[12ZHeWZa]

I was a geek at school, and I am a geek now.

[isogeople]

While I was on the drive home from practice the other day I was thinking to myself...the Kendoka around my dojo all seem to fit a mold or another. Usually they aren't the teenage sports buffs and are what...uhh...teenage rockers and the other guys around who aren't in highschool...well I can't really tell. So I was wondering, to those who are in school, is there a "clique" type group you belong to? And those who aren't in school, if you can remember, what kind of person were you when you were still in? I'm just trying to see if there's a concentrated "type" of person who does kendo.

[12dargernswearf]

Hahaha... this is an interesting thread.

Well, back when I was in high school, my grade had a number of groups and we had a name for each of them because they were all unique in one sense or another. Firstly, there were the Surfies (these were the "cool" people that liked surfing and the beach, and some played in rock bands), the Yobbos (these guys liked beer and partying, and were very fond of their football), the Druggies (these people enjoyed "recreational" pastimes, often freaky), and the Nerds (these were the studious types but most of them were really funny comedians). There was also an all-girls group called the Circle Group because they would always sit in a circle at the quadrangle and talk. I didn't really belong to any of these groups because I used to just hang out with my three best mates all the time but I suppose I did spend more time with the Nerds then any other group.

Anyway, I'm only aware of two people from my grade that does kendo (myself included) and we both started when we were at university. The funny thing is that we both have an East-Asian heritage and we both have an interest in Japan (we studied Japanese together at high school). My opinion is that most people in Australia that do kendo are either: (a) of Asian background that want to do a sport that is familiar to their cultural heritage; (b) of Non-Asian background that have a fascination and appreciation of all things Japanese; or (c) those that just find the idea of doing kendo exciting and challenging.

[Lunims]

well are school was a bit wierd......I hung with the band guys(was one). The thing was, we were the more well liked group than the "cool people"(self proclaimed) like the jocks. It had alot to do with the fact vidor has been to the football playoffs twice in fifty years(FIRST ROUND not state or anything), won maybe 25% of the games they played in hgihg school(wich was good for them), while our band is one of the top two or three finest military marching units in the state....... and one of the better concert bands to boot....

[johnbeller]

Good thing I stayed away from all those organ harvesters running around with their butcher knives .

yeah i used to hang out with them and one day a i feel asleep and woke up without my brain.

[KellyMP]

I was an athlete/nerd. I did sports all three seasons and during the summer, but I worked my butt off to get school work done and get good grades. I tended to hang with the computer/roleplaying gamers and the freaks in the school. They tended to be the most open minded, accepting people who were actually fun to be with.

And for those of you who are freaks... I use this word merely to identify the group I hung with using the least words... I know other people use it in a derrogatory sense, but once again, the freaks were my friends and they were cool, so I apologize for using that word if it bothers anyone.

[k5wTvu9f]

I was one of the drifters. I didn't have a specific group that I hung out with but then again my situation was rather unique. I went to an international school in Tokyo and it went from k to 9th grade so my "freshman year" was a class of 15 people and I was the only non Japanese. We all got pretty close and had a wide variety of interests. My sophomore year I started going to the American school and became a drifter. I was in band so I hung out with them, I hung out with the "cool" people from time to time, and I also hung out with the "techies" too. I was still doing judo at the time so I occasionally hung out with them but I was the oldest and was the sempai and a lot of the members were younger and still in middle school so I didn't really hang out with them that much. My last two years of high school were spent in Sinapore and there I guess you could say I hung out with the "freaks". We really weren't freaks, we just didn't fit in with the "cool" people, the jocks, the thespians, the band people, the singers (yeah, the singers were pretty stuck up), or the nerds/goth/clubbers/drinkers. We were just a mish-mash of interests. We had a couple semi-goths, a pseudo-anarchist (don't ask, long story), a punk rocker, a Wiccan, a couple Mormons, a drama queen, and a couple of oddballs that for some reason we just loved having around (they made things interesting). We all had a thing for anime and all things dealing with weapons (one had a HUGE obsession with blades of all sorts) and we all are LOTR fanatics (although only a couple of us actually read the books). My guess is that most kendoka have a shared interest in swords, anime, Japan, and/or all things East Asain.

[ansarigf]

Hmm. I see where this is coming from. I guess I was subconsciously thinking of Kendo as something all schools (meaning elementary, junior high, etc) offered. I think it's been pretty interesting to see how everyone comes from a different background and yet still finds common ground here. I also came on to wish every one of our London dwellers' safety. I hope everyone is alright there.

[lkastonidwedsrer]

I think I was a damn nerd coz I love computers and sat down and learned HTML the hardcore way (notepad) , stayed up all night to play Mechwarrior 2 - Mercenaries and beat every guy in my path. And attempted to pick up C++ and Visual Basic.

