Welcome to Aiki Summer Retreat 2017! Live, train, take meals and relax with fellow aikidoists at breathtaking Lake Tahoe, in the beautiful Sierra Mountains, from June 4 - 10. If you can't attend the entire week, you can attend the Mini-Retreat from June 6 - 10.
Deepen your aikido practice with extraordinary instructors: Michael Friedl Shihan, Kimberly Richardson Sensei, and Craig Fife Sensei. At Aiki Summer Retreat, you will immerse yourself in your study of aikido, reflect on and reaffirm why you train, and nurture the spirit of aikido through community. Please join us for a wonderful week of aikido training, community and fun!
Our home and dojo will be at lovely Granlibakken Tahoe resort, in Tahoe City, California. We'll have access to all of Granlibakken's amenities -- resort-wide wireless internet, pool, hot tub, sauna, tennis courts, and more. And the cell coverage is good, too!
Here's some more good news: We were supposed to have to close Here's the thing with registration on May 21. But Granlibakken has rearranged some room availability for us so that we don't have to close registration!
Aiki Summer Retreat is a cooperative, friendly environment where you can practice sincerely without feeling in competition with everyone else on the mat. You will feel welcome no matter your style or rank. You will enjoy the warmth of our aikido community! The Retreat is a great place to train, have fun and make friends.
Top notch training is the thing at Aiki Summer Retreat. But there's this: The headline instructors – Michael Friedl Shihan, Kimberly Richardson Sensei, and Craig Fife Sensei – will all be on the mat training for as many classes as they can. These are really nice people who are at the Retreat to have fun and train as well as teach. So, don't be shy! Just bow in to them for the training experience of a lifetime!
The quality of the teaching staff at Aiki Summer Retreat is second to none. I am not only referring to the fact that Michael Friedl Shihan, Kimberly Richardson Sensei, and Craig Fife Sensei are all extremely experienced, fantastic instructors. And, I am not only referring to the fact that they are all amazing aikidoists.
What I am really saying is that these are all really great people. You are going to want to count these folks among your friends. They are smart, happy to share, fun to be with, and caring. The sheer quality of these people drives an incredible Retreat. And you get to hang out with them for a week!
In addition, the Retreat community is made up of great training partners – many of whom are also very experienced instructors. They will teach morning and other classes, too. Then there's the wider community of lovely people who make attending the Retreat truly worth it.
Something you probably don't know about the Retreat -- particularly if you didn't attend the last couple of years – is how we support up-and-coming instructors. We will select a few "junior" instructors to participate in our mentoring program. These fortunate folks will teach a class and get mentoring with one (or more) of our headliners (!) on their teaching skills. I do not know of any other Retreat that has ever offered such a program. Our mentoring programs have been a rousing success. I am sure this year's will be as good. Let us know if you want to be considered for the mentoring program.
While full-week, immersive retreats were all the rage years ago, very few exist today. They are very expensive and difficult to organize. Instead, most retreats are Bridge-style now. Bridge retreats are a few days long where everyone trains in one location, but are on their own for food, a place to stay, and all non-training activities. At those Retreats, you simply cannot get the same level of experience and friendships as staying as a group for the week. And when you add up all of the expenses involved in a few-days-long Bridge seminar, they generally cost at least as much as our weeklong Retreat – at Lake Tahoe. For what you get, Aiki Summer Retreat is an amazingly-priced vacation. Just check out the screaming deal we’re getting on the townhouses!
If you are at all serious about your aikido, then take your training (and your fun) to the next level by joining us.
Your Co-Host Frank Bloksberg Sensei
Michael Friedl Shihan, 7th Dan
Michael Friedl Shihan is founder and chief instructor of Aikido of Ashland. He is the head of Division 2 of the California Aikido Association (taking over for Frank Doran Shihan in February, 2016). Shortly before becoming the head of the Division, Friedl Shihan completed a tenure as President of the California Aikido Association.
Friedl Shihan began his Aikido training in 1972 under Clyde Takeguchi Shihan in Madison, Wisconsin. Friedl Shihan became a live-in student (also known as a uchi deshi) for Takeguchi Shihan from 1975-1977 in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1978 Friedl Shihan established a dojo in Burlington, Vermont. He moved to Ashland, Oregon in 1979 and started a small aikido club.
