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IN THE MEDALS AT THE KUGB SOUTHERNS
By Admin
10 June 2019 1:10 pm
Bristol Karate Academy competitors at the end of the tournament
Bristol Karate Academy competitors at the end of the tournament
Nine medals and countless outstanding performances made for a tournament to remember for Bristol Karate Academy competitors.

The Academy - made up of clubs in Nailsea, Backwell, Long Ashton and Westbury-on-Trym - attended the KUGB Southern Region Championships at the K2 in Crawley on Saturday, with a squad of 20 whose experience ranged from tournament rookie to seasoned competitor. And the medals came from right across this spectrum and right across the age groups.

There were silver medals for the Bristol kata team, who performed as a trio for the first time at this event, following the selection of Annaliesa House to the team. Reuben Hothersall also took Silver in Junior Kumite at his first ever event, scoring with some rapid and solid roundhouse kicks along the way.

Bronze medals came in seven more events, from youngest competitor, Brandon Bennett in the Children’s Ippon Kumite event, through to the Veteran’s Kumite for Jim Mateer and Dan Salter.

But it was the effort and determination to put in good performances regardless of medal outcomes that was the point that Academy coach Tim Griffiths was keen to emphasise.

“In the run up to this tournament we’ve been working hard on total performance. Speed, tactics and nous in Kumite (sparring), precision, poise and pace in Kata. Everyone that stepped onto the mat demonstrated that they’d been taking this on and put in improved performances that I was proud of and they should be too.

“Medals are not the end game - they’re a nice consequence; a happy reminder that the squad are working hard to continually improve. We’ll now go back to the dojo (training hall) and keep working hard to embed what we’ve been working on and keep focussing on performance, not medals. Because when we do this, medals will come naturally as a result.”

Congratulations to everyone that took part. The full results from Bristol Karate Academy are as follows:

SILVER in Team Kata for Steven Connell, Dan Salter and Annaliesa House
SILVER in age 16-17 Junior Kumite for Reuben Hothersall
BRONZE in Male Team Kumite for Ian Connell, Steven Connell, Jim Mateer and Dan Salter
BRONZE in Male Kata for Steven Connell
BRONZE in Male Veteran Kumite for Dan Salter
BRONZE in Male Veteran Kumite for Jim Mateer
BRONZE in Boys’ 5’5”+ Kumite for Adam House
BRONZE in Boys’ 10-11 Kumite for Liam Mashford
BRONZE in Children’s Ippon Kumite for Brandon Bennett

Full team: Brandon Bennett, Quaid Bennett, Charlie Carter, Annette Connell, Ian Connell, Steven Connell, Alistair Hanlon, Jason Hanlon, Reuben Hothersall, Adam House, Annaliesa House, Paul House, Dani Jones, Josh Mashford, Kevin Mashford, Liam Mashford, Jim Mateer, Dan Salter, Jack Salter and Alfie Teague.

Coach: Tim Griffiths

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