Kendo Nationals in the news

The ABC came to do a story on the 34th Kendo Nationals that were held this Easter weekend.

Here is a link to the story they did. Below is the transcript, for future reference in case they remove the story (it is exciting to have the club in the news!).

I will post more on the Nationals shortly...(watch this space)

Over 150 of Australia's best blade fighters are heading to Adelaide for the National Kendo Championships.

"Kendo is based on the Samurai schools from many hundreds of years ago," explains President of the South Australian Kendo Association, Brian Balshaw.

Transferring from steel blades, to wooden swords and now bamboo poles, Kendo has risen in popularity in western countries after troops became exposed to the style whilst serving in Asia in World War 2.

Unlike other styles of martial arts, Kendo participants do not visibly show their grading, making it a little unnerving for those first witnessing it performed.

"You wear your grading in the way that you play," Brian reveals.

"It's very humbling in that way, but the grading system is still very similar to most martial arts, where you have ... kyu grades and you have black belts."

Although a relatively new martial art to Australia, numbers have recently started to grow.

"In Japan, there are a million people or so that do Kendo, in Australia there is about a thousand."

With the South Australian arm of Kendo having only 60 to 70 members, the hosting of the National Championships on 11 and 12 April, 2008 has been a huge accomplishment for the club.

The 34th Australian National Kendo Championships will be held in South Australia for the first time in its history, at Immanuel College Sport Centre on Morphett Road.

"The national body saw us as strong enough now to be able to hold the national level event ... it is a great honour to hold it."

Having a home town advantage for the SA team is something not lost with Brian, but with the lower numbers of members in SA, he remains quietly confident the local squad will perform well.

"We'll struggle to match up against some of the larger states, but in certain areas we do have a couple of key people in our state that are very strong and could be very serious contenders."

The National titles will be held from 9:00am on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April 2009, with over 150 competitors vying for titles.

Spectators are welcome.