Friedl Shihan affiliated with Frank Doran Shihan in 1979 and has been a student of his since that time. Friedl Shihan was uchi deshi for Saito Shihan in Iwama, Japan from 1981-1983. There he studied weapons intensely and the Iwama style of weapons remains a strong influence in his weapons style to this day.
Kimberly Richardson Sensei, 6th Dan
Kimberly Richardson is the founder and chief instructor of Two Cranes Aikido in Seattle, Washington where she teaches children, teens and adults. She began her training with Mary Heiny Sensei in 1978 and has studied throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan, most notably with Motomichi Anno, Saotome and Ikeda Shihans, Terry Dobson and Tom Read Senseis. Kimberly Sensei received her 6th degree black belt from Mary Heiny Sensei.
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In 2008 Kimberly founded a non-profit, TCI, an Institute that provides educational and embodied leadership programs in the Seattle community and beyond. Her goal is to share O'Sensei's principles and practices that cultivate peaceful solutions to conflict and encourage nonviolent action.
Additionally, Kimberly Sensei has studied Tai Chi Chen for ten years and she is passionate about ballroom dancing. Watching children develop confidence and self-esteem on the Aikido mat is the inspiration for her first book, Gus Learns to Fly.
Craig Fife Sensei, 6th Dan
Craig Fife Sensei is the founder and chief instructor of Aikido Northwest. Fife Sensei’s Aikido training began in 1973 in Boise, Idaho. Fife Sensei currently holds the rank of Rokudan (6th degree black belt), from the Aikikai Foundation, Aikido World Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan. This rank was awarded to him by his teacher, Frank Doran Shihan.
In addition to Fife Sensei’s personal study of Aikido, he has been actively teaching Aikido since 1980. Fife Sensei has also been a student of Iaido since 1990 and currently holds the rank of Nidan (2nd degree black belt) from the All United States Kendo Federation. Fife Sensei is a member of the California Aikido Association Teaching Committee.
Here's What Attendees Say About Aiki Summer Retreat
The training was most excellent! Loved every minute! I loved the surrounding woods. A real highlight for me was learning from the female instructors. They were particularly fantastic. All the training was amazing.
Asha Cheval
I enjoyed camp very much. It was better than I had expected and exactly what I needed to grow my Aikido. These were nice people with high level of understanding of the art.
Stephen Edwards
My favorite things about the Retreat are the high quality of the people and training.
David Floeter
Friendship, Camaraderie. Community building was happening everywhere without efforts. I had a great time.
Erik Haag
The camaraderie of a great group of people made the Retreat a wonderful experience.
Zara Haimo
The camaraderie and the training were fantastic. What a total blast and honor to be part of it.
Jeramy Hale
I especially enjoyed the mentoring approach to teaching. Two things -- inseparable, really -- that made the Retreat so good: the training and the camaraderie/friendship.
Chuck Hauk Sensei
I truly adore the week long, total immersion aspect of this camp. There are so few opportunities to live together, train together, eat together, dance together, be silly together ... a true delight.
Molly Hale
Being at the Retreat made me want to train even more. And I loved the location and campus.
Travis Hedwig
My favorite things about the Retreat are the training and connecting with new aikido friends.
Brian Hendrickson
The respectful group of teachers created such a respectful place to train. I really enjoyed meeting people from all over training in aikido. It was so energizing to immerse myself in the broader community of aikido for this week. It informed and transformed my aikido.
Elizabeth Jannasch
I really appreciated the positive feeling and attitude of the participants and instructors.
Rick Klein
I loved the camaraderie and the variety of teachers. The Retreat was fabulous.
Kate Nehrbass
I had a wonderful time sharing practice and cultivating relationships across formal affiliations. Looking forward to next time!
Susan Newton
Here's what I really enjoyed about the Retreat: The people, learning aikido, becoming a better person, the kindness of my training partners, and the community.