Mugu is very kool, just felt like sayin that, i used to do HTML, C++ etc, now i have just no patience with computers, which i need to be more tolerant, my laptop isn't exactly kool, it has 1.2GB Space left lolololol, all my friends hav got like 400GB on their hardrive, mind u i'd rather spend money on my martial arts than computers, damn computers lol.

[Binuilienzync]

I was the fat kid with no friends from abroad. 'Versatile'.

[Tnzxovoz]

I was an athlete/nerd. I did sports all three seasons and during the summer, but I worked my butt off to get school work done and get good grades. I tended to hang with the computer/roleplaying gamers and the freaks in the school. They tended to be the most open minded, accepting people who were actually fun to be with.

And for those of you who are freaks... I use this word merely to identify the group I hung with using the least words... I know other people use it in a derrogatory sense, but once again, the freaks were my friends and they were cool, so I apologize for using that word if it bothers anyone.

Yeah. I know what you mean about the "freak" group. Nowadays though, it seems as though everything one person can possibly do will put them in a group...hell..the people who don't fit into a group are a group now...

[SetSnonejog]

I'm the cool, mysterious bad boy who had everything his way in school and life in general. I have come to train in Kendo because I have read that once you reach sandan, you become immortal.

[Senasivar]

My opinion is that most people in Australia that do kendo are either: (a) of Asian background that want to do a sport that is familiar to their cultural heritage; (b) of Non-Asian background that have a fascination and appreciation of all things Japanese; or (c) those that just find the idea of doing kendo exciting and challenging.[/QUOTE]

IMO thats a good way of summing up the situation here in Australia, Yaiba.

[medshop]

Which kinda makes me wonder if any of you seriously play a sport.

I was into sports a lot. I played soccer all year round. Once I tried Track and Field I got hooked on that too. I run the problem of liking lots of athletic sports and activities. I'd try or play just about any sport, except that there is not enough time to do them all and learn to do them all decently. I've even tried to pick up multiple budo, until I moved and there was a lack of dojos for the others except for kendo.

So even though it seems to you that there are many people drawn to kendo with not a lot of interest in typical athletic activities (avoiding the word sport makes this sound clumsy ), there are probably going to be a few people like me who are drawn to it because they are drawn to all athletic activities.

One of the reasons I stay with kendo, versus pursuing a different martial art, is that it has a blend of active/aggressive activity along with calm activity (kata). Keeping both sides helps to keep me balanced, I like both.

[Nwxffgke]

Hmm. I suppose I can classify myself in the rough generalization I'm getting here. I'm usually at home eating, at kendo training, at work cooking, or at ___'s house. The latter is usually with the same 2 people, so I suppose I can relate to Commander's post. Personally. I hate school so much...so...very much, and just being around some good people can ease the pain a little bit...So yeah. I'm not sure what I am but I think I fit the mold.

[251EPyso]

shinkenshi, i forgot the correct term for you but im pretty sure a drifter is someone who wanders around without a house and eventually gets killed and has thier organs harvested.

Good thing I stayed away from all those organ harvesters running around with their butcher knives .

[TeLMgNva]

I played hockey and lacrosse in high school, but I was also a huge band dork. I was in the marching/ field band, pep band, concert band, jazz band, and sometimes the sax quintet. I didn't start kendo until I was 21, so I was out of the clique kind of mentality. I sure do miss being a band dork, though...

[oronozopiy]

All the way up till the end of Middle School I had no friends at all. Now I am friends with the Otaku (Anime-lovers), Low neards (Now you can be a popular or unpopular nerd, their is a sub-hierachy), and also I am somewhat close to the Goth and Gay groups.

[Buildityrit]

I had friends in sports, but most my friends were in drama. I was mostly found in the art dept. but did play a few years of football, but wouldn't call myself a jock by any means. I pretty much got along with everyone, even had friends in the band. I bet that doesn't help at all.

[JamesTornC]

My parents say I'm anti-social but it takes me time to get used to somebody and since my parents never see me at school, they probably don't know the whole story..keke. Neways, I hung out with the people from the band and music club who are also the erm..popular ppl in school (yes, that may surprise some of you). It's not because they're popular or anything but they've been with me since primary so..it sortof goes on to secondary AND I play music as well. (It still amuses me how the kohais would do anything for you just to get into your good books..well..they've got agenda's on their mind). The other groups include the rich kids , prefects and hostelites (hang out with them too..they're great!)The prefects however, seem to be at a constant war with us for no obvious reason. First it was this thing about mobile phones then jigging classes(duh~everybody does it why pick on us??)then sports carnivals..urgh..I love sports but running in a muddy field is NOT my idea of an ideal sports event. Back then, Kendo was of no significance to me. Never even heard of the term Kendo nor did I have any interest in Japanese culture (except for that brief period when they screened GTO on TV. Everybody seemed to be falling for Onizuka LOL).

Funny how time changes things~