All Sunday sessions between 4 July and 29 August 2010 inclusive will be held at the Histon Road Recreation Ground (see map below) at 5:00-7:00PM if the weather allows it.

In case of rain (or if the grass is wet as it rained previously) we will post a message on this site to indicate the training venue that will be visible under the schedule category please check it if in doubt.
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Description
What to do Next?
Agenda
Notes
Suggestions & Hints

This announcement provides some new details about the camp, including revised dates and travel arrangements.

The Summer Camp (SC) is a special training event lasting one or more days where all students of the club have the opportunity of practicing together in a relaxed environment.

Given the great success of previous years, we decided to organize the sixth
SC at the same place: a pleasant location in the Hungarian countryside. The whole event will be based in a village called Csokonyavisonta in the Somogy region, in the South East area of the country, by the Croatian border. You can have a look at where it is by clicking on this link.

Participants

Every member of CARISMA is invited to the Summer Camp: lower ranked people usually benefit of the high percentage of instructors and high ranked people that help their development and knowledge. There is no charge from CARISMA to participate to this event: just the costs associated to travel, substistence and fun.

What to do next?

Firstly, read the rest of this page which contains details of what to expect from the Summer Camp, travel arrangements, etc.

Then, let us know whether you will be coming or not, by registering your attendance against the Carisma Summer Camp 2010 event on the Carisma Facebook page. If you can’t or won’t use Facebook, use the email address below instead.

Finally (for now), if you have any questions about the camp, send an email to info (at) carisma.org.uk stating [Summer Camp] in the Subject.

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Provisional Agenda

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NOTES

In previous years we have reached Csokonyavisonta by flying Stansted to Budapest and renting cars to drive the remainder of the way. A similar journey via Zagreb (HR) is also possible.

This year, flights from Stansted to Graz (A) are available for around 60GBP, while flights to Budapest or Zagreb tend to be 150GBP or more. We therefore anticipate Ryanair flights FR 5732 (12:10 11/08/2010) and FR 5733 (15:40 18/08/2010). Transportation from Graz means renting cars in groups of 3-4 people per car to be arranged once it’s known who is going. Europcar currently has some good rates available for online pre-paid bookings.

The distance between each of these places and the final destination is approximately the same, and it is possible to reach Barcs, near Csokonyavisonta by train from Budapest – this is the recommended backup route for anyone unable to take the flights listed above for some reason.

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SUGGESTIONS AND HINTS

• activities: aim of the Summer Camp apart from training is to have fun: what is described above as Activities can be anything between chilling by the local pool or visiting a nearby town or forest for some hiking: it’s easier agreeing day by day what to do rather than rearranging things later because of weather or other reasons.
• money: local currency is the Hungarian Forint that changes to the GBP at about 346 (Google 25/06/10) to 1. Try to have plenty of cash with you. The best way to have local currency is carry some GBP cash and change it locally: alternatively you can draw cash with a maestro, delta card or credit card: all ATM are opened to international circuits such as VISA and MASTERCARD. Please do not rely entirely on plastic for payments over the counter because it cannot be assured that bars and rural restaurants will accept them. Changing at the airport in the UK is also possible but surely less convenient.
• food: Hungarian cuisine is not necessarily the lightest and most balanced in the world. They eat lots of meat, mostly pork, turkey and chicken. The area where we are going is also rich in game so dishes based on venison and wild bore are fairly common. Vegetables are usually very fresh and good. Eating in restaurants costs probably 20-40% of what it costs in the UK. At least one of the nights we’ll have a traditional goulash (or gulyas as it should be correctly spelled). A pint of beer costs between 60p and £1.50 and wine is also very reasonably priced. We let you work out what the budget should be for each of you.
• vegetarians: given the negligible percentage of vegetarians in Hungary most restaurants do not really have special menus to cater for vegetarians. In any case pizzas are fairly common, salads and vegetables are available everywhere even if they are usually considered side dishes. Fish dishes are also widely available: mostly fresh water fish from the local lakes and rivers.
• driving: we will have cars so please make sure to carry your driving licence: it makes life easier for everybody if more than one person per car is insured to drive the same vehicle.  Many car rental companies want drivers aged at least 25 and with a full driving license for a number of years: please check with the company you are choosing to avoid bad surprises.
• Accommodation: the village has a small tourist resort with villas and a Camping: prices for villas will be in the order or £15-20 PP/night: for a couple of pounds you can have breakfast in the nearby restaurant.
• uniform: we are going to be CARISMA ambassadors abroad therefore everybody’s uniform must be impeccable. CARISMA T-shirt, Gi trousers, belt, shoes. Needless to say that you should carry your full kit of pads.
• shoes: training will be outdoor, either on concrete or grass so please wear shoes. Martial arts shoes are probably the best solution. If you don’t own a pair of those the any kind of light weight trainers (not high top) will do just fine.
• sun: middle of August, Hungary: it’s likely to be very hot and sunny. We will be
  training outdoor so don’t forget strong sun protection if you have sensitive skin.
• clothing: evenings are pretty cool as the village is surrounded by forests: make sure to have reasonable warm clothing and a wind/water proof coat.

