How is Team Canada Iaido funded?
The CKF board has approved a small budget to be spent on the promotion and development of the national team program. Funds will be distributed to building and maintaining the infrastructure (e.g. website), conducting promotional campaigns, and providing financial assistance to members. Additionally, the program committee will be looking for sponsorship and hosting other fundraising activities.
What will it cost to be a member of Team Canada Iaido?
As this is only the second year of existence, funding is still limited. A majority of the cost of membership will come from participants themselves, which will include, but not limited to, Seminar Fee, Tournament Fee, Flights and Ground Transportation, Hotel, and Meals.
Additionally, Team Canada Iaido members are expected to purchase a CANADA zekken (~$40-50 CAD) and jacket (~$75-100 CAD).
Will members get financial support?
In 2020, we have a small budget allocated to support participation expenses up to $200 CAD. Provisioning of financial support will depend on (1) demonstrated need (e.g. student, distance traveled), (2) recent success (e.g. winning), and (3) other criteria that supports the overarching goals of the Team Canada Iaido program.
For example, Warren Wagler won the 3-Dan division at the East Coast Iaido Taikai in 2019 and has shown strong commitment to upholding the values of Team Canada. He has been awarded a $200 CAD stipend for attending the 2020 event, should he choose to participate.
What does it mean to be a member of Team Canada Iaido?
With the exception of the Pan-American Iaido Taikai and the European Iaido Championships, there are no official world championships. Instead, the Team Canada Iaido program is focused on promoting existing members, while developing a foundation for the future. When the time comes that a global tournament is to be held, Canada will be ready to put our best foot forward.
The Team Canada website says we pick a different delegation for each event, does that mean I can’t be part of multiple teams?
By different delegation we mean we go through the entire selection process from scratch for each event. This starts with reviewing the past performance list of Canadian Iaidoka from taikai in the past few years, and determine a long-list, as well as ask dojo leaders across Canada to nominate new and old potential candidates. Each delegation may or may not have the same individuals. It depends on (1) the format of the event, (2) who’s available, and (3) other criteria stipulated by the event host. For the current list of criteria, see: https://team-canada-iaido.squarespace.com/criteria/
If you are selecting a different team each time, do they all get the Team Canada promotion?
Each delegation (i.e. each team sent to an event) will get its own separate promotion. We’re still working out the details, but since we don’t expect more than 2-3 events per year, it’s most likely one team will be considered “Team Canada” for 6-8 months before we move on to the next event. A historical record will remain for each Team Canada delegation on the "Team" page. We will also have a report with names, details, and photos to capture each team's moment in time.
Do you need to have a designated Sensei or Dojo to compete?
You need to be registered and paid up as a member of the Canadian Kendo Federation. The Sensei and dojo do not need to be involved if they’re not interested.
What are my chances of being selected to the next team if I am/am not selected for this one?
The first criteria for team candidacy is performance at recent events. The current scoring of performance goes back to 2013. In 2020, results from 2013 - 2014 will be discarded, and we’ll only be taking results from 2015-2019. Whether or not you’re selected to one team, if you do participate and do well (earn a medal or spirit award), your chances of being selected for the next team increases!