Cindy Zuelsdorf
Aiki Summer Camp 2017 is for the first time at Granlibakken Tahoe, which is in Tahoe City, California. We’ll be walking distance to the lake. In case you don’t already know this, Lake Tahoe is one of the more beautiful places in the world. The elevation is about 6,200 feet. The weather in June is spectacular, with an average high around 70 degrees. Nights can get pretty chilly.
To be as accommodating as we can be to everyone, we have several Retreat plans that you can select from. Most of these plans are all-inclusive: room, food, training, and all of Granlibakken's amenities. You can attend the entire Retreat from June 6 - 10 or the Mini-Retreat from June 8 - 10. This is our first Retreat at Granlibakken and we were very lucky to be able to set this up.
We have two rooming options: (1) Regular Dorms and (2) Townhouses.
The Retreat is first-come, first-served. June is the high season for Lake Tahoe, so we have limited rooms and cannot get more. Don’t delay registering, because you really may miss out.
We have two types of rooms at Granlibakken – ten dorms and a few townhouses. The dorms are basic, big rooms with either one or two bathrooms. Depending on the room, the dorm will have some type of regular bed (twin, double, queen), plus one or more bunk beds. The dorms come with linens and daily cleaning service.
The townhouses are either two or three bedrooms and a loft. They have a bathroom for each bedroom. The person staying in the loft will share a bathroom with one of the bedrooms. Expect each bedroom to have two beds. While the town houses will be filled, they are very nice with full amenities – kitchen, fireplace, the works.
We've pretty much filled our townhouse spots, but there's a chance we can get more.
About the Townhouse Upgrade
The price for the town houses is a screaming deal. Just so you have an idea of what a great deal this is, visit the Granlibakken pages for the townhouses. Here’s the link to see some more info on the townhouses and see a floor plan. Just click the “book lodging” button at the top of the page to get prices. Go visit now. I’ll wait.
Amazing, right?
Full Retreat Plan - 1 Payment
Check in between 3:00 - 5:00 pm Sunday, June 4. Check out is 11:00 am, Saturday, June 10. (This time is firm.) Our Full Retreat Plan includes all training, lodging and meals, including dinner Sunday evening, 3 meals a day Monday through Friday, and breakfast and lunch Saturday. Dorm lodging. Check here for more details about lodging.
The Townhouse Upgrade is $100. You won't be charged until you're upgraded. Just un-check the Townhouse Upgrade if you don't want it. (It'll be obvious.)
Full Plan (1 Payment): $1,049 until April 30
$1,099 May 1 and later
Full Retreat Plan - 2 Payments
Check in between 3:00 - 5:00 pm Sunday, June 4. Check out is 11:00 am, Saturday, June 10. (This time is firm.) Our Full Retreat Plan includes all training, lodging and meals, including dinner Sunday evening, 3 meals a day Monday through Friday, and breakfast and lunch Saturday. Dorm lodging. Check here for more details about lodging.
The Townhouse Upgrade is $100. You won't be charged until you're upgraded. Just un-check the Townhouse Upgrade if you don't want it. (It'll be obvious.)
Full Plan (2 Payments): $1,099
$649 when ordering and $450 on May 15
Mini-Retreat Full Plan
The Mini-Retreat Full Plan is exactly the same as the Full Retreat Plan, except it's shorter. Check here for more details about lodging.
Check in between 3:00 - 5:00 pm Tuesday, June 6. Check out is 11:00 am, Saturday, June 10. (This time is firm.) Our Mini-Retreat Full Plan includes all training, lodging and meals, including dinner Tuesday evening, 3 meals a day Wednesday through Friday, and breakfast and lunch Saturday. Dorm lodging. There's no Townhouse Upgrade with the Mini-Retreat.
Mini-Retreat Full Plan: $739
Mini-Retreat Independent Plan
The Mini-Retreat Plan includes everything that the Mini-Retreat Full Plan includes, except you won't be staying at Granlibakken. You'll provide your own place to stay. Check here for more details about our lodging at Granlibakken.
Check in between 3:00 - 5:00 pm Tuesday, June 6. Check out is 11:00 am, Saturday, June 10. (This time is firm.) Our Mini-Retreat Independent Plan includes all training and meals, including dinner Tuesday evening, 3 meals a day Wednesday through Friday, and breakfast and lunch Saturday. No lodging.
