Beginner's Mind

by Aria von Elbe

February 16, 2004

Remember the good old days when starting a school club just meant getting a few friends together after school, borrowing your favorite teacher's room and only leaving when the janitors came around and you finally realized that it was already 6?

Ever since returning from Seattle, where my dedication to go finally became permanent, I've been working towards establishing a go club at my high school, where chess is already frowned down on as "The Geek Club." Some of my best friends are in the chess club and even they laugh at my go club idea. That hasn't slowed me down but the paperwork has.The constitution and petition have to be passed by the school's Judiciary Council, I have to lay down the club rules and find a sponsor, get a regular meeting schedule started, and after all that, we still have to go through a four month trial period before they'll even recognize us. Well, slap me silly and call me Tsutsui, what have I gotten myself into?!

Like my Hikaru no Go counterpart, I was having trouble getting the word out and explaining to people just what go is, settling finally on "It looks like Othello but is played like four games of chess." Slowly, very slowly, I've got a following and maybe Tsutsui-san would be proud of how many people I've interested, some of whom even already knew what an atari was.

So, with my players and petition, sponsor and constitution, I'm just waiting for the Council to convene. All I need now is enough go equipment for more than twenty people. That's right, more than twenty! The Hikaru no Go fansub CDs I've given my friends have made their way to who knows where, the word's finally gotten out, and I'm suddenly on my way. Let's just hope that this path I'm walking down doesn't suddenly end.

Alright, I'm out. I think my English teacher's asking me about Thoreau or something.

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