Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Who's Coming to the Workshop?

Hey everyone,

So here's the list of who's coming so far (updated March 4th). Within the next two weeks I should be getting more information.

And we're full! We now have all 20 spots taken! Thanks everyone, let's have a great workshop!

Will Be Attending:

Karsten Henckell
(5dan)
Joshua Lee (4dan)
Joel Sanet (3dan)
Yoshio Tanaka (2dan)
Lanny Searcy (2dan)
Micheal Dyer (2dan)
Stephen Barberi (1kyu)
Alex Feldstein (2kyu)
Bjorn Foss (3kyu)
John Sarry (4kyu)
Christopher Sagner (4kyu)
Efrain Davilla (4kyu)
Don Colladay (5kyu)
Barton Lipofsky (5kyu)
Chris Angerman (6kyu)
Phillip Brix (7kyu)
Sky Choi (7kyu)
Paul Wiegand (8kyu)
Robbie Boerth (10kyu)
Bill Minton (10kyu)

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Workshop Details

Here are the details:

**EXACT TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BEFORE WORKSHOP OCCURS, CHECK BACK**

Schedule
:

Saturday, March 27:

9:30 AM - 1:00 PM Workshop Part 1
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM - 7:30 PM Workshop Part 2
7:30 PM - 12:00 AM After-Workshop Dinner/Free Play*

Sunday, March 28

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Workshop Part 3, Outdoor Patio**
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Workshop Part 4, Inside Again
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Workshop Part 5
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM Closing Words, Pack Up


* After-Workshop Dinner not included in workshop fee; Saturday's workshop ends at 7:30 PM, but we have our room reserved until Midnight so there will be free play until then for anyone who wants it.
** I dislike being cooped up inside all the time for Go events. Thus, on Sunday for a change of pace, we're planning on having our first two hours of the workshop outside on the patio. Pick up some breakfast and/or coffee beforehand for some Go under the sky! (We have a backup if it rains, don't worry)

Location:

For now, we're planning on meeting in the University of Central Florida like all of our past Go tournaments here in Orlando. The address is:

University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd
Orlando, FL, 32816

Inside the Student Union, Sand Key Room 220

Our current location is PROVISIONAL. It *may* change if we find a superior location, but it will be within 10 minutes of the University of Central Florida. Please check back at our tournament website (listed below) for updates

Cost:


The cost for the full weekend will be $90. I know that this isn't cheap for anybody, but unfortunately Go workshops are expensive to put on. I won't be making a profit, and with full attendance I expect to break even.

What To Expect / Why To Come:

If you enjoy Go, I know you'll find this Workshop as fun as you find it useful. Guo Juan is really something. Besides being as incredibly strong as all professional players are, she is also an expert Go teacher, something not all professionals can say. She has her own website that you can visit here. Additionally, she's created over 500 audio lectures for download (some of which are free) which you can find here. She also speaks superb English. If you want to learn from a professional player firsthand, then this is your best shot (other than the Go Congress itself!).

The Workshop specifics are still being worked out, but it definitely will have a few things. Firstly, the minimum strength requirement to sign up is AGA/KGS 15kyu. If you're between 15kyu-11kyu, please try to become 10kyu before the Workshop. If you're significantly weaker than 10kyu, you just won't get the maximum learning experience out of it. We'll be split up into two groups based on strength to ensure that everyone is taught useful and strength-relevant material.

While one group is being taught, the other group is going to be playing matches against each other while recording the games. Then the groups will switch. The group that was playing games is going to have their games reviewed by Guo Juan while the original group is then going to play games against each other. Besides reviewing games, the specific workshop material itself is still being discussed and will likely be varied. Two weeks before the workshop, I'll be sending out some practice material from Guo Juan for everyone to do, which we'll then review at the workshop. Additionally, there's my favorite part which is the simultaneous games against Guo Juan. For those that haven't done so before, there's nothing quite like facing down a pro across the board :) I hope many of you will decide to come!

Availability:

There are 20 spots total. As of right now (December 31st), we have 15 spots left open, so please reserve your spot now.

How To Reserve a Spot:

1. Respond to this email telling me you're coming. Please include: your full name, strength, what method of payment you'll be using, and what club you're associated with (if applicable). Once you do that, I'll reserve your spot for two weeks.

2. Send me $90 either by check or by PayPal (masterman535@gmail.com) to Joshua Lee within those two weeks. DO NOT PAY IN CASH!! Please send checks to:

Joshua Lee
14843 Sussex Drive
Orlando, FL, 32826

3. When I receive your check/PayPal, I'll send you a confirmation email that you're in.

4. Check our Go Workshop blog at http://goworkshopflorida.blogspot.com/ to see updates on the Workshop and to see who else is coming!

I'm not entirely sure of how quickly these spots will fill up, but I highly recommend that you respond ASAP if you're interested in coming. I'll send out more details to everyone as they come up.

Thanks and I hope to see you in Orlando,
Joshua Lee, Organizer, Go Orlando's 2010 Guo Juan Workshop

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Workshop Is On!

Well this is the first posting on this blog. The workshop is a go! I'll be posting who is coming as responses come in so make sure to check back. I'll also be posting any updates to the schedule or location.

Cheers,
Joshua Lee