Allegheny College Aikido Club

NO AIKIDO CLUB for the 2026-2027 Academic Year

It is from a grateful heart that I post this note thanking the members and friends of the Allegheny College Aikikai (Aikido Club) for the past 15 years of Aikido at Allegheny College.

History of the Allegheny College Aikikai (aka Allegheny College Aikido Club): 

• Fall 2011 – Opened as a "practice group".

• Fall 2013 – Students organized and received official ASG recognition as a club.

• January 2015 – Received official recognition from the United States Aikido Federation (USAF) as a member dojo.

Participation:

Over the years the 200 +/- Allegheny College Aikikai members have:

• Visited and trained at 5 regional dojos.

• Held 7 Seminars (2013-2019) with Andy Demko shihan, USAF technical committee member (bringing visitors from 10+ regional dojos in the U.S. and Canada regularly to the Allegheny College campus).

• Held 6 Friendship Seminars (2014-2019) with paired instructors from numerous regional representatives of internationally recognized Aikido federations.

• Hosted 2 self-defense classes.

• Participated in Cookies and Milk for the Dance and Movement Studies department.

• Participated in the International Dinner and other campus cultural events representing our Japanese martial art.

• Welcomed 20+ community members and guest instructors.

• Hosted "DMS 190 - Introduction to Aikido" class at Allegheny College (for credit) in Spring 2018.

• Reached out to a wider world to share our aikido experience with new friends on the mat.

Hiatus:

• Unfortunately Aikido club class size has recently been reduced to less than that of a sustainable, vibrant club for the Allegheny College students who commit their time as part of their Allegheny Experience.

• As such, the Allegheny College Aikikai will be on hiatus for the 2026-2027 Academic Year while sensei takes a sabbatical.  There will be NO AIKIDO CLUB FALL 2026 or SPRING 2027.

• During this time off the current club members and the instructor will have time to reassess the club, recruiting, value of Aikido to the Allegheny College campus and student community, and to determine if there will be a resumption of training or this becomes a permanent closure.

Contact:

• All questions and inquiries should be addressed to our club advisor, Dr. Tricia Humphreys (thumphre@allegheny.edu), who will forward messages for response by the club instructor.

• Allegheny College students who wish to participate in Aikido during the hiatus may contact Dr. Humphreys and join Rob sensei at Aikido Center of New Castle for practice.

• Allegheny College students wishing to train or help re-start the club may also reach out to the Aikido Club president (2026-2027 academic year) = Leia Leviathan (leviathan01@allegheny.edu).

Many thanks to all of the students, our wonderful advisor, community members, seminar attendees, and friends who have shared their time, efforts, and care to make Aikido a part of the Allegheny College Community for the past 15 years.

I hope we all tsuki each other on the mat again sometime soon.

Domo arigato,

Rob sensei