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The Manor Community College is closed on bank holidays therefore the sparring session on Monday 31 May 2010 will be cancelled as the weather would not allow training outside as we’d normally do.

If sunny and dry all day we’ll have an informal sparring session at the Histon Road Recreation ground between 4 and 6pm.

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We would like to invite every member of CARISMA and partners or one friend of choice to share with us the 11th anniversary of the club that will be celebrated on 12 June 2010 at the registered address of the club.

There will be a small charge of £10 (£5 for non drinkers: these figures are for active members, guests will be subject to £5 extra to the above figures) to partially cover the cost of food and drinks that will be fully provided.

Please register your interest in participating by speaking to us during the lesson or by commenting to this post.

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The Manor Community College is closed on bank holidays therefore the sparring session on Monday 3 May 2010 will be cancelled as the weather would not allow training outside as we’d normally do.

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Due to a sudden change of program due to the lack of organisation of Oxford University Kickboxing Club this year’s Varsity fight will be held in Cambridge on Sunday 2 May (tomorrow!!!).  The fight will be held at the Fenner’s Gym, Gresham Road, starting at 2PM.  Spectators will be accepted just if prebooked.

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CARISMA has been invited to take part in two demonstrations of Kickboxing and Multicombat at the The Martial Arts Show that will be held at the NEC in Birmingham on 22 and 23 May 2010.

The Festival will have a section with exhibitors presenting their own products and services as well as running a number of workshops and demonstrations from both national en international martial artists and personalities.

A small group of CARISMA member will be selected to represent the club in the 2 shows to be held on Sat 22 May.

Please express you interested in being part of it (minimum technical standard and rank required) or if you would like to visit.  Those intending to be part of the show should consider to be busy for the whole of Sat, leaving Cambridge at about 7:30am.

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Description
Agenda
Notes
Suggestions & Hints
What to do Next?

The Summer Camp (SC) is a special training event lasting one or more days where all students of the club have the opportunity of practicing together in a relaxed environment. This is a preliminary announcement to raise awareness and interest about the event and establishing the approximate number of participants.

Given the great success of previous years, we decided to organize the sixth
SC at the same place: a pleasant location in the Hungarian countryside. The whole event will be based in a village called Csokonyavisonta in the Somogy region, in the South East area of the country, by the Croatian border. You can have a look at where it is by clicking on this link.

Participants

Every member of CARISMA is invited to the Summer Camp: lower ranked people usually benefit of the high percentage of instructors and high ranked people that help their development and knowledge. There is no charge from CARISMA to participate to this event: just the costs associated to travel, substistence and fun.

Top of the page

Provisional Agenda

Top of the page

NOTES

The most suitable route to Csokonyavisonta is flight Stansted to Budapest and then rent cars; at the same time as we are publishing this post the possible alternatives are flying to Graz (A) or Zagreb (HR). The distance between each of these places and the final destination is approximately the same. Transportation means renting cars in groups of 3-4 people per car to be arranged once it’s known who is going.
Top of the page

