physical limitations.
Special Project: Women’s Aikido History: We want to create a space at Women’s Camp to honor women’s Aikido history, from Takako Kunigoshi, one of O-Sensei’s first students, to Virginia Mayhew Sensei, a founding member of New York Aikikai, to Lorraine DiAnne Shihan, a pioneering Black Aikido teacher in Japan and the Northeast. Some ideas: Displays on individual women, shared memories of important women teachers and even the beginnings of an oral history compilation.
What to Bring: The rooms have 2 bunk beds with mattresses only. If possible, bring bedding, towels, soap, shampoo, bug spray. However, there will be bedding and sleeping bags to borrow for those who can't bring their own.
Cost: $400 for all training, 3 nights lodging, 8 meals prepaid by Sept. 15, 2023 or $450 after Sept. 15. $150 for all training/commuters (no meals) We are encouraging people to schedule for the entire event.