It is truly a great pleasure to announce that the Westwind Center for Aikido and Traditional Japanese Weaponry will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, July 19th, 2008, and to invite all interested friends and aikidoka to celebrate the opening ceremony in beautiful, rural Kane County. This dojo is the culmination of a dream to create a retreat center available to all practitioners of aikido, regardless of affiliation or style, and to share traditional Japanese weapons styles with those who are interested. It is a space intended to break down barriers, and to foster friendship through shared training and camaraderie, especially in seminars and intensive workshops.

The Westwind Center for Aikido and Traditional Japanese Weaponry is located in rural Maple Park, about twelve miles northeast of DeKalb, IL; a five-thousand square-foot training facility fixed in a gorgeous Midwest landscape of vast fields and open sky. The dojo is comprised of a sixty-six tatami training quarter with a finished shomen and kamidana, spacious social area and kitchen, men and women’s locker rooms, and showers. The sixteen-foot ceilings are great for all types of weapons, so go ahead and bring your jo and bokken. Construction and design have all been performed by members of our aikido family. In addition, the calligraphy that decorates the shomen has been generously provided by Mrs. Michiko Hamasaki, of Yokohama, Japan, one of the few masters of “daijikigo,” the giant calligraphy style. The dojo is headed by Dr. Russell Bodner (Sandan—Aikikai), teaching aikido and Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto-ryu, under the direction of Mr. Tetsutaka Sugawara (Nanadan—Aikikai) of Machida City, Japan.

So please, come out for a day of food, fellowship and training, and celebrate the grand opening of the Westwind Center for Aikido and Traditional Japanese Weaponry. Those attending are invited to camp out on the fifteen-acre estate; sleeping in the dojo is also available.

Westwind Center for Aikido and Traditional Japanese Weaponry is a branch dojo of the Sugawara Martial Arts Institute (Sugawara-sogo-budo-kenkyusho), and is recognized by the Aikido World Headquarters at Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, Japan.

Schedule of Events

      10:00am—Grounds Open
      11:00am—Opening Ceremony
      11:30am—Ribbon Cutting and Dojo Tour
      12:00pm—Lunch
        1:00pm—Katori Shinto-ryu Demonstration
        1:45pm—Aikido Friendship Class Taught by Attending Instructors (Breaks Intermittently)
        3:45pm—Aikido Weapons Class
        5:15pm—Happy Hour & Potluck

Instructor

Russell Bodner was born in 1957 in
Newark, New Jersey, and began his
Aikido training in 1995 under the
tutelage of Jay Bell (Godan—Aikikai) and
Lynn Johnston (Yondan—Aikikai).

After frequent instruction from
Mr. Mark Jones (Rokudan—Aikikai)
Russ was indoctrinated into the teachings
of the Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto-ryu,
a 600 year old classical martial system.

Russ currently holds the kyoshi license
in this tradition.

Dr. Bodner’s interests are primarily in
the integration of classical weapons training
into the practice of aikido, fostering a spirit
of togetherness in practice, and in promoting
and teaching Katori Shinto-ryu in the
Chicago land area. Dr. Bodner is a graduate
of the UCLA School of Medicine, and practices
orthopeadic surgery in Sycamore, IL.

Directions

Directions from the East: Take I-90 West until you reach IL-47 exit towards Woodstock. Take a left and head towards Elburn. After about five miles, turn right onto CR-22/Plank Road. Stay on Plank Road for four and a half miles, and then turn left onto CR-11/ N. Main Street. Turn right at West Center Street/CR-11, then left at South Street/CR-11. After about three and a half miles, turn right onto Middleton Road, then left onto Barron Road. Take your first left into the long driveway. Stay to the right and park in the lot adjacent to the far right outbuilding.

Directions from the North: Take I-39S/I-90 East towards Chicago/Janesville. As you near Rockford, watch for signs for Genoa Rd. towards Belvidere. Take the Genoa Rd. exit towards Belvidere. Turn left onto CR-4/ CR-T240/Genoa Road and follow for eleven miles. Continue onto W. Main Street, then continue onto IL-23/IL-72. After about six miles, turn right onto Walker Rd/CR-46, and follow for about three miles, then continue onto CR-11/N Main Street. Turn right onto West Center Street/CR-11, then left onto South Street/CR-11, and follow for about three and a half miles. Turn right onto Middleton Road, then, just short of a mile, turn left onto Barron Road. Take your first left into the long driveway. Stay to the right and park in the lot adjacent to the far right outbuilding.

From DeKalb: Take Peace Road North towards Barber Greene. Follow Barber Greene East for about six miles, and then turn left onto County Line Rd. Turn right onto IL-64, then left at McCough Road. Follow for one mile and turn right onto Ramm Rd. After a mile and a half, turn left onto Barron Road. Follow for about a mile and a half, and turn right into the driveway. Stay to the right and park in the lot adjacent to the far right outbuilding.

From the South: Take I-88 West towards DeKalb. Turn slightly right at IL-56 West (Signs for IL-47/IL-56 W/Sugar Grove/US-30). Take the Galena Blvd. exit towards Aurora. After about a half- mile, turn right onto East Galena Boulevard. Follow for about a mile and a half, then turn right onto IL-47 North, and follow for twelve and a half miles. Turn left onto IL-64, and follow for three and a half miles. Turn right onto Peplow Road, and after about a mile and a half, turn left onto Ramm Road. Follow Ramm Road for a little more than a half-mile, the turn right onto Barron Road. Follow for about a mile and a half, and turn right into the driveway. Stay to the right and park in the lot adjacent to the far right outbuilding.