On a lighter note...

[Lucy Cox]

Maybe not much to discuss from this post, but I suppose it relates to aikido in the media and public profile. I am talking about the new ad campaign for M7 by YvesSaintLaurent. It contains a full frontal nude man in the advert (although i believe it has been banned in the US). Nothing unusual maybe, but the point of interest is that the model is Samuel Dekeber (de Cubber?) who the article says is the 2nd player in world aikido. I dont really take tha much notice of world aikido and i do non-competitive ki style. Has anybody heard of him? and is this a good thing for aikido? does it raise our profile?

Lucy Cox

[PRehse]

Hi Lucy;

Usually when someone talks about competitive Aikido they refer to Shodokan/Tomiki. I have never heard of him and for sure he is not a world vice champion (what ever that is) in that particular style.

If World Aikido is a separate style - I have never heard of that either.

One look at him and I know at least a dozen guys that would have him for breakfast - especially if you showed that picture to them.

[ChrisHein]

this just adds to my long list of suspicians about you "competitive" Aikido?
chris hein

[MarkF]

Hey, Peter,
I'm not sure this fits here or not, but I have heard of "vice-presidents" in boxing, and I mean boxers. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (nee Eddie Gregory) was Light-heavyweight champion of the world in the 1970s, a really good boxer who was a natural light-heavy. One day I saw him being interviewed on television, and he was asked if he was thinking of moving up to heavy-weight.

Eddie says "Hell, yeah. I'm tired of being vice president and I want to be President" referring to the heavyweight championship. He didn't fare well against heavies, though.

So perhaps it is something like that. That's what came to mind when I read your post, anyway.

And if it doesn't, well, it is an interesting bit of trivia.


Mark

[PRehse]

We don't have weight divisions

I pretty well know who the top players are worldwide in both Enbu and Shiai - trust me he's not in there. In fact not anywhere. Never heard of him.

Still with his "exposure" he is probably in a very enviable position. Who needs to be "World Vice Champion of Aikido".

Sounds to me like a marketing ploy.

Originally posted by MarkF
Hey, Peter,
I'm not sure this fits here or not, but I have heard of "vice-presidents" in boxing, and I mean boxers. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (nee Eddie Gregory) was Light-heavyweight champion of the world in the 1970s, a really good boxer who was a natural light-heavy. One day I saw him being interviewed on television, and he was asked if he was thinking of moving up to heavy-weight.

Eddie says "Hell, yeah. I'm tired of being vice president and I want to be President" referring to the heavyweight championship. He didn't fare well against heavies, though.

So perhaps it is something like that. That's what came to mind when I read your post, anyway.

And if it doesn't, well, it is an interesting bit of trivia.


Mark