Just how far out do ya'll think a sparring class now and then would be for an aikido dojo? I see some value in sparring as a drill. Hand-eye co-ordination, speed, timing, moving freely can all be worked during sparring. I don't think it should be done until a student has reached a certain level of understanding of aikido, though. Being able to deal with jabs, kicks and a planted attacker would seem to be a rather handy skill in an SD scenario.