Training Across Australia

[Ben Waddell]

Hello to everyone involved with CST in Australia. I have some exciting news. Those of you who were at the Sydney Seminar in October may remember that I was preparing for a move across the continent from Queensland to WA. That is still the plan.

The purpose of this thread: I'd like to catch up with as many CST folk as I can in my journey. It does not matter if you are a Coach/Instructor or simply someone new to CST. I'd like to meet you, hear about your experiences and, most importantly, train with you.

Let me tell you a bit about my experiences:

I started Surf Life Saving and Swimming as sports at the age of five. These are two areas I've remained entangled with throughout my life. When I was 18 I took up Shotokan Karate and trained there for 7 years earning my black belt as well as several medals at a state level. My experiences in Karate led me to investigate other martial arts and it was through that investigation that I stumbled across CST and Coach Sonnon. I collected resource after resource and consumed as much knowledge as I could because, to put it bluntly, it made sense to me and resonated with me on a deep level. I trained solo in CST for 6 years before I was finally able to attend a CST Seminar in April, Sydney; the first of its kind in Australia. It was there I gained my instructor qualifications. I've since uprgraded to CST Coach level and as I said, I want to meet as many of you as I can in my travels.

The training is free; it's the experience in meeting with you that I am after.

I leave my home town on the 15th of January and will be in Brisbane for two days, aiming to leave early on the 17th. The schedule isn't entirely set in stone at the moment but below is a rough guideline:

Brisbane 16th January
Byron Bay 17th/18th January
Newcastle 19th/20th January
Sydney 20th/21st
Eden 22nd/23rd
Melbourne 24th/25th
The Great Ocean Road 26th/27th
Adelaide 28th/29th

It gets a bit fuzzy after that with the Nullabor Plain and all...If you are at these stations let me know a time and place and I will endeavour to be there. If you're in between at a smaller location along the way LET ME KNOW. I come from a small town myself so I know what it's like to be isolated from the majority of the RMAX Australia community.

I look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible. See you in the New Year!

P.S. If there's something in particular you'd like to explore tell me in advance and maybe we can work something out. I will have my 5#'s, 15#'s and 25#'s with me!

[shadow]

Awesome... I had ideas of doing something very similar at some point.

Have an amazing journey!

:)

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

ben waddell, being in the u.s., won't be able to come see you while you travel. still, it would have been fun. have a good trip. tell us all about it. oh yeah, be careful when doing prasara on long grass! hahahahahaha!

thanks

[hopey]

G'day Ben,

That's a bummer that you're leaving Brissie- I'm always looking for a swimmer for my off-road triathlon and adventure race teams!

I'm keen to hook up on your Brisbane 16th gig. What are your plans?

Cheers,

hopey

[Ben Waddell]

Well I should arrive in Brissie on the 15th or 16th and I'm hanging around for a few days because there are a few people I need to catch up with. I'm hoping we can get together as many of the Brissy people together for a single session if possible. Could you suggest a good training location?

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

ben waddell, just wondering... does the term "walkabout" describe what you are doing right now (traveling oz)? that is, does that term denote general traveling, or a specific activity while traveling?

thanks

[Ben Waddell]

Ooh kind of tough to explain cross-culturally here...walkabout...It's usually used like this

"Where's Jimmy?"

"He's gone walkabout."

It kind of means you're out there but people don't quite know where you are. It's kind of like drifting but not in a homeless sense. I suppose you could describe it as "getting away from it all" or "finding yourself for a limited time only" as in you only find yourself while you're on walkabout.

I suppose the best way to explain it is that you're in a flow state for walking. No sense of time. No division between actions and self. You just are. And you're walking. It's a state of clarity while you're travelling.

[Ben Waddell]

Actually, I think I experience driveabout when I'm travelling. It's the novel experience I get when I'm going somewhere new. It's the going somewhere that I enjoy. The feeling subsides when I arrive.

[Ryan Murdock]

I suppose the best way to explain it is that you're in a flow state for walking. No sense of time. No division between actions and self. You just are. And you're walking. It's a state of clarity while you're travelling.

Beautifully stated, Ben.

