Short seminar

A week from Saturday, I might toddle into Vancouver to catch a day of the Kline Sensei seminar.

If I do, I can catch the 8:20am ferry, which means I'll leave the house around 7:30am, so up by 7:00am.

The ferry costs $60-70 bucks, and figure $15 for breakfast.

The seminar costs $30.

If I head home right after, I'll be on the 1:30pm boat, and be home about 3pm.

So up early, 8 hour hole blown in the day, out well over $100. Fair enough. What do I get back?

One seminar class of one hour length. There is always a warmup within the class; call it ten minutes.

Over $100 and 8 hours of time invested to get 50 minutes of instruction. Hmmmm?

Old style seminars would cost the same, and require going a ferry earlier, and getting home 4 hours later. $100 again, and 14 hours to get 4 1/2 hours of classes. Deduct 3 warm ups and it's still 4 hours of training.

Actual seminar like this week's is $2 per minute and 9.6 minutes wasted per minute of class.

Old style seminar $.42 per minute and 3.5 minutes wasted per minute of class.

I would like to go in either Saturday or Sunday, but won't do both, even if I can.

In a single hour class, instructors only have time to hit one main point, or maybe two. Sometimes it's something that doesn't mean much. Sometimes, of course, it's fantastic. Call it 50-50.

The city seminars great for the city people. Great even for those with a mere one-hour drive. We're kinda far away, and the ferry costs twice what the seminar itself does.

For me, one hour city days will remain the exception, rather than the rule. Will likely do one day of most seminars, but not more.

Likely can't go to this one at all due to other commitments.

Everybody should go once in a while, just to get the experience. Super high level instructors are different. I hope everybody in our club goes to one of the days.

I think Sensei is going to all of them.