A handful of our junior squad members competed at the Manchester Youth Open on Sunday 19th November. Well done to the following RTK students who put in spirited and confident performances on the day:

Joshua Mangnall, Isaac Whittaker, Charlotte Griffiths, Sophie Lever, Lola Fellone, Loui D’Attorre and Lola Girault.

Our team are gaining valuable experience at every event they attend, we might not win them all, but we take what we can. We celebrate what we did well and we work on areas we can improve. Bit by bit progress is how Champions are made.

We are delighted to report that between them, the group took home 6 medals. 3 Bronze and 3 Silver.

• Lola Girault took home a bronze medal in 14-15 years Individual Kata

• Sophie Lever took home a bronze medal in 14-15 years +54kgs girls Kumite

• Loui D Attorre took home a bronze medal in 12-13 years 3rd Kyu+ boys Kumite

• Lola Fellone, Charlotte Griffths and Sophie Lever took home 3 x Silver medals in 14-15 years girls team Kumite

Thank you to the competitors who took part, the parents who gave up their free time at the weekend and our coaches Gary Pratley Sensei, Mike Baron Sensei and Rob Head Sensei who worked hard and motivated the team. A wonderful team effort as always.

This was the last event of the season for the majority of the squad and we have had a very successful year indeed. We know which comps we’ll go to again and which to avoid, we’ve won plenty of medals and seen absolute transformations. What great foundations to build on in 2023! I am excited to see what the new year will bring.

Next up: is the WKF Venice Youth Cup for Grace Baron, Izzy Baron and Jaime Pratley. This is due to take place in Jesolo, Italy in December.

We hope your preparations are going well and we all look forward to cheering you on from rainy Manchester.