SENDAI SUNDERLAND HOST DAY OF COMPETITION

By Phil Doherty

THE first Sunderland Karate Championships so clubs from across the region descend on the city to compete.

The contest was held at City Space Centre, Sunderland University, Chester Road, Sunderland, on Sunday, June 20th.

More than 130 comeptitors and 200 spectators turned up at the event which had the aim of encouraging student to gain experience in competition.

Sensei John Bruce, the event organiser, said: "Many of the competitors attending the championship were experiencing competition for the very first time. We were particularly impressed with the amount of adults competing for their first time.

"The day ran smoothly thanks to the excellent help from the referees, timekeepers and recorders, and our paramedic.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them for their excellent work on the day, which allowed competitors to perform to their best. 

"Two competitors, Chris Hamilton and Maya Burns, were particularly outstanding winning both Kata and Kumite in their respective events, making them grand champions.

"With the great success of our first championships and the amount of positive feeedback we have had from competitors, spectators and club instructors, we are now looking forward to the second Sunderland Championships in 2011. 

"Many congratulations to all competitors."

Sensei Jill Kelly of Ashington Shotokan Karate Club We are really pleased that so many of our students took advantage of this local competition to compete.- some were there for the first time - others were seasoned competitors! 

"The results were excellent and many students who didn't feature in the above results came very close to getting into the finals."

RESULTS

Under 16 years novice-4th Kyu Kata

1st Jack Preston, 2nd Nathan Bowerbank, 3rd Jamie Allan, 4th Ben McVeigh

Under 16 years brown belt Kata

1st Maya Burns, 2nd Niamh Duddridge, 3rd Bethaney Miller, 4th Matthew Gibson

Under 16 years Black Belt Kata

1st Chris Hamilton, 2nd Daniel Lumb, 3rd Sam Light, 4th Liam Liddle

16 years + Mixed Kata

1st Dean McCormack, 2nd Neil Jerome, 3rd Kirsty Askew, 4th Karl Smith

Mixed Team Kata

1st Ashington A, 2nd Sendai Kushiro A, 3rd Sendai Kushiro C, 4th Sendai Kushiro B

10 years and under Boys Kumite

1st Jamie Allan, 2nd Jack Stobbart, Joint 3rd Kyle Reid and Ben Hall

10 years and under Girls Kumite

1st Maya Burns, 2nd Rebecca Purvis, Joint 3rd Alice Jewitt and Kate Hannah

11-14 under 5ft Boys Kumite

1st Liam Liddle, 2nd Daniel Sowerby, Joint 3rd Robbie Graham and Adam Gibson

11-14 over 5ft Boys Kumite

1st Ryan Spencer, 2nd Kyle Duddridge, Joint 3rd William Stevens and Jordan Collings

11-15 Girls Kumite

1st Megan Dent, 2nd Beth Nicholson, Joint 3rd Jessica Green and Rebecca Bradburn

15-17 years Male Kumite

1st Chris Hamilton, 2nd Sam Light, Joint 3rd Mark Holt and Antony Tubman

16 years + Female Kumite

1st Adanna Moore, 2nd Rebecca Teasdale, Joint 3rd Kirsty Askew and Nataie Keegan

18 years + Male Kumite

1st Neil Jerome, 2nd Tony Spencer, Joint 3rd Karl Smith and Andy Storey

Under 16 years Team Kumite

1st Sendai Kushiro A, 2nd Sendai Kushiro B, Joint 3rd Sendai Kushiro C and Ashington A

Most Outstanding Performance

Chris Hamilton

www.sendaiskc.co.uk

For more information on the Karate Union of Great Britain visit:

www.kugb.org

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JUNE EDITION - BUY CAGE TICKETS ONLINE

KARATE CLUB STAR ON TV'S BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT

By Darren Currah
darren.currah@martialnews.co.uk

TWO of the region's club's won though auditions on top TV show Britain's Got Talent.

Perth and Crieff Kyokushin Karate Club, Perthshire, Scotland, used a mix of Japanese Taiko drumming with Karate techniques to win over judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden.

Simon Cowell, however, slated the act and said their choreography was "terrible".

Sensei Martin Marlborough said: "It took a while to put the routine together, the martial arts more than the drumming, for which we had many rhythms.

"All in all, we were rehearsing and practising for about three months."

The eight members of the squad first film their routine and sent it to the show. They were then invited to a live audition in front of a audience and the judges.

Group member Eamon Cramb admitted it was a nerve-wracking experience.

He said: "It was really, really scary. The atmosphere was huge, there were so many people you couldn't see all the way to the back of the crowd.

"It was definitely the biggest crowd I've appeared in front of."

They impressed Holden and Morgan, however the ever hard Mr Cowell give them the thumbs down.

But with a two to one majority verdict they won their way to the next stage being held in London. Unfortunately this time they were voted off by the judges.

The team took consolation in the fact they had reached the final 80 of the competition that started with thousands of entries. They've been invited to audition again for the next season of the show.

