The 2007 ARMA IG was fantastic

[TimSheetz]

Well I have finally gotten back to my house and recovered from jet lag, so now I can say something coherently.

I would like to echo what those before me have said, and send Aaron and Stew my congratulations.

"Thank you for a job well-done" to the event organizers. Well run and well planned logistically. The best yet.

"Thanks!" to the instructors, all of whom gave us valuable, insightful, and, most importantly to me, useful training.

"Thanks!" to all of the Armateers who supported the event. The instruction and organization of the event was great, but without the Armaraderie it would be lacking a huge piece of what makes this a hyper-enjoyable event. It was great to see my old friends, and to finally meet folks who I know on the internet only.

I took away from the classes not only some great info on the techniques, but great advice and ideas on HOW TO TRAIN theses techniques into solid proficiency. In three days we had a chance to train on unarmed, knife, staff, longsword, and sword and buckler. How excellent is that?!

Lastly, being part of a prizeplaying is a great experience, and one you should try to take part in as often as you can.

Best of luck,

Tim Sheetz

[John Harmston]

Let me just add my hearty congratulations to the successful prize players! Having sparred with Aaron before and trained regularly with Stew, I knew we were all in for a real treat.

The event was simply fantastic. It was great to finally put many names with faces, and I was thoroughly impressed with how extremely friendly everyone was!

I had to go to some extreme lengths to make it to the event, and I must say it was worth every minute! Thanks again to all the planners.

John Harmston
GFS - Provo

[Jeff Hansen]

Every thing I would wish to say has already been pretty well covered by others. I just wanted to add my voice to the acclaim for every aspect of this event. It met or exceeded all expectations. The only downside was that the rib I cracked six weeks ago isn't quite fully healed yet so I had to go easy on the freeplay.

Last, but not least, congatulations to all who earned advancment. Well done and well earned.

[Randall Pleasant]

Scholars

The event was just so much more than anything I though possible. The Houston members deserve our thanks for efforts that truely went above and beyound. Congradulations to Aaron, Stew, and Shane for their well earned SFS rankings. It was an honor to take part in the prizeplays. Your performance were absolutely fantastic! Congradulations also to the new GFS. I am speachless at the depth of material that were covered, especially the newer interpretations, it was just off the scales. ARMA's interpretations are clearly generations ahead of anything I have seen. It was a pleasure to meet so many old friends and to make so many new friends.

[John Farthing]

If I were asked to describe this event in the fewest possible words, I would simply say "Life changing".

Thanks to each and every one of you for making this event everything it was. I could not be more proud to call myself a member of ARMA.

[E. Perez]

So many have already echoed my feelings and thoughts about the Gathering however, I think Shane said it best. It was really more a homecoming. I just want to add my congratulations to Aaron, Stew, Shane, and the new GFS members. (Hope to see a list posted soon.)

As Tim said, participating in a prizeplaying is a truly great experience in which any ARMA member should participate as often as possible. It is really hard to convey the feeling and spirit that you will experience.

Kudos again to the Houston groups, you guys really did an excellent job.

Again, Aaron and Stew, outstanding job! Shane, brother, your title is well deserved and I look forward to stepping into the ring with you in the future. I will be concentrating on my shield work.

[Jean-Luc Ancelin]

Thank you all ARMAteers !
I was at the public longsword class by Mr. John Clements, and at the Prize Playing on Sat. 18th.

In short :
impressive display of skill,
great teaching,
fantastic spirit,
the best mix ever of strong martiality and good humor,
faultless logistics.

I enjoyed very much my time with you all. As an outsider and a foreigner, I can tell I felt welcomed and accepted very smoothly, and it made for a great day.

My most sincere thanks to all of you, and congratulations to your excellent Association. May it live long and prosper.

Best regards,
Jean-Luc

[Derek Wassom]

It really was amazing. Thanks to all the Houston folks for putting this together. It couldn’t have been easy. Another big thanks to Ran and Ernie for carting my butt around and giving me a cool, dry place to sleep (and for your families for putting up with me).
Congrats to Aaron, Stew and Shane for their well deserved SFS ranking. You guys really impress me. Congrats to all the new GFS as well. I hope I will witness your Prize Playings in the future.

