Reports 2008
Club competition 7th December 2008
The annual club competition took place today at Rainham dojo. For some it was their first taste of any form of competition and our younger students should be pleased with their efforts.
Lower grade kata
1st Tayla Young
2nd Danny Hayes
3rd Jayden Young
Higher grade kata
1st Harry Richardson
2nd Luke Frewin
3rd Ryan Harkins
Kumite
1st Luke Frewin
2nd James Frewin
3rd Holly Freeman
Female Junior Student of the Year - Victoria Rice
Male Junior Student of the Year - Harry Richardson
Ishinryu Championships 23rd November 2008
This years annual Ishinryu Championships took place today at Harrow Lodge Sports Centre in Hornchurch. The club had 14 students taking part with the youngest aged 6 and the oldest worrying about whether he would get home to see West Ham on the TV. It was a 12 hour day for most of the students and never really warmed up from the starting temperature of "freezing" inside the hall.
Our first competitors in the beginners kata category were Danny and Jayden. Danny performed second kata and gained a unanimous flags decision to progress to the next round. He then performed first kata but was unsuccessful this time in making the last 8 competitors. Jayden made his debut and remembered all of the first kata - well done Jayden.
Next up were the two Ryans and Josh in the boys 6th to 4th kyu event. Ryan J performed Pinan San, Ryan H performed Pinan Gor and Josh performed Pinan Ichi. All three were unable to beat their respective opponents this time and did not progress.
In the equivalent girls event were Charley and Victoria. Charley performed Pinan Ichi but was beaten by the eventual event winner and did not make it past this round. Victoria also performed Pinan Ichi and could not get past her opponent.
James and Harry were together in the 3rd to 2nd kyu category. James performed Pinan Yon and Harry performed Yantsu but both went out on split decisions 2-1.
Holly performed Pinan Gor in the girls 3rd to 2nd kyu category and she also was up against an opponent who would go on to win the event.
Our final junior kata competitor was Luke in the 1st kyu and above event. He performed Ishin and secured a bronze as a result due to the number of competitors.
Our only senior kata competitor was Jamie in the Dan grades event. His performance of Nijoshihosho in front of five judges won him a flag, but not the other four and he also went out at this stage.
Next was the turn of the kata teams. Our lower grade team consisted of Ryan, Ryan and Charley. They performed Pinan Ichi but were unable to progress further.
Finally in the kata, the higher grade junior team of James, Luke and Harry performed Saifa and reached the final on a 2-1 decision. They then performed Ishin followed by their Bunkai but had to settle for silver. Good effort boys.
The kata events over, the kumite began. First up were Josh and James together in the same height category. Josh fought hard but was beaten by a single point. James had a bye in the first round and his opponent did not appear for the next. He then won 8-0 in the quarter final and 7-1 in the semi final throwing some excellent jodan mawashi kicks. In the final, James controlled the fight to take gold with a 3-0 win.
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Ryan H was soon down 2-0 in his fight but fought hard to get it back to 2-2 and take the fight to extra time. He then scored first to win 3-2 but was beaten 5-3 in the next round and did not medal. However it was another good performance.
Luke only had one other competitor in his event and in a see saw battle which saw the lead change many time, he ground out a 9-7 win with the winning jodan kick coming in the last seconds. Our second gold of the day.
Our only girl fighter was Holly. This was another fight where the fighters exchanged points with each punch and Holly was unlucky to come out of this on the wrong end of a 8-7 scoreline. It was enough to take bronze.
Mike then won 6-3 in his first fight but went down 5-2 in the next, picking up a bruised rib for his efforts.
Finally Sophie then took to the mat in the cadets open grade event and after a bye, won a hard encounter 6-5, getting a bruised nose to get to the final. However she could not overcome her opponent and lost 5-2, securing the silver.
Sensei's Moira, Martyn and David were in attendance as referees and judges and the club was well supported by parents and friends. Thanks to Frewin the senior, who once again acted as official club photographer. Photos will be added later.