:respect:

Even the most miserable journey is worthwhile if you can tap that feeling, if only for a day or two.



It's the novel experience I get when I'm going somewhere new. It's the going somewhere that I enjoy. The feeling subsides when I arrive.

The destination is never the point, of course. It's the journey that matters, and the meetings along the way.

Safe travels around the continent. Looking fwd to seeing it myself - i hope this year.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

ben waddell, seems like you have a new activity, then...

drivabout! like the explanation. have always noticed that the act of traveling is invariably more fun than arriving. especially when you get that "traveling zen" going...

well, keep on keepin' on, amigo!

thanks

[hopey]

Well I should arrive in Brissie on the 15th or 16th and I'm hanging around for a few days because there are a few people I need to catch up with. I'm hoping we can get together as many of the Brissy people together for a single session if possible. Could you suggest a good training location?

Cool.

The 15th would be OK for a lunch-time session in a park near Indooroopilly- I'm out that evening (wedding anniversary!).

On Friday 16th my gym in Eatons Hill is OK if a northside location suits for an evening session.

[Ben Waddell]

The gym on the 16th sounds good as I'll probably just arrive in Brisbane late on the 15th. It's a six hour trip from home - What time would suit?

[hopey]

We could do an early morning session, say finish by 8:30am, or a mid afternoon session from 3:30, or an evening gig (for example if monkwhy or other locals are working and want to hoop up) from 7-ish.

[hopey]

We could do an early morning session, say finish by 8:30am, or a mid afternoon session from 3:30, or an evening gig (for example if monkwhy or other locals are working and want to hoop up) from 7-ish.

[Ben Waddell]

I'd really like to go for the 7 session to give the others an opportunity but I think I'm liable to become embroiled in some sort of party atmosphere when I catch up with my friends from school.

Whereabouts is the gym in Brisbane? If it's close to where I'm staying I think I'll gravitate towards the morning session.

So glad this idea is coming together

[hopey]

Cool, a morning session is fine and I have flexible working hours, so won't have to cut the session short and rush you off.



How about 7:00 am, 8 Elderberry Ct Eatons Hill, car parking at the top of the road, gym under the red, yellow and blue house!

I'll check if monkwhy can get out as well- it'll be an hour's drive for him, but cool if he can join up (the more the merrier).

Glad to hear that you're catching up with the old school mates before setting off to the other side of the country.

[Ben Waddell]

Cool. We'll lock that in as the first date.

16.01.09
7:00 AM
8 Elderberry Ct, Eaton's Hill
Brisbane

Do you have a specific area of training you'd like to focus on?

[hopey]

Excellent.

Nah, nothing specific for me.

Let's see how you feel after the long drive Thursday and take it based on your needs to kick start the day.

I've contacted monkwhy to alert him to the session, and hopefully some other south-east Qlders see this thread during the next week and get together to start the 1st walkabout training tour of Oz.

[Ben Waddell]

It's official. Me moving across the country has a name.

The Walkabout Training Tour. :)

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

ben waddell.... rmax powered walkabout!

nice!

thanks

[hopey]

A very appropriate official tour name considering your route and the kms you'll cover.

[Ben Waddell]

Well, I'm off.

I am to arrive in Brisbane tonight with an early morning training session tomorrow. Then, two days later I have a training session lined up in Byron Bay, before kicking it on to Sydney where some of the gang have indicated they would like to catch up as well.

It starts...

[hopey]

Cool, have a safe trip down to Bris and we'll see you tomorrow bright and early.

[hopey]

Very enjoyable session with Ben this morning- a great way to start the day.

Thanks for giving your time Ben and it was cool to kick your Walkabout Training Tour off on a typical sub-tropical summer day in Brissie.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

it should be an interesting trip, ben waddell! vaya con carne! hahahahaha!

thanks

[Ben Waddell]

Hopey! Thanks for the kind words.

[Charlie]

argh! two attempts now at writing up my training visit with Ben have crashed. Will try again (in Word first) soon. Short version: if he is coming through your town, make sure you hook up with him! very high-value character here: loads to teach and good fun to hang out with. :-)