[RayMcCullough]

The event confirmed my thoughts about ARMA being the organization that I want to be a part of. The best, most dedicated, Martial Arts organization out there. Thanks to everyone invovlved. I hope to see you all again in the future.

Ray

[Jim Churches]

Hey everybody,
it was such a pleasure and an honor to finally get to meet and put a face to so many of the great people that make our organization what it is. We are proud to be part of The ARMA, and this event sums up why that is so. As someone posted earlier, the only downside to the Gathering was the fact that it had to end. Like most, we were unable to spend as much time as we would have liked with new friends, and old. We would like to give a special 'Thank You' to all the Houston folks for making this thing happen. Also, thanks to Kevin Cashen for all of his great info and sideline conversation. Well deserved congratulations go out to Aaron and Shane for earning their SFS ranking, and to Stew for earning his second. We hate you all! The great experiences we shared with all of you have encouraged us to redouble our efforts here, and we look forward to meeting up again soon at some of the upcoming events around the country. Note to self: 1500 mile drive is slightly excessive... but somehow worth the effort.

Thanks again,
Jim & Christine Churches
ARMA Las Vegas

[Mike_Van_Dusen]

The event was awesome. A lot has been said about how great it was, and I definitely agree. I just wanted to say that it's got me pumped to both get myself back up to par, as I've not been doing much for some time now, and try, again to start a group down here in Mesa. So, if there is anyone in Arizona interested, shoot me an e-mail ( vengance (at) cox (d0t) net ).

[Erich Wagner]

As one of the planners for this event I am immensely proud of my fellow Houston members. I think everyone showed patience and an ability to "roll with the punches" when the unexpected popped up. I'm truly happy to be part of this group.

As for everyone else in attendance and ARMA in general, once again my decision to be part of this organizations has been validated. I've been around martial arts and martial artists for a long time and I can assure you that the devotion and ability that I saw last weekend is the best I've ever been involved with. I believe one of the marks af a truly great organization is, on one hand, the seriousness in which the subject is taken, and on the other the lack of pretense in the attitude of the practitioners. You won't find any primadonnas in our ranks.

For those that couldn't make it, keep in mind that the next event like this will probably happen in much less than 4 years and very likely in the two. Please plan ahead. Also, if you get the opportunity to attend a regional event, do it. You owe it to yourself to experience what it's really like to meet your fellow scholars and hit them with various weapons. In a nice way.

Thanks,
Erich
ARMA Houston

[Scott Hanson]

So many others have said it better, but I still want to chime in to express my sincere congratulations to ARMA Houston for hosting an exceptional event, to Aaron and Stew for their exceptional and inspirational display of martial prowess in earning their SFS rankings, and to all of the instructors for the great classes.

It was great fun to have the opportunity to meet so many like-minded individuals, and get to participate in such great training and sparring. I am already eagerly awaiting the next one!

[Chris Jarko]

This event was well worth the money and effort to get there. Aside from the wonderful camaradarie and incredible volume of information and training opportunities not normally available to a solo ARMA member, the IG was both humbling and inspiring. I was humbled to see how far my physical skills are from where I want them to be, but inspired by the performance of many ARMA members, particularly Aaron Pynenberg and Stewart Feil (congratulations, guys!), who showed me how far skill can be developed through diligence.

I came home from the Gathering with a new found energy and desire to improve. I offer my sincere thanks to everyone who made this possible.

[Nathaniel Bacon]

For those that couldn't make it, keep in mind that the next event like this will probably happen in much less than 4 years and very likely in the two. Please plan ahead. Also, if you get the opportunity to attend a regional event, do it. You owe it to yourself to experience what it's really like to meet your fellow scholars and hit them with various weapons. In a nice way.

Thanks,
Erich
ARMA Houston

The Bacon Brothers sorely missed this event - I only plan on getting married once so there is no reason we wont be there next time.

Nate & Nick