SUGGESTIONS AND HINTS

• activities: aim of the Summer Camp apart from training is to have fun: what is described above as Activities can be anything between chilling by the local pool or visiting a nearby town or forest for some hiking: it’s easier agreeing day by day what to do rather than rearranging things later because of weather or other reasons.
• money: local currency is the Hungarian Forint that changes to the GBP at about 302.65 (Google 24/4/10) to 1. Try to have plenty of cash with you. The best way to have local currency is carry some GBP cash and change it locally: alternatively you can draw cash with a maestro, delta card or credit card: all ATM are opened to international circuits such as VISA and MASTERCARD. Please do not rely entirely on plastic for payments over the counter because it cannot be assured that bars and rural restaurants will accept them. Changing at the airport in the UK is also possible but surely less convenient.
• food: Hungarian cuisine is not necessarily the lightest and most balanced in the world. They eat lots of meat, mostly pork, turkey and chicken. The area where we are going is also rich in game so dishes based on venison and wild bore are fairly common. Vegetables are usually very fresh and good. Eating in restaurants costs probably 20-40% of what it costs in the UK. At least one of the nights we’ll have a traditional goulash (or gulyas as it should be correctly spelled). A pint of beer costs between 60p and £1.50 and wine is also very reasonably priced. We let you work out what the budget should be for each of you.
• vegetarians: given the negligible percentage of vegetarians in Hungary most restaurants do not really have special menus to cater for vegetarians. In any case pizzas are fairly common, salads and vegetables are available everywhere even if they are usually considered side dishes. Fish dishes are also widely available: mostly fresh water fish from the local lakes and rivers.
• driving: we will have cars so please make sure to carry your driving licence: it makes life easier for everybody if more than one person per car is insured to drive the same vehicle.  Many car rental companies want drivers aged at least 25 and with a full driving license for a number of years: please check with the company you are choosing to avoid bad surprises.
• Accommodation: the village has a small tourist resort with villas and a Camping: prices for villas will be in the order or £15-20 PP/night: for a couple of pounds you can have breakfast in the nearby restaurant.
• uniform: we are going to be CARISMA ambassadors abroad therefore everybody’s uniform must be impeccable. CARISMA T-shirt, Gi trousers, belt, shoes. Needless to say that you should carry your full kit of pads.
• shoes: training will be outdoor, either on concrete or grass so please wear shoes. Martial arts shoes are probably the best solution. If you don’t own a pair of those the any kind of light weight trainers (not high top) will do just fine.
• sun: middle of August, Hungary: it’s likely to be very hot and sunny. We will be
  training outdoor so don’t forget strong sun protection if you have sensitive skin.
• clothing: evenings are pretty cool as the village is surrounded by forests: make sure to have reasonable warm clothing and a wind/water proof coat.

Top of the page

What to do next?

If you are interested in participating to the Summer Camp 2010 or would like to ask questions about it please send an Email to info (at) carisma.org.uk stating [Summer Camp] in the Subject.

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Please note the change of date!

We would like to invite every member of CARISMA to an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on Thursday 6th May 2010. The EGM will be held on the first floor of the “Clowns” coffee house on King Street, at 8:30 for a 9pm sharp start.

The sole item on the EGM agenda is to bolster the CARISMA committee’s numbers with some fresh faces to bring it back up to its full complement of five. A committee member’s most important responsibility is to help take decisions regarding the direction and running of the club for the benefit of its members – it’s a low time commitment, but a valuable contribution to the club.

So if you train regularly and would like to help CARISMA to continue to grow & improve, consider standing for the committee!  The aim is to have 2 new members. All candidates will be considered, and should be prepared to explain to the meeting why they should be chosen as members of the committee, after which there will be held a vote.

Please try your best to be there as we value your opinion as a member and as a possible candidate to relevant position in the committee.  We aim at finishing the whole meeting within an hour in order to allow people in a hurry to leave:  please try to be on time.

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CARISMA is running a new beginners course, starting on the 20 April 2010 to run for 4 consecutive Tuesday and Thursday classes (e.g. 20, 22, 27, 29).

The club is at the moment very close to its saturation point and the first months of the year are historically when we get most beginners: that means  that the following beginners’ course may be not be next month but in June or later.  In short: if you would like to join (or you know somebody who would like to) please do it on the 20th of April.

If you’d like to check our prices please look at this page.

Feel free of advertising our beginners course at your company or your social club: you can do so by downloading and printing our flyer from this page.

There is no need for booking for beginners: please just turn up at 6pm at Kelsey

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