SKC News APRIL 2006
-- Seaford Karate Club Member of the Year 2005 --
Newsletter Archive
- Dec 05
This years Seaford Karate Club junior member of the Year Award 2005 goes to Sharnie Franks who has excelled in her karate over the last 12 months. Way back in March last year she took a gold medal in the U.S.K.K. European Karate Championships in London , and then in November she won a bronze medal in the A.S.K.A. National Championships in Birmingham . At the club championships just before Christmas she won two silver medals in kata and kumite to add to her growing collection of silverware. Sharnie is now a brown belt 2 nd kyu and will be hoping to take her black belt next year.
The senior member of the Year award 2005 goes to Rose Franks who has stood out as a shining example of dedication to karate. She is a regular member in the club training every week and has grown more confident over the last year as she has learnt from her mistakes. In April she won a silver medal in kumite at the E.K.K.A. Championships in Ipswich and then in November at the A.S.K.A. Championships in Birmingham she excelled in winning the Ladies Senior Kumite gold medal winning three fights against strong opposition. In the kata she finished just outside the medals but in the team kata event Rose helped Seaford take another bronze medal.
She is now a 3rd Kyu Brown belt and considered a senior grade in the club for others to look up to. She has a great future ahead.
-- Barry Coe wins Silver in World Firefighter Games Hong Kong 2006 --
My trip to Hong Kong to compete in the 2006 world firefighter games starts in the early hours of Sunday 19 th February when me and my father wait to board our first flight to Amsterdam at 0540 in the morning, an hour in the air then its back down with a couple hours to kill before we have to board for the 13 hour flight for Hong Kong. That's it our flights called next stop the far east, so its time to hook up the ear phones for the 3 in flight films, grab a drink and sit back and relax. A slight delay on the take off meant that nearly 15 hours later were coming into land at the amazing chek lap kok international airport said to be the worlds best airport so far, we collect our bags and make way for the exit to find our coach, 10 minutes to wait but who cares as the sun beats down at a lovely 85 degrees.
I've booked my dad and I into the 4star Wharney guangdong hotel in the heart of wanchai, it looks amazing as we arrive so we find our room drop our bags and head straight for the games village which is just a nice 10 minutes walk and this gives us the chance to get our bearings. We reach the village its packed with firefighters from around the world and as the games had been running for 2 days already you could tell there was a real buzz about the place, At the registration desk i confirm who I am with my passport and A.S.K.A. karate licence, pick up my competitors pass to confirm entry for the karate on Wednesday. My dad and I catch some of the opening ceremony on the extra large screen at the front of games village, there's around 5000 firefighters from 18+ countries around the world, After talking to some guys from New York City, Australia and Brazil we head back towards the hotel grab a bite to eat and then crash out for an early night.
My dads set the alarm for 0700 hrs so we can spend Tuesday site seeing for the day, were up early and still the Sunshine's on the city were heading for the highest peak in Hong Kong called Victoria peak it just has breath taking views of the whole city and makes the trip well worth it, also here you get to experience the working markets of the locals selling a lot of hand made objects a real eye opener as they make things like straw hats for 10 hours a day and then sell them at like £1 each. Back at the hotel we shower and head out for some food we find a great English bar called the white stag and it seems from the shirts the welsh rugby squad are celebrating winning gold today after beating North Yorkshire. After listening to song after song by 20 drunk welsh blokes and some great food we head for bed at about half past ten as tomorrows kick ass day.
Wednesday 22 nd February, 7 o'clock in the morning and again my dads up and saying come on shake a leg we don't want to be late, Its like 2 hours to weigh in and a 10 minute walk to get to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, oh well dads will be dads.
We arrive in plenty of time and follow signs to the main arena, we show our passes a chat to 6 French competitors who seem interested in what weight category I'll be fighting in, its a massive arena with all tiered seating up 3 sides and about 8 officials tables at the front, although just one fighting area this is so the cameras can get all the action and so all fights are fully supported, a warm up area is set just to one side.
