Jersey Seminar 2006
During a clement weekend at the end of October the sun dappled pink? Granite walls of Jersey's Mont Orgeuil Castle echoed to the rap of waster on waster as Jonathan Waller and Kristina Soeberg put the Jersey Chapter through its paces in the first Guild seminar based in Jersey.
The Jersey Chapter, the latest addition to the Guild family, under Chapter Master Tim Le Cocq, had its first open session in January 2006. The Chapter is small but each of the eight permanent members, Tim, Bob, Luke, Gary, Jacob, Beth, Simon and Ben, put real enthusiasm and commitment into the weekend. Regular training in Guild basics over the spring and summer had prepared the Chapter for this, its first seminar, and Jonathan and Kristina felt, very early into the weekend, that the effort that Jersey had put into the basic techniques had paid off and were able to up the level of complexity of the teaching. The good weather meant that we were able to train outdoors in front of sightseers and was pleasantly cooling. The teaching concentrated on distance and timing and emphasised off lining as opposed to straight line attacks, with some interesting routines and one or two rather entertaining eyes closed, pre-emption, and gauntlet running exercises.
Instructors Bob and Luke were slightly hampered by pre-existing leg injuries but were able to rest when the training became too strenuous or scary! Seriously, though, Bob had had a knee operation and Luke a serious ligament strain so showed real commitment by participating to the level they did (there are a lot of steps to the middle ward at Mont Orgeuil for old guys like them, I kid you not).
The whole weekend was good humoured and enthusiastic during training and during the social events in the evening. We managed a couple of good meals and an evening out in cosmopolitan downtown St Helier which was the Jersey Chapter's first social gathering. The author had to leave early on Saturday and handed over the entertainment to the rest of the Chapter. I cant say what happened but it wasn't only the wooden swords that looked wasted on the Sunday morning when training resumed!
Many thanks indeed to Jonathan and Kristina for their efforts over the weekend, we hope that they enjoyed themselves, we certainly did, and we look forward to welcoming them back, together with any other Guild members who can brave the huge distance to get here.