Martin added: "I think they are wanting more ‘show’ karate. They seemed to think our performance was a bit brutal.

"We've got some good ideas though, and the judges thought we had a good basis for a routine so we can work from that."

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TAEKWONDO GRANDAD GETS A KICK OUT OF LIFE

By Phil Doherty

WHEN most 90-year-olds would be content to put their feet up Cristobal Campos is readying to put his fists up instead.

Incredibly the veteran black belt in Taekwondo will be breaking boards at the Great Northern International Festival of Martial Arts (Marfest) held in Seaburn, Sunderland, on May the 8th to help raise cash for Cancer Research UK.

Not only is Cristobal a black belt but his son Mike, 57, and grandsons Adam, 21, and David, 26, are also black belt experts in the Korean system.

They train and instruct at the Chungdokwan Taekwondo Club, Washington leisure Centre, Washington.

Mike said: "My dad trains at least twice a week in Taekwondo as well as doing circuit training, running half-marathons and cycling. In fact he is much fitter than me and beat me by half an-hour the last time we did the Great North Run a few years back.

"He has the energy of a 19-year-old not a 90-year-old and is constantly horrifying my mum May with the things he gets up to, like spinning around the handrail outside his home the way young kids do.

"He is really looking forward to going to the Marfest in May as he loves to support this charity event and demonstrate his board breaking."

Spanish-born, Cristobal was born in 1919 and fought against Franco’s fascists in the country’s civil war in the 1930s.

He escaped the fall of the Republic to Sierra Leone where he joined the crew of a coal barge heading to North Shields.



Unable to return to Spain he settled in the North East and joined the British merchant navy to help the fight against the Nazis during the Second World War.

He was recently awarded a medal to go with others he has for taking part in one of the most dangerous convoy routes of the Second World War - the run up to Mumansk and Archangel in Artic Russia.

Ships were constantly in danger of being hit by German bombers flying out of Norway. Many ships were lost bringing supplies to the Russian Red Army.

Having boxed as a youngster Cristobal started Taekwondo aged 80 and used to compete against the young whippersnappers in tournaments.

Before that he was a professional boxer for a while fighting all over the world - and when in the UK he fought at Ryhope and St James amongst others.

Mike said: "He joined Taekwondo after my sons and I and came to watch a class. He said 'if you can do it Mike then so can I' and since then there’s been no stopping him. He loves it that much that if I go to a senior black belt class he wants to come as well even though its means he’s training three times a week.

"Obviously at 90-years of age he can’t kick head height anymore but he isn’t far off it. He is also a bit of handful when it comes to sparring because he loves the close up stuff and self-defence aspects. With his boxing training he knows - and does - hit hard so he keeps us on our toes.

"He likes to do demonstrations and is really looking forward to the Marfest as he loves to support this charity event and demonstrate his board breaking. He gets a kick out seeing people surprised that some one his age can do all these techniques. He really is a human dynamo."

The Marfest 10 is being held at Seaburn Leisure Centre, Seaburn, Sunderland, on Saturday, May 8th. Its the biggest martial arts festival in the North of England and has raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK over the past 10-years.

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SEMI-CLOSED KARATE SCHOOL GRADES STUDENTS

By Luke Robbins

A "SEMI-closed" dojo has held a grading for its students.

The Eikoku Satori Karate-Do club (ESKK) held the grading at Main Dojo (Honbu): Adam's Memorial Hall, Barwise Row, Arlecdon, Cumbria, on Monday, March 8th.

Nine students passed their grades including juniors and seniors.

The club is run by senior instructor Chris Denwood, 4th Dan, and was developed to study effective traditional Karate methods.

It actively welcomes beginners but there is a short trial period before a student can become a full member and each application is decided by a club committee.

This is a traditional Japanese of reviewing students.

According to their website: "The semi-closed nature of the dojo has been deemed necessary to ensure that the limited places available at the dojo are controlled and only taken up by those who have a genuine reason to study and show good dedication and commitment.

"In addition, the old proverb, 'with knowledge comes responsibility', is critical to maintain when karate is taught in line with a more ‘practical' emphasis."

The club belongs to the Amateur Martial Association and is a members of the EKF.

Chris Denning has more than 20 years experience in martial arts and is also a senior instructor with the British Karate-Do Chojinkai.

Juniors

Promotion to 9th Kyu: Aaron Dye

Promotion to 7th Kyu: Jade Murphy

Promotion to 5th Kyu: Alice Rea & Issac Hinde

Seniors:

Promotion to 8th Kyu: Matthew Easdon

Catch Up to 7th Kyu: Ceri Scotchbrook

Promotion to 5th Kyu: Mark Stevens

Promotion to 1st Kyu: Jonathan Roll & Stuart Graham

To find out more about the ESKK phone: 07801 531914

Email: info@eskk.co.uk

Visit: www.eskk.co.ukk