What a wonderful day we had hosting our first Club Championship since 2019. It is easy how to forget how enjoyable it is to see so many of our students trying their very best and getting stuck in. It was brilliant that we were finally able to get everyone together, testing their skills against each other and having fun.

It is just a shame that not everyone can win medals but we hope you liked your certificates. We were delighted with the standard of karate on display. We were even more pleased with the amount of people who came and gave it a try for the very first time. We had so many fantastic lower grades and beginners, learning how to compete and trying their best. Amazing. Remember we are all at different stages on our karate journey and some have had more time to practise than others. I hope you have seen plenty on the day to inspire you to train harder and become even better.

There were some outstanding performances, but what we as a club value more than the level of karate; is the sportsmanship and strength character on display. The true care for one another. The ‘leave it all on the mats’ spirit. One minute you are trying to knock each others heads off or out perform each other in Kata, the next - you are sat together having a laugh. It is a bit like senior class really! Thank you all for being a part of it, because it’s you that makes it happen.

It was also lovely to see Zoey from our partner dojo Martial Arts East. Little Zoey travelled all the way from Norwich to take part and took home a well deserved Gold medal for Kata. I hope you felt welcome and enjoyed yourself. You should be very proud Danny Jordan Sensei.

We couldn’t ask for a better group of parents and supporters either. You all played your part brilliantly and were so supportive. Being a sporting parent has it’s highs and lows. The thrills and agony isn’t it? We definitely go through it with them, but it is all worth it because events like this are beneficial in many ways. When they win it builds confidence and links direct effort with reward. When they are disappointed, it builds character, instills determination and encourages perseverance. We can’t all win at the first attempt, or even the second or third. But what we can do is keep trying. Effort, determination and perseverance is within everyone’s power. Keep going and keep learning. Experience counts. We’ve all been there. Winners aren’t necessarily the best, they are people who carried on, learned from their mistakes and never gave up.

Before we reveal the results and the Competitor of the day, the biggest THANKS must go to our Team. Our Instructors and team of officials who helped all day, (and some the day before) really are the heartbeat of the Club. If we didn’t have a group of such dedicated, hard working and talented people around us, we would not be able to host events like this. They work you hard in classes, motivate you to have a go. Get you prepared for what to expect. Learn or relearn all the rules. Teach you the rules. Scorekeep, timekeep, judge and referee. Watch endless rounds of Kata and Kumite, share the joy of the winners, commiserate the disappointed, first aid the injured, help set up and put away. The list of their duties is endless and we are so grateful. THANK YOU all. It couldn’t be done without you.

Paul Sensei and I often get a lot of the credit but it is true team effort. Massive respect to Mike Beckwith Sensei, Leesa Beckwith Sensei, Mike Baron Sensei, Gary Pratley Sensei, Rob Head Sensei and Debbie Carter Sensei who all stepped up when appointed as Tatami Managers and did a brilliant job.

The staff at the venue were great and a huge thank you to Helen Wolstencroft for providing the refreshments and selling the merchandise. Thank you also to Paul Towler for taking photos, always very kind of you and we look forward to sharing them.

After reviewing the results and the performances we saw on the day, it was incredibly difficult to choose just one competitor of the day. There were so many students who stood out or won multiple medals and put in exceptional performances.

The competitor of the day we have chosen was Jaime Pratley. Jaime was outstanding in all of his categories. His karate has developed tremendously over the last few years. His standard and personal conduct is second to none. He holds himself to the highest of standards and is an exceptional role model. He is in the dojo almost every night of the week, training like a demon and is a real perfectionist. He won 2 Gold medals in kata and 1 Silver medal in kumite, narrowly missing out on the Gold in kumite on Senshu (to a very deserving Matthew Affleck) in what many felt was the ‘ding-dong of the day’. A real back and forth, insanely-exciting encounter with such a high level of skill on display. Hell for both sets of parents I’m sure. Eventually the fight ended 6-6. A real highlight for all who were luck enough to watch it. Both performances in Kata were phenomenal. I doubt he will be satisfied with his performances, but that is what makes him so good. Always learning, always hungry to do better and learn more. A truly worthy winner. Well done.

We also do a little competition among the Instructors for who can motivate their team and win the most points. Instructors were awarded 1 point for each entrant. Then additional points are earned by their students. A gold medal is worth 3 points, a silver medal is worth 2 points and a bronze medal is worth 1 point.

The winning Sensei is Jon Curtis Sensei and their Stockton Heath Dojo.

Between them they achieved the grand total of 64 points. Huge congratulations to Jon Sensei and Mark Sensei for their great result.

Debbie Carter and Dave Robertson Sensei followed closely in second place with 54 points, with Rob Head Sensei and Mike Baron Sensei narrowly behind with 52 points and 47 points respectively.

Well done :-)

It isn’t always about the size of the team, it’s the skill within it!

Full results for Tatamis and Instructors follows:

Tatami Results

Instructor Scores