Budogu Zen is the official sponsor for Alberta Kendo. We have been working together with them since the first year Budogu Zen started running.
We've interviewed Kevin Dyck, one of the tournament director, from Sturgeon Kendo Club about this upcoming Alberta Kendo Provincial Championship.
Kevin Dyck began kendo in spring of 2017 at the age of 44 with the Edmonton Dojo. He founded Alberta Kendo and the Provincial Championships as an Ikkyu in 2018, and went on to found Sturgeon Kendo as a Shodan following the Pandemic in 2021. He won his first Championship as a first year Nidan in 2022 winning the Asaoka Cup at the Prairie Taikai, and then went on to become only the second player in history to win the title back-to-back the following year. He’s been both a player and a coach for Team Alberta, and is currently the Executive Director and associate instructor of the advanced class at Sturgeon Kendo.
Q: What was the reason to start this tournament?
A: There wasn’t a lot of kendo activity in the prairies when I came up with the idea for a provincial championship. The only other event was the annual Saskatoon Taikai, which was a 5 hour drive away. Everything else required flights to BC or Ontario. I was specifically looking to create an event that would unite the dojos in the province of Alberta by fostering more unity in the Alberta Kendo community with the ultimate goal of becoming more competitive nationally.
Q: Anything you keep in your mind to make this tournament successful?
A: The first year I planned the event I was only an Ikkyu, and wasn’t given much in the way of help. I knew so little about kendo that I didn’t even know two bronze medals were needed for 3rd place. But I had a feeling if I could just get people to show up and have a good time that the event would take on a life of it's own and grow... and that’s what happened. Both Chinook and Calgary came to the tournament. It wasn’t well organized or planned out, and there were lots of shortfalls, but we struggled through and most importantly everyone had fun. From there the excitement grew for the next one. So ultimately I’d say the key factor I keep in mind is to ensure everyone has a safe, inclusive, fun opportunity to test their kendo in a competitive environment.
Q: What is appealing or attractive about this tournament from participants and spectators' point of view?
A: I think the fact that it is homegrown in Alberta. The fact that the province has grown kendo to the point that Alberta is home to multiple national champions and nationally competitive players in such a short period of time, as well as the fact that we can have a large, competitive tournament centralized in Alberta that is only an hour and a half drive from all the dojos in Edmonton and Calgary.
Q: How do you communicate and collaborate with local communities to host this tournament?
A: Alberta Kendo and the local dojos have been doing an excellent job in expanding into local communities through sport organizations. Taking advantage of sport expos and running demonstrations at cultural events has allowed us to becoming ingrained in the fabric of the local communities, which has resulted in a surge of growth across the province.
Q: What kind of players are you hoping to raise through this tournament?
A: Our goal has always been to have Alberta become a more active and competitive part of the Canadian kendo community, so our goal is to produce nationally competitive martial artists. The rapidly increasing talent pool in Alberta is a testament to the hard work all the dojos are putting in to growing our art across the province.
Q: Is there any episode where you struggled to host a tournament?
A: The first one was tough. I wasn’t provided with much support and no one seemed interested in helping. There was a log list of roadblocks thrown in my path: engaging the ranking sensei, contacting kendo Canada… it seemed like people were actively trying to derail the event. Eventually I just decided to plow ahead as best I could (much like my kendo), and if anyone required an apology from me when it was over we could take care of it then.
Q: What kind of approach do you do to raise the funding and sponsorship?
A: I employed a two-pronged strategy of bullying and begging. I’ve ended up drawing on a lot of my professional contacts to help mitigate costs, and ultimately covered any shortcomings myself. Our goal was always to become successful and self sufficient by year 5, which is this year, and for the most part we have!
Q: Any goals or plans you have in mind for the future tournaments and/or events?
A: Yes! Sturgeon Kendo has hosted a Summer Seminar the past few years. Unfortunately this past year we had to skip it as literally everyone involved was coaching or playing on Team Canada, and the schedule wouldn’t allow it. Our hope is to return stronger next year with both a tournament and grading attached to the event. You heard it here first: watch out for the Sturgeon Cup next year!
Q: Any strategies or activities you do to grow the population of kendokas?
A: We have to put a lot of work into growing kendo in Alberta. We don’t have the huge Japanese and Korean communities here that exist in BC, Ontario, and Quebec. We need to educate people as to what kendo is, have them give it a try, convince them to join a dojo, then spend a not-insignificant amount of money on equipment and travel. We’ve become more effective at identifying and targeting the potential members that become successful kendoka: namely athletes. We target athletic showcases, regional sport organizations, and any demonstrations we can do at local sport facility open house events. It seems to be working thus far!
Q: Lastly, do you have any messages to participants and spectators?
A: We’re very much looking forward to seeing all of our friends at the tournament again, and hope to make some new ones too! If you’re a new spectator to kendo and want more information please approach us, we’re happy to talk with you! If you can’t find kendo in your area, know that we are actively looking to expand across Alberta as fast as we can. See you soon!