OVERALL 2 GOLDS, 2 SILVERS, 2 BRONZE
Squad - Danny Hayes, Jayden Kemp, Josh Harris, Ryan Harkins, Ryan Jones, Charley Stringer, Victoria Rice, James Frewin, Luke Frewin, Harry Richardson, Holly Freeman, Jamie Brown, Sophie Richardson, Mike Frewin
Meopham Open 16th November 2008
Holly and Jamie formed the small squad that attended the Meopham Open today. They both competed in their respecive kata events but did not get into the medal positions. In the cadet black belt category Jamie performed Gan-kyaku ut came up 0.1 short of a place in the semi finals.
Holly competed in the under 15 years 3rd to 2nd kyu category and performed Pinan-Gor, which was up against some much higher grade katas. Unfortunately she also did not get into a medal position.
Holly stayed on to compete in the kumite and after an initial bye, she came up against a much bigger opponent who won the fight 3-1. Holly received several blows to the face which left her battered but she was awarded the bronze for her efforts. Don't worry Holly, they're all the same size in your category next week!
OVERALL ONE BRONZE
BKF Championships 7th September 2008
Sophie was the club's sole representative at todays BKF Championships held at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. This event incorporated the new WKF categories that are to take effect from 2009 and Sophie was entered in the Junior Female (16-17)Open event and the Junior Female (16-17) under 53kg event.
In the Open category Sophie put in an indifferent performance and went out in the first round and did not get a second chance in repecharge.
In her first fight in the Under 53kg event, she opened up a 5-1 lead with some assured punches but faded badly towards the end. She did enough to hang on to win 5-4. In the next round she met the winner of the open event but could not match her speed and lost the bout without offering much resistance. However Sophie had managed to secure a bronze as a result.
Sensei Gillespie was on hand in his position as squad coach and Sensei Barber was there as one of the refereeing officals.
OVERALL ONE BRONZE
Meopham Open 20th July 2008
Here is the latest news of Kata comp at Meopham today.
Victoria performed Pinan-Ich but 21 pts was not enough to medal in the top 4.
Holly and James were in the same category. Holly did Pinan-Ni and James did Pinan-Yon but like Victoria did not make the top 4.
Jamie was in the Cadet category for the first time but his Empi was not enough to reach the semis.
Finally Luke performed Empi and was awarded 21pts. He then had to use Jion in a tie break which he won 3-0 on flags. In the semi-final his Empi was not quite enough to beat his opponents Goju-Shi-Ho-Sho going down 1-2 on flags and taking 3rd. The first medal of the day.
First up in Kumite was Holly. With a bye in the first round Holly was straight into the quarter finals. A good strong performance saw Holly progress into the final. Up against another Inshinryu competitor Holly took the lead and maintained it until the last 20 seconds. A Jodan Mawashi landed on Holly's shoulder. With three points awarded, Holly lost 7 - 5. A well deserved silver.
Next up Luke and James, in the same category. Luke was up first and started off well against a formidable opponent. However a stumble and a gyacku later, Luke was down 5 - 2. and was out. His opponent went on to win the category without conceding any more points.
James was up next and won his opening round 8 - 0 in under a minute. In his next fight James went 1 - 0 down and despite chasing his opponent around the mat, for the best part of minute he was unable to get the point back.
Although Luke and James were unable to medal all fighters put in a solid performance and showed great spirit and determination.
OVERALL 1 SILVER, 1 BRONZE
Squad: Holly Freeman, Victoria Rice, James Frewin, Luke Frewin, and Jamie Brown.
London Youth Games 29th June 2008
Sophie and Jamie competed at the London Youth Games today at Harrow Leisure Centre for their respective boroughs, Havering and Bexley.
Jamie competed in kata and kumite and was unlucky to meet the eventual finalists in the early rounds in both disciplines. Even though he got back in to the events through repecharge, he was unable to medal.
Sophie competed in kumite only and scored 22 points against 1 conceded over four fights to reach and win the final against another Havering team mate.
This win contributed to Havering girls taking the LYG title for the fourth year in a row whilst the boys team also won for the second year running.