As I wait to get weighed in the hall starts to fill up and more flags get hung up, the hall is swamped with orange tracksuits these are the Hong Kong firefighters and there's lots of them they come in banging drums and really make a entrance, there's a real atmosphere building up some people warming up already, after weigh in we were told we will fight in order -60 first and so on. As I made the -80 I've got till about 1 o'clock before I'm due on. Checking the draw I'm glad to see I've got a bye in the first round, its now 1220 so I put on the MP3 player and start to stretch out, I get a good sweat on and my dad does some pad work with me, more supporters arrive and now there's some people from London brigade turned up to watch, they see the flag that my dads hung up and grab the seats next to it.
There's been some good fights so far but now its my turn I'm in top gear, the ref calls us to bow at the edge of the matt, my first fight is against a Hong Kong fighter I'm relaxed and feel good I'm trying to think about my game plan and what my sensei has told me over the past 2 months training sessions, I'm gonna take early control of this fight as the ref shouts hajime I'm straight off the line a loud kiai and I shut down his space and then BAM!!! rear leg mawash to his back and an extra loud kiai to lift the crowd and let people know that's how we do it at North Birmingham karate, back to the line and ready to go again I'm on my toes and testing him pushing him, he's not coming so i switch stance and go, his out the area as i hit a long kazami/gak, jogai no score. Straight off the line this time I push my long reverse gak in deep, 3-0 as he's not attacking with much i wait and draw his punch out, avoiding it I strike uraken another point to me, that's it all over.
Fight two is against a Polish guy it all gets very scrappy as I find out later this guy hasn't done karate for 10 years and so isn't too familiar with the rules, as he picks up two warnings straight away for some crazy arm swinging punches like what you see on Friday night after hours, anyway I know I'm gonna have to pick him off with my speed so time for some 'Creeky' fast hand techniques BANG!! kazami / gak, yes I here my dad shout come on go now, back to the line I know the clocks ticking down but is 1-0 enough to win this fight. He knows he must attack and with little time left he does with some proper low hack kick to my thigh and no follow up either OUCH!!!, the ref pulls him up and awards me the point, right as we start again the buzzer sounds for the end of 3 minutes, my leg needs the rest.
Fight number 3, a Brazilian, as we bow up to the mat my dad says "win this fight son and your in the finalâ€, come on I'm saying in my head you can do it, HAJIME this is it time to be brave and strong we seem to be thinking alike and loose legs are flying high which seems to get crowd cheering louder, he's fast and scores with a reverse punch straight in my face, back on the line the ref checks my nose, no blood, so good score, I know I've got some work to do now and try switching stance and firing a triple punch combination, he hits a gak at the same time, no way they score him 1st to the punch I'm 2-0 down and my dads screaming at me to stick to basics, I'm going to try one of favourite techniques high knee lift, land, drag his front foot and hit long gak, 'BANG' come on! not only does it score me two vital points he is also very tired. The 30 second bell has just sounded and I cant hear any noise now but must score one more point, straight off the line I make up space a take his front hand across his body and strike to the face, the flags go up from the side judges 3 reds that's matched by my 3 kiais, I've done it I'm in the final.
The final will take place in order of weight again so I've got to wait for another 5 fights then I'm back on, that time fly's by and its now me in the final -80kg against another Chinese fighter, we bow off to each other and touch mitts, we both test each other with kicks and punches but nothing scores I know this is gonna be an active 3 minutes nothings scoring but there's plenty of punches exchanged, then from nowhere he whips in a round house kick onto my back, Damn 2-0 down again, I can't let him take it so I try and rush with 3 or 4 punches he dips out for a jogai buying him some time, back off the line I fire front leg mawash double and then gak him, 'YES' 1 point come on! As the bell sounds for 30 seconds he don't want to get involved and avoids me using the mat, I shut him down in the corner and try kazami punch to the face hit him flush on the nose at the point as he hits gak under my front hand, I kiai and the ref calls yame, both me and my dad think I've evened the score the ref asks for the judges to show there flags, 1 says he was blind and the other two show 1 red and 1 blue, its down to the ref and he awards it to the other fighter, I cant believe it there's no time and I know I'm picking up a silver medal. I'm gutted but my dads very proud of me, Its been a very long day and after a long soak in the bath we hit the town celebrating we stay out till the early hours as we only have one day left we want to make the most of it.