Mini-Retreat Independent Plan: $569
Day Passes
A Day Pass includes an entire day's activities at Aiki Summer Retreat 2017: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, all of our classes, plus all of Granlibakken's amenities. Of course, you won't be staying at Granlibakken. If you want more than one Day Pass for yourself, you'll have to provide your own place to stay.
Check the Aiki Summer Retreat 2017 Schedule to figure which day(s) you want to attend.
Day Pass: $120
Mail-in Registration
You can pay online or mail in your payment. If you want to mail in your payment, here are the links to the Full Retreat Registration Form and Mini-Retreat Registration Form.
Everyone, including those who pay online, needs to fill out and mail in the appropriate Registration Form. Please read and complete the registration/release form fully and return it with payment or pay online by using the links above. We will return incomplete forms and forms without payment without processing them. Please pay careful attention to your form. Don’t overlook the birth date and signature sections.
Multiple Registrations
Each person needs their own separate Registration Form and payment. Please call if you have questions. Everyone must register in advance. No on-site registrations.
We will accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis by actual date of online registration or by post-mark date, if mailed. An individual registration form must be completed by each participant and include either full payment or deposit.
Each space at the Retreat must be used by the individual registrant, and may not be shared. Registration is not transferable.
We will send you a confirmation of your registration and payment, along with more information about the Retreat, within two weeks. Please allow for this turn-around time before contacting us to confirm your registration.
Meals
Meals will be served in the dining hall. Service will begin with dinner on June 4 and end with lunch on June 10. Three meals will be served Monday through Friday. Please be sure to indicate whether you're vegetarian on on your registration form. Write us a note about any dietary or other special needs that you may have. If you have any really special needs, send Frank Bloksberg an email.
All plans are all-inclusive -- rooms, meals, training, and all Granlibakken standard amenities are included.
Granlibakken will issue everyone a name badge that you will need to use to get meals.
Waiting List
If the camp is full, we will place you on a waiting list and let you know your position on the list. If you decide to change plans, you must cancel from one plan and re-register for the other. We will process your second registration in order of its online or postmark date.
Please Note: To be fair to everyone on our waiting list, registrations are non-transferable.
This is an Adult Retreat
Retreat participants must be 15 years of age or older by May 15. We may allow exceptional youth slightly younger with special permission from Frank Bloksberg Sensei. Please do not register someone under 15 years of age without Bloksberg Sensei's express permission.
Parent or guardian must sign a minor’s registration/release form. If a minor attends the Retreat amp without a parent or guardian, the parent/guardian must also provide a letter designating an adult Retreat participant as the person responsible for the minor during camp. Of course, you must have that participant's permission.
Cancellation Fees
All cancellations are final. You may re-register with a new online/postmark date.
No cancellation fee if you cancel by May 15. If you cancel after May 15 and by June 1, the cancellation fee is $75. If you cancel after June 1, you will be subject to a loss of the full registration fee.
Getting to the Summer Retreat
Granlibakken Tahoe is in Tahoe City, California a little more than 50 miles (about 1 hour) from Reno airport.
Here's what Granlibakken says about their shuttle service to and from the airport:
"Transportation is available from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport at a cost of $49.00 per person, each way (2 or more passengers on the same shuttle) with a minimum of $98.00 each way for a single rider. Rates are subject to change. We require 7 days advance notice and all reservations must be prepaid. Cancellations received less than 24 hours prior to arrival or departure are non-refundable. Airport pickup service requires Granlibakken be notified of the airline, flight number and arrival time. (Subject to change)" Contact Granlibakken at (800) 543-3221 to set up shuttle service, if you'd like.
Schedule
Here's the link to the Aiki Summer Retreat 2017 schedule. Please keep in mind that the schedule can change!
More Info.
We'll be sending everyone who signs up emails with all of the necessary information for a great Retreat.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!
2 responses to “Aiki Summer Retreat 2017 Registration”
Don't Miss Out!
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I would definitely want to stay in one of the townhouses. Do we have any say in who shares a townhouse with us?
On your registration form, you’ll find a spot for listing roommates. We’ll do what we can to accommodate your wishes. Please keep in mind, though, that we have limited space!