OVERALL 1 GOLD
Summer Course 2008 28th June 2008
Our official reporter was actually busy doing the course so no report as such. However a quick summary of the week;
Luke 1st Kata
Sarah 3rd Kata
Jamie 3rd Kata
Sarah 1st Fun Run
Jamie 4th Fun Run
Sarah 2nd Kumite
Jamie 3rd Kumite
Mike 3rd Kumite
Holly Graded to 3rd Kyu
Mike Graded to 2nd Kyu
And it only rained at the final bow.
OVERALL 2 GOLDS, 1 SILVER, 4 BRONZES
Squad Jamie Brown, Mike Frewin, James Frewin, Luke Frewin, Holly Freeman, Sarah Kemp, and part timers Martyn Le Breuilly, Jayden Stringer, Charley Stringer.
EKF Southern Regional Championships 25th May 2008
Sophie and Holly were our only representatives today at the Southern Regionals held locally at Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham. Holly took part in kata and kumite, whilst Sophie took part in three kumite categories.
Up first was Holly in kata - she performed Pinan Ni and Pinan Ich over three rounds to reach the final where she repeated Pinan Ich again to take the silver medal.
Holly then went on to fight in the under 35kg kumite category and was the smallest competitor here up against one of the tallest ones - she conceded a jodan mawash in the first few seconds but held her own and did not concede any further points but did not score any either. With no repecharge, there was no chance of a medal later in the event.
Sophie's first event of the day was the Ladies -53kg category - at the end of the first fight it was 3-3 and despite several punches in encho-sen being signalled by one of the judges in Sophie's favour, she was beaten when the referee scored against her.
She then took part in the Ladies -60kg category and received byes into the semi final, but was unable to overcome her opponent - However a bronze for her efforts.
Finally the Cadets -57kg saw another close fight which ended in defeat as Sophies opponent scored on the buzzer to take the fight 3-2.
Not such a good day for Sophie but Holly was pleased with her medal in what was her biggest competition to date.
OVERALL 1 SILVER, 1 BRONZE
Squad - Holly Freeman, Sophie Richardson
Ishinryu Summer Open 11th May 2008
Organised by Upminster Ishinryu, this competition is a local one held at Harrow Lodge Sports Centre, Hornchurch. Due to its location, it gives the younger and lower grades a chance to compete with club support alongside them. It does not go on too long either, with the categories only for children and cadets. Of course, Sensei's
Moira, Martyn and David were in attendance refereeing the various mats and Sophie was helping out coaching the younger ones.
Danny Hayes and Ellie Freeman made their competitive debuts, in the respective male and female beginner to 7th kyu kata categories. Danny performed Taikyoko Sono Ichi in three rounds and did very well before going out in the quarter finals. Ellie performed the same kata and progressed through the first round before losing in the next on a split decison. Alongside Ellie was Victoria Rice who performed Pinan Ichi and she also got through the first round before losing out to the eventual winner in the next.
In the girls 6th to 4th kyu kata, Charley Stringer performed Pinan Ichi but did not progress. Holly Freeman was in the same category and earned our first medal of the day by reaching the semi finals by performing Pinan Ni and Pinan Ichi.
In the respective boys event, Ryan Jones performed Pinan Ichi but did not progress and Ryan Harkins made it through the first round with Pinan Ichi but his Taikyoko Sono Ichi was not enough to get through the second.
Next up were James Frewin and Harry "Elvis" Richardson in the boys 3rd to 2nd kyu kata. Harry performed Jihon to make the second round with a whole lotta leg shaking going on with the final kiba dachi but went out next round after performing Empi.
Unfortunately James' Pinan Ni was not enough to get him through the first round.
Finally, to finish the clubs involvement in the individual kata categories, Luke Frewin and Jamie Brown were together in the boys 1st kyu and Dan grade kata. Luke won through his first round with Empi to get to the semi final but could not overcome his opponent with Jihon, leaving him with bronze. Jamie was in the other half of the draw and had a bye directly into the semi final where he performed Empi - on this occasion the flags were split against him and he had to settle for the other bronze.
Harry, Luke and Jamie then took part in the team kata event. They had only had four lessons as a team and had to put togther a bunkai as well. There were four teams and their Jihon got them to the final where they performed Empi and the bunkai - the highlight if which was seeing Luke thrown by Jamie. Silver.