Well that's it now its Friday and we start packing ready for the long journey home its been an amazing trip and one I will remember for a very long time, I just would like to say thank you to my dad for finding the money to come with me, as I received no funding from fire service it was quite an expensive trip for both of us.
Also a really big thank you to my Sensei Colin Hexley for all them hard and extreme training sessions building up to the trip and for the support from all the guys and girls and not forgetting the kids at North Birmingham Karate.
-- AMA International Championships --
A.S.K.A. sent a squad of 30 competitors to the A.M.A. International championships in Nottingham on the 25 th and 26 th of February 2006. The event was well attended with fighters from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Ukraine, Iran, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Uganda and the Czech Rep.
On the Sunday A.S.K.A. entered four fighters. First up saw Jessica Massey fight in the junior ladies event. She had a tough first fight and lost but her opponent made the final and gave Jessica a chance in the repercharge. Unfortunately Jessica was over powdered by her opponent again and lost her fight, but gained valuable experience. Colin Simmonds (A.S.K.A., E.K.G.B. and B.K.F. Champion) fought in the -65kg category where he was probably one of the favourites. He started well showing his quick hands and scoring first but lost in the dying seconds 4-3 against a quality opponent.
Ben Dartnall from Seaford fought in the -75kg event and showed some spirited fighting. A bye in the first round saw him face Robert Bingham (JKA England). Ben beat his opponent for speed and committment and won 4-2. In the quarter-finals he faced Roy Sherratt (USKA) from the AMA. Mid-way through the fight Ben attacked and took a knee to the face which broke his front tooth. However he continued to fight and scored another point but was beaten on the day 2-5.
Lisa Miles fought in the Ladies -53kg event and won her first fight before losing in the second round.
A.S.K.A. total was 1 Silver & 9 Bronze. All in all very good for a young inexperienced squad. Most competitors gained a lot of experience nearly all winning at least one round in Kata & Fighting.
These are the results from Saturday's events:
Kumite:
Allie Hexley Girls 10 - 12 years -35kgs Bronze
Kata:
Kyle Russell Boys 10 - 16 yrs 4th Kyu & below Silver
Amy Hollis Girls 10 - 16 yrs 4th Kyu & below Bronze
Jayna Bains Girls 9 yrs & below Bronze
Natasha Faraci Girls 9 yrs & below Bronze
Bethany Hodson Girls 10/11 yrs 3rd - 1st Kyu Bronze
Jayna Bains Girls 10/11 yrs 3rd - 1st Kyu Bronze
Kimberley Hodson Girls 14/15 yrs Dan Grade Bronze
Marc Faraci Boys 12/13 Dan Grade Bronze
Prem Bains Mixed Adult 4th Kyu & below Bronze
-- Karate England Senior Championships 2006 --
The Karate England Senior Championships took place over two days at Ponds Forge Leisure Centre in Sheffield on the 17 th and 18 th March 2006. With the amalgamation of the three biggest governing bodies in England this is the first event where everyone competes together and we really see who is the best in the country.
On Saturday Carl and Hannah Hassell from Sneyd Karate Club competed in the kata events. Carl entered the Masters Kata but found the standard quite high and failed to make any impact.
However Hannah had a great day competing over five rounds of competition and finishing with a very creditable bronze medal in the Female Cadet Kata 15-17 division.
On the Sunday A.S.K.A. had three fighters competing. In the junior 60kg event Sunil Rajput started slowly losing the first point. This fired him up and he leveled the scores 1-1. His opponent stepped up a gear and looked the sharper, but Sunil gave as good as he got and continue to battle all the way to the bell, finally losing 1-4. His opponent then lost in the next round to the eventual winner so there was no chance of a fight in the repercharge.
