Preparing for Master Chai's Oregon Training Camp

[toeholdman]

What is the official date of the camp start date? Is it July 21st or 22nd. The TBA webpage says 21st, and the Inosanto Webpage (that shows Ajarn Chai's Seminar Schedule) says it is the 22nd.

Please let me know.

[chalambok]

camp dates

Training begins at 0930 on Wednesday 23 July and finishes at 1230 on Sunday 27 July.

[Szczepankiewicz]

Sweeet.

chalambok, take lots of pictures and I'll make sure they get posted!

Spanky

[chalambok]

Daily Updates Coming Soon To A PC Near You !

Well, here it is the week before the 2003 Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp. Thanks to Spanky you will all be able to see nightly what has been going on. That is if I get the chance to come home and email him. I will try, but there will be nights when I cannot send pictures because I will be using someone else's computer, but I will be sure to include drills and techniques, plus a daily scenario for everyone who is interested. Feel free to post questions you may have here and I will try to get some answers. So here is the first installment tonight, because my phone rang about 1830 and a voice says :

"Hello, Steve? How you doing?" The Boss, aka, my brother, friend and mentor, Surachai Sirisute, originator of it all...lol. Another year, 13th this time, for the tradition to continue. We exchanged pleasantries, and then got down to business. I will be picking him up at Portland International Airport next Monday afternoon, just like I always do before the camp. And again, for the 13th year, I will quit my job tomorrow so I can work doing what I love, helping promote the Thai National Martial Arts. Life will go on, and I will find another job after the camp is over. Saturday I will start gathering banana bags and storing them at Dan Burke's house until we actually take possession of the New Ranch at Silver Falls State Park on the 21st. Meanwhile, Bruce Raymer and Steve Hale will be cleaning and painting the showers, and cleaning the barbecue grills. Bruce will also be taking over his parents' motor home for Master Chai to sleep in, and arranging accommodations for the cooks. Unfortunately this year the Sirisute Sisters, Tik & Tak, will not be coming but Net will be here, and is bringing 3 cooks from the best Thai restaurants in Los Angeles, so the food will be excellent.

Master Chai told me he had to cut 231 people off this year, many who had sent in their deposits and made airplane reservations, but we will probably be training over 90 and feeding well over 100 so we are maxed out. Also the producers and cameramen from National Geographic may be coming to film, but more probably just a cameraman to add footage for the upcoming special about Thai Boxing, which has been in the works for a couple of years now. For camp #2 or #3 we hired a film maker to video the camp and he took many hours of film and then disappeared so we have been reluctant to ask anyone else, even when ESPN wanted to come 2 years ago. The camp is not dependent upon publicity.

This year there will be professional fighters, instructors, SWAT team members and governmental representatives from Australia, Mexico, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Canada, New Zealand and, I think, the United Kingdom. Some people will be averse to their picture on the Internet, so please do not ask for any specific pictures or names.

Once again, we all will owe Spanky a big thank you. And hopefully he will post the picture location here so it will be easily accessible.

Let's keep this thread at the top for the next 10 days !


- chalambok

[OctaviousBP]

Looking forward to limping into Camp next week. My first time out of Asia in nearly two years. Can't wait.

David

[William]

Chalambok, best of luck to you, Master Chai, and everyone else who attends the camp this year. With your hard work and dedication, I'm sure it will be another successful summer camp for the TBA.

Now, if you and Mike want to drive out and barrow my bag again, your welcome to it......though you better get started right now

William

[Szczepankiewicz]

Done and done gentlemen!


IF chalambok ever figures out how to work a computer you will find the pictures on www.kumiuchi.com


You can link directly to the page HERE!


Enjoy!

Spanky

[Brian]

Up in the Morning Every Day... Learning to Fight in the TBA!

First let me thank you in advance for all your dedication and hard work for this incredible event Chalambok. I look forward to it every year. For me it's even more anticipated than Christmas!

I'd also like to express my gratitude and thanks for all of you that swim around these discussion forums (and those of you who don't) for all the extra efforts and volunteering you do to make this camp the enjoyable event it is.

I didn't think that I was going to be able to come this year... in fact I straight up told my instructor that I was going to be a no show. I just bought a house and have been working my arse off to make the payments. I didn't think I could afford it. I was resolved to sit at home and dream about the sights, smells (food of course... not the 90 sweat soaked 4 day aging hand wraps, shirts, shorts and bodies) and friends that would be mixing it up without me.

But little did I know my wife was planning things all along. She made arrangements with Khru Bernales and surprised me with this trip as a gift on our sixth wedding anniversary... nothing says I love you like a trip to Oregon Thai Camp.

I love that woman dearly!

I'm so excited to get to go again, I can hardly sleep... that's why I'm writing this at 12:11 am on a Friday night.