In the kumite, Holly was up in her respective height/grade category and reached the final with a solid display through three rounds. In the final she was edged narrowly 3-4 but showed good form in all her fights. Ryan Harkins showed great spirit in attacking his opponent but his efforts went unrewarded and he did not progress in his category. James scored 14 points against 3 conceded in the three rounds he fought to reach the final of his category, including an impressive jodan mawashi in the second fight. In the final his oppoent countered James' attacking moves to take gold and leave James with 2nd place.
Finally Luke was one of only two competitors in his category and therefore went straight into the final. His opponent scored all his points from kicks and Luke was unable to overcome him to leave him with silver.
OVERALL 4 Silvers, 3 Bronze
Squad - Danny Hayes, Ellie Freeman, Holly Freeman, Charley Stringer, Ryan Harkins, Ryan Jones, James Frewin, Luke Frewin, Harry Richardson and Jamie Brown
Havering Youth Games / SENI 2008 27th April 2008
There were two competitions taking place this weekend at which the club had students at both.
On Saturday the Havering Youth Games karate competition took place at Hornchurch Sports Centre. This event is part of the overall Havering Youth Games weekend in which various disciplines take part around the borough at various sports centres. This competition is only open to Havering residents and is used to select the Havering squad for the London Youth games in June.
This years event was attended by more karate ka than in recent years despite the SENI martial arts exhibition taking place a few miles away. Luke and James took part in the kata event which was decided on points. James performed Pinan Ni and Luke performed Empi. Once the points had been added up, Luke had taken second place and the silver medal.
James is too young to select for the Havering squad but still took part in the kumite and despite taking two big kicks to the face he won his first fight 6-3. In the next fight, encho-sen ended with the score 2-2 and even though the flag judges scored 2-1 in James favour, the referee went with his opponent and James was out.
Luke had been unwell all week and decided not to compete at todays event.
Finally Sophie competed in the 50-55kg category and due to the numbers competing it was decided on a round robin basis. Sophie won a sluggish first fight 3-2 but stepped up a gear in the second fight to win 7-0 and take gold.
On Sunday, Jamie attended the karate event at the SENI exhibition in Londons ExCel arena. This exhibition covers a wide range of martial arts and several different competitions take place over the two days. Jamie competed in the kata event and performed Gankaku. However it was not enough to make it into the top four medal places which were dominated by the girls with some very strong katas.
OVERALL 1 Gold, 1 Silver
Squad Sophie, Luke, James & Jamie
Scottish International Open 19th April 2008
Sophie travelled up to Edinburgh today to compete in the Scottish International Open.
In the Female 16+ category she performed Bassai-Dai but was knocked out in the next round after performing Empi.
In the kumite she entered the cadets under 57kg category and the over 57kg category - unfortunately for her, they were on different mats at exactly the same time.
In the under 57kg she started with a 8-0 win and had to change her pads and go straight onto the next mat where she lost 4-3 in the over 57kg category. As soon as this fight finished she had to run straight back to the under 57kg mat where she lost 1-0 after jogai'ing twice to award her opponent a single penalty point. By this time she was quite exhausted having fought continously for three fights with no break and to make matters worse, both opponents in each weight category did not progress meaning Sophie did not get a chance in repecharge.
The end of the day we thought, but the Toyakwai Karate Association female cadet team were one body short and Sophie was invited to join them. This event was fought on a round robin basis as there were only three teams and Sophie fought first, registering a 9-1 win inside 40 seconds against her Scottish opponent. The next TKA fighter won 3-0 meaning that they had to win their next round to secure gold.
They were up against another Scottish team and the first TKA fighter fought out a well earned 7-7 draw. The second TKA fighter lost 3-0 meaning that Sophie had to beat her opponent by 4 clear points to take gold. Or so we thought, as the referees then decided that the overall medal table for this event would be decided on total points scored and Sophie was up against the best of the three Scots girls.
To take gold, Sophie had to beat her by 7 points and at 3-1 down with a minute left it looked an impossible task - however she then scored a further 9 unanswered points, all kazami's, the last scored with 2 seconds left, to win 10-3 and take gold.