In the junior 75kg category Ben Dartnall faced the K.U.G.B. no.1 fighter with Frank Brennan sitting in his corner. Ben struggled to get going in the fight and took a strong punch to the face early on. His opponent looked strong and fast but gave away points for excessive contact. With Ben 5-1 up and only 5 seconds remaining we felt Ben was safe, but dramatically the K.U.G.B. fighter scored a perfect reverse mawashi geri on Ben to bring the score back to 5-4. With 2 seconds on the clock Ben evaded his opponent as he came storming forward to score and was penalized for not fighting and lost a point. 5-5. Enchosen. Ben seized the opportunity in extra time and swept the front leg and scored with a reverse punch beating his opponents jab to win a huge fight. This fight took a lot out of Ben with a cut above his left eye and dazed from taking three head shots. The next round disappointed us as Ben tired hard but his form was not up to it and he lost 1-5. With his injuries from the first fight Ben withdrew from the Senior 75kgs event.
Colin Simmonds competed in the Senior 60kg event and found his first fight against a very quick but small fighter with lots of spirit. Colin found himself 0-2 down with less than a minute to go. Colin didn't give up and battled to the end pulling back one point, but it wasn't enough losing 1-2. His opponent went on to win the event so Colin had a chance to fight in the repercharge. As the event turned out Colin's opponents were ko'd and disqualified so he won a bronze medal to add to his impressive list of English karate medals.
At the grand old age of 40, Colin Simmonds has decided it's time to hang up his mitts from competing at the all-style English Championships. With a baby due later in the year and work committements building up Colin feels its time to step back and let the youngsters have a chance.
Over the years Colin has won the English title on two occasions and taken many more medals against some of the best fighters in the world.
-- Dates to remember --
APRIL 2006
16th
Shuhari-Kai Club Easter Championships, Venue TBD
23rd
E.K.K.A. Open Championships, Ipswich
23rd
A.S.K.A. Dan Grading/EGM, Great Barr
MAY 2006
5-7th
Seni06 - Seni Expo and Festival, NEC Birmingham
7th
Lambeth junior inter-club tournament, London
13th Shobu Ippon International Open, Guildford
14th
Toyakwai Capital Open Karate Championships, Clacton
14th
United Styles Association - Open Championships, Dudley
JUNE 2006
4th
F.E.K.O. Championships,
Wolverhampton
10/11th
B.K.F. Junior Championships, Sheffield
JULY 2006
2nd
Toyakwai Essex Open Karate Championships, Clacton
2nd
A.S.K.A. Referee/Basics Course, Great Barr
16th
S.K.O. Kumite Course and competition, Southall
AUGUST 2006
6th
Seishin Open Karate Championships, Cheshunt
14th
A.M.A. Eastern Open Champs, Nottingham
SEPTEMBER 2006
2/3rd
British International Open, Crystal Palace
10th
United Styles Association - United Kingdom Open, Dudley
10th
AMA Southern Open, Reading
17th
Toyakwai Grand Open Karate Championships, Clacton
17th
A.S.K.A. Pregrading Course, Great Barr
23/24th
Karate England National. Junior Champs, Sheffield
OCTOBER 2006
15th
A.S.K.A. Panel Grading / EGM, Seaford
15th
SKO Kata Course and competition, Southall
20-22nd
F.S.K.A. VIII World Championships, Las Vegas
22nd
E.K.K.A. Open Championships, Ipswich
29th
Simon Oliver Bunkai / Oyo course, Bexhill-on-Sea
NOVEMBER 2006
11/12th
B.K.F. Senior Championships, Sheffield
18th
Open Shobu Ippon Karate Championships, Portsmouth
19th
A.S.K.A. National Championships/ AGM, Great Barr
19th
E.K.K.A. Open Championships, Ipswich
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