Swarthmore Aikido Club Picture Gallery:

Shiho launches Chris Ushiro tekubitori jujinage	John takes kotegaeshi from Chris
Koshi!!! Mat throws Dave "Frankenstein" Collins	Shiho tosses John Ushiro tekubitori kokyunage
Shiho: "John, meet my friend." John "Really? Who?" Shiho: "The floor."	Ushiro tekubitori kokyunage from the other side
Shiho demonstrates proper kotegaeshi technique.	John pins Mat while maintaining goofy look.
Ellie throws Kate Tai-no-henko kokyunage	Ellie: "Now stay down!! Or I'll punch you in the eye!" Larry: "O..o..o..ok"
Chris throws and pins Dave, Dave smiles. Suwari-waza shomenuchi iriminage
Lisa throws John. Tai-no-henko kokyunage	Lisa is calm & serene. John is squinty. Ai-hamni katatetori shihonage omote
Kate practices ikkyo on Larry.	Larry throws Kate.
Chris is about to regret grabbing Mat, jujinage lead-in from right and left.
Kate: "Kiss the mat, you punk!" David: "Ow ow ow ow ow ow" Suwari-waza shomenuchi ikkyu	Big Joe demonstrates on poor David Tai-No-Henko Kokyuho
Mat grabs Dave ushiro ryotetori &....	...Dave throws Mat kotegaeshi.
Atamanage!!	John takes note of the looming floor as Mat winds up jujinage.
Chris grabs Shiho ushiro ryotetori &....	...ends up clear across the room.
Spelling is important: Shihounage = 4-direction throw; Shihonage = Shiho throw
Kate: "I'm a ninja pirate, but I use Aikido."	Kate defends herself in randori.
Kate: "Booga-booga-boo!!!" John: "Eeeek!"	Randori; John tosses Mat...
...and tosses Kate...	...and tosses Mat again.
David throws Larry in randori.	Bokken work
John cuts shomen.	Mat demonstrates a proper grip.
John and Chris cross swords.
Lisa throws Chris &...	...Chris returns the favor
Tai-No-Henko Kokyuho
Lisa and Chris tag-team Mat in Randori...
...unsuccessfully...
...very unsuccessfully.
Mat: "Let's dance!" John: "OK! Like this?" Mat: "Oh Yeah!"	John: "... and so my arms were like this and..." Chris: "Forsoothe I know not why he is so squinty."
Man, I want spiffy clothes like that.

The History of the Swarthmore Aikido Club:

      All of the club's founders, students and teachers alike, have moved on. Our original charter was lost, and subsequently its replacement too, by the Student Council. And so, the early history of the Swarthmore Aikido Club can be only dimly chronicled:
      The group which eventually became this club was founded in or around 1991 as a PE class by Andres Corrada (2nd Dan, prof?) and Paul Sylvain (6th Dan). After Sylvain was killed in an automobile accident and Corrada departed, the group was associated with Turks Head Aikikai (of West Chester and Malvern) under Jim Walsh Sensei (5th Dan) for about a decade. During this time concerns about having a martial arts class at a Quaker college and rising tensions within the athletics department about mat-usage issues between the class and the then large (and existent) wrestling team, lead to a status change into a club sport.
      After Walsh Sensei was placed on active military duty (naval intelligence) in 2001, Turks Head and the Swarthmore Aikido Club were saved from extinction by their incorporation into Aikido of Center City, under Donovan Waite Sensei (6th Dan). The Swarthmore Aikido Club is currently a branch dojo of ACC for the 9 months or so each year that Swarthmore holds classes.
      Currently, practices at Swarthmore are conducted in a semi-fixed rotating schedule by:

• Donovan Waite (6th Dan)
• Tony Fiore (3rd Dan)
• Ken Cadogan (nidan)
• Mark Schlegal (shodan)
• Joe Varano (shodan)
• Rich Rulford (shodan)

-- Thanks to Big Joe Sensei for historical info.

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