On the 30th of June to the 3rd of July the ITF European Championships was held in Wetzlar, Germany, hosted by Mr. T. Martella.
Members of the Team UK – England squad arrived throughout the day on Thursday the 29th.
The tournament began on the Friday with the opening ceremony and competitors from each country lined up for the opening speeches from the organisers and Masters.
The tournament encompassed the four main ITF events i.e. patterns, sparring, special technique and power breaking, for both individuals and teams.
Commencing on the Friday and continuing over into the Saturday was the 18th Senior and the 1st Veteran European Championships, with the 9th Junior Championships on the Sunday.
On the whole the England squad put in an incredible performance winning an amazing tally of medals including all four team sparing golds, as well as individual and team overalls … probably the best result England have ever had in an ITF European Championships.
It was great to see the English squad pulling together and supporting one another … great comradeship in the English camp! However, after a somewhat subdued start from the England supporters on the first day, Master Wolf appointed Mo Stevens as ‘head cheer myster’ … and he did an excellent job … well done Mo!
The friendly Anglo-Irish rivalry made for an electric atmosphere, especially during the team events … but of course we all met for a celebratory drink after the tournament … as usual!
For some of the England team coaches it was their first experience coaching at international level … they did a great job, motivating the team members on the day being a key factor. It was also wonderful to see the team coaches working together for the benefit of all our members.
Following the medal ceremony on the Monday morning, it was ‘all hands on deck’ for the colour belt competition. Masters, black belts and officials pulled together and worked extremely hard to run a professional tournament in record time! It was clear that the colour belts had been inspired by what they had seen at the black belt tournament.
On a personal note I would like to thank Master Nicholls for nominating me with the honourable task of writing the report! On a serious note however, on behalf of all the English competitors who were present at the tournament, would like to thank Master Nicholls for his tireless effort and support, working every day of the tournament from start to finish to ensure each day’s successful conclusion.
Well done to all of the competitors … it takes a lot of courage to get out onto the mat, win or loose … and I am sure you will all agree it was an amazing experience!
Report by Miss Lucy Wolf V Degree
SPIRIT TAEKWON-DO @ THE EUROPEAN CHAMPS
Spirit Taekwon-Do Academies part of the Imperial Taekwon-Do Association headed by Master Nicholls took seven members to Germany to compete at the European Championships. There was Chief Instructor Paul Cain, Danny Welland, Joel Wilson, John Larkin, Cheryl Cooke, Damian Smith and Jay Gilbert.
All the hard preparation work and training had already been carried out, and all the Spirit members knew that they were as ready as they ever could be to take on the challenge of the Europeans, no one was under any illusion that the competition for medals would be anything but intense.
An amazing achievement in the individuals and Team events was that of Paul Cain who went on to win GOLD for Team UK and Captain the Team! Joel Wilson also of Spirit Taekwon-Do did very well narrowly missing out on a medal in the 1st to 3rd Degree patterns.
Jay Gilbert in her first ITF International Championships received two silvers one in Patterns and one in sparring. Cheryl Cooke took her good fortune from her last tournament to receive a commendable 3rd place in the patterns.
Damian Smith who has not lost in National Competition for 18 months, fought courageously only to be defeated in the final by Mo Stevens of Hogans Taekwon-Do, Damian although very emotional was happy he received a silver medal.
All in all Spirit Taekwon-Do members done themselves proud and much fun and experience was gained.
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