This year, we are going to have a break over Christmas and New Year, for two main reasons: because the venue is installing a new floor in the sports hall (work starts on Thursday the 16th, so we have an early closing date!), and because I really need some time off to rest and recuperate.
It has been a tough couple of years with the pandemic and trying to keep things running safely and legally during the various stages of Covid and government regulations. I’m quite looking forward to a bit of time off now, so that I can come back rested and ready to hit the ground running in January. I have no doubt that I’ll be enthusiastic (and probably twitching) to get started again after some mandatory time without sword in hand!
Our hall hire schedule for December and January is as follows:
| Date | What is happening? |
|---|---|
| Wed 01 Dec | running as normal |
| Sat 04 Dec | running as normal |
| Wed 08 Dec | running as normal |
| Sat 11 Dec | running as normal |
| Wed 15 Dec | FILMING NIGHT |
| Sat 18 Dec | closed |
| Wed 22 Dec | closed – online session? |
| Sat 25 Dec | closed |
| Wed 29 Dec | closed |
| Sat 01 Jan | closed |
| Wed 05 Jan | closed |
| Sat 08 Jan | running as normal again |
| Wed 12 Jan | running as normal again |
Filming night
You might notice that Wednesday the 15th of December has been marked for a “filming night”.
In previous years, we have finished up our year of training by recording some video clips to be turned into a promotional video for the club. The brief is simple: I want to see club members doing cool things in front of the camera!
It would be all too easy to make quick promotional videos starring myself and maybe one or two other club instructors. However, that would then not be representative of the people who make up the club. I think it’s much better to showcase what you can all do, to show that in our club, everyone is able to do something cool after some training.
To this end, please do turn up to this session if you can, and please come wearing club uniform (black trousers, blue top). We will set aside the first hour for you to do “cool things” with a variety of partners, while I wander around with a camera. The second hour will be sparring games, so that we can finish the year on a high note.
Over the break, I’ll put the clips together, and should be able to post a video showcasing what people in the club are able to do. It’s always a pleasure to do this task and to see the end result!
If you would like to see some of our previous videos, please look at our promotional videos page.
Online sessions during the break
Since it is quite a long break, I would be happy to run an online session over Zoom on Wednesday the 22nd. If you are interested in this, please let me know, and if there is enough interest we can go ahead and run it. Also, if you have any requests for topic, please just ask!
Monthly payments and the break
If you have signed up for the monthly payments, there are a few ways to handle the break:
- You can ask me for a partial refund for the month;
- You pay it as normal, and gain a couple more credits towards private lessons;
- You can offer it as a donation to the club!
Remember, if you pay monthly, then part of that arrangement is that I’m happy to offer a free credit for private tuition if you miss five weeks of lessons (defined as both sessions in a week), to help you catch up on what you missed.
If you have missed some other sessions in previous months and would like to catch up with some private tuition, please send me a message, and let’s see what we can arrange.
Suggestions for Christmas presents
Since people often ask me about what I might recommend as a good HEMA-related Christmas present for themselves or for clubmates, here are some options:
Club clothing – we have some options for t-shirts and hoodies with club colours and logo on our website, in the club clothing section.
Books – if you buy through the Academy of Historical Arts online shop, and you have an up-to-date club membership, then you are eligible for a members discount. Let me know if you don’t see it when you are logged into the AHA website and I’ll get that sorted for you.
Protective equipment – always a good choice! And you can buy it through the Academy of Historical Arts online shop to avail yourself of the members discount.
Online courses – we have a few online courses if you would like to have some solo exercises to work on during the break. Just ask me if you would like a members discount code when signing up to one of these.
Of course, if you can convince Santa to bring you a new sword, that’s definitely a good result!