Thai Camp here I come!

Ray get those dough nuts made (can I request a glazed custard filled?)

David you'd better get those running shoes laced on tight... this year I'm going to beat you on at least one of the runs.

Can't wait to meet some of your boys Mateo, it should be great fun!

Oh, one last thing, is camp at the old Silver Falls location this year? Is the ranch somewhere different once again? Where is the camp this year?

Terry, Brian (Popejoy), Brian (Dobler) are you guys going to be there this year?

Thanks guys, can't wait to see you all again.

Sincerely,
Brian Yamasaki

[terry]

I'm out this year. Injured list (my doctor says no kicking until September). Doh! Say 'hi' to everybody, most especially Greg Nelson. See ya next year.

Terry

[chalambok]

another update

Saturday 19 July 2003, 1922 hours PDT

Dan Burke and I started collecting bags this morning, after a 2 + hour jog/muay Thai workout of course...lol

Talked with Bruce Raymer just minutes ago and he and his friend Steve Hale were just finishing preassembly and repainting of the showers before the move to the camp on Monday afternoon.

Yes, the camp is at the old site, hilariously enough called the New Ranch at Silver Falls State Park, located off highway 22 about 20 miles East of Salem Oregon. People flying into Portland should catch the shuttle bus (called the Hut Shuttle I believe) to the Salem Airport ($20US) and we will pick you up there. You can either wait for a regularly-scheduled pickup or you can call Bruce's house 503-364-5170 and someone will come and get you. Be sensitive to Bruce and his family please, as they have already been putting in hours and hours getting ready, which includes organizing 3 motor homes for the kitchen help and Master Chai. Thanks for all the nice compliments, this should be an interesting year

[chalambok]

Sunday Update

well, yesterday I was in a car wreck . LOL. The camp must go on! So today Dan Burke and myself found out there are going to be 6 groups of 22 each working out this year. Let's see, 6 X 22 = 132 training........WOW. You extra 50 people should consider yourselves very lucky this year. And those of us working with the mops and the food preparation, keeping the water jugs filled, doing the daily shopping and general running around are going to be working our asses off for you, so please be nice to the camp helpers, especially the young kids working for their training. Be warned that any disrespect will probably warrant 500 pushups.....enjoy. More tomorrow night. Sent Spanky some pics from earlier camps, maybe he can post them tonight.

[chalambok]

0153 hours 22 July 2003

just walked in the door. Picked up Master Chai about 1:30 this afternoon, and met Professor Leonard Trigg on our way to baggage claim. We quickly headed for the meditation place, and about 2:30 we arrived at the Vietnamese restaurant. A detour by Dan Burke's house to look at his gym, then to the hotel in Salem, we did not arrive at the camp until a quarter of 7. Things are a little different now. The inside has been completely painted and even the trim is painted now. New lights will make it much brighter for workout and there are even padded chairs to sit on now. Laugh if you will but by the 3rd day these will be needed for taking off shoes. lol We helped Steve Hale by staying out of the bathrooms until the showers were assembled. Tomorrow morning Mike Walrath's guys will paint and caulk them first off, then hang the bags which Master Chai and myself located. 24 bags this year, 5 groups is tonight 120 training. Finished that about 10:30 and were heading out for dinner when Net and the cooking crew showed up, so Bruce and his dad Gene Raymer are staying to set up the motorhome for Master Chai, then parking the big trailer for the cooks. Ken Koenig, Annette Koenig, Steve Hale, Master Chai and myself went to eat finally about 11:30 at Denny's. But Denny's was cleaning their kitchen and offered only cold sandwiches, soups and salads. So we went back to Shari's, finishing there about 12:45. Dropped Master Chai off at his room. Gotta be back in Salem at 0900. Tomorrow the shuttle starts running down from the camp about 11:00 or 12:00. The first few trips I will be driving because the documentary film lady will be riding along to do some interviews. 95 degrees here on Monday. Already Master Chai has had to deal with the Immigration Department to vouch for someone hitchhiking in from Canada. shopping list for first light : 2 faucet washers, 1 shower head and a bicycle IT'S CAMP TIME

[Szczepankiewicz]

The site was updated Sunday night and edited again yesterday. I need a new HTML editor

The update is HERE!

[Szczepankiewicz]

The site has been updated.

[Double Dose]

Wishing we were there

Well it is camp time,
I wish we were there. My son Bradley and I really wanted to be there this year. Bradley was out of town w/friends and just got back in today. As for me I am opening a new school and I am there until midnight every night trying to be ready for opening next week. I still have a lot to do. It is getting there though. I hope everyone is training hard and having great time. We both really wish we could be there. Missing camp and all of the great people that are there training and making it happen! See you all next year ok?
Double Dose & Son