Chuldow Squad Pages

Short description:- Hot, very hot, mostly just hot with added hotness. Lotsa people crammed into a sports-hall already full of people. Did I mention hot?

Got there early, luckily, and managed to park, unlike a lot of people who came after us and had much more trouble! Met organising ladies at the door - why is it always women on the door? Is it coz we're good at money-handling? And organisation? Anyway...

SPARRING & GENERAL REPORT

Amused ourselves for a few hours watching countless people sign in, in a never ending torrent of fed up looking people who've obviously queued for a very long time. Oh the woes of a popular tournament! Eventually managed to get forms started, only to find they were running it backwards, starting with adults! Bit of a shock for some of ours, especially the little kids who sat around (getting muddy?! How?) for hours. But hey, its a lesson they've got to learn sometime. Besides, there was lollies for sale - so who's arguing!

Watched some of ours (i.e. Emma Watson and Jamie Lawton) try their luck with the continuous - decent fights all round in those junior girls sections. Amused myself with the senior creative and weapons forms - always fun to watch, even though no-handed cartwheels are starting to become old-hat. Luckily some spinny people came along and bounced around like nutbags, which helped me along whilst waiting for ours to compete. Especially, and obviously, Ashley Beck, the spinniest of them all! Yet another name for our mothers-of-squad-members fan club apparently. So lucky you...(run - run now)
- see forms report below

Didn't get to see much of our junior points fighters, being holed up at the forms side of the hall as a forms coach should be, but I heard good things - managed to watch Rob Wilson's fight and was impressed! Well done Rob! Watched a little NSKA girl fight coz it was in the ring opposite me, well done her - very nice back-fist off those round-kickks! Dunno if she won (she was tiny!) but I hope she did coz she was cool. Also watched one of Daz Ellis' fights in the same ring, which was cool - fast as ever! No idea who won though, probly Daz I expect. It's not exactly unusual if it was.

A fellow reporter tells me that the fight between Ashley Dixon of Bolton Dragons and Peter Kemp of The Dojo was excellent - I think that was the Boys U5ft section, but I've forgotten. Also worth mentioning was the battle between Kemberley Bradshaw and Shantell Cameron. Sorry I've forgotten your clubs, but I'm sure someone will fill me in later. Well done to both! Especially Shantell who I'm reliably informed was 'kicking people all over the mat!' Hehehehe. Good stuff!

Our Rob Eyre was excellent as ever - coming second in the mens coloured belts (weight? no idea). Really the coloured belts all day were great. Shows us black belts what to expect in a few years anyway! I know I'm gonna have some hard work work when all these amazing juniors start turning senior. Arghhhhhhhhhhh!!! Loved watching Team TopTen UK fighting - really some of the best fights of the day there. Also, enjoyed watching Mieke Hink fight - especially when it was me hehehe gettingg kicked in the head lots again. Oh well... not my weight category anyway. Fun though.

So next year, we think you should get a bigger venue coz its a great tournament and has outgrown its hall! Also reckon you should have 8 areas not 6 so more forms can go on at the same time. But hey, even if its as hot and crammed full as this time we'll still be back next year! So well done organisers - brilliant day! Thank You!

Thanks to Jacqui Varley for providing the photos and various bits of information. (I shall muck about with your camera's shutter speed for next time MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA though it might start only taking luminous green pics or something - you don't mind do you...). Also, thank-yyou to Debbie for my various drinks and that tuna sandwich. TAA!

Anyone with any other pics should msn or email me 'em. Also, if any information is incorrect or anything just let me know!

FORMS REPORT
by Jacqui Varley
(Squad parent)

The forms sections were split over two areas initially, with the adult categories coming first - for a change! Mick and Sue Issacs from Leeds SSK judged almost all of the sections with WKA England Forms Captain, Paul Law, also judging some of the categories.

Helen, Ian, Tim M, Debbie and Fred did themselves proud against very tough international opposition with the sections showcasing forms from many different styles - Shotakan/Wado Ryu Karate, Tai Kwon Do, Kung Fu and some others I didn't recognise! The photos will show how much those painful stances are improving! (Rather you than me!)

Debbie unfortunately lost out in a tie but Tim Potts brought home the first piece of silverware of the day with a third in the Veterans section.

Later, possibly due to the sheer number of fighting competitors, all the forms sections were done on just one area. This delayed the proceedings considerably and meant that actually getting near the mat was difficult, for both competitors and spectators alike.

The adult creative and weapons sections (with and without music) were brilliant with some of our FSK circuit friends, specifically Carl Thomas, putting on their usual polished performances. However, it was Ashley Beck, (Team Evolution) who really set the hall alight with an extreme martial arts display in two categories which just showed why he is five times World Champion in this particular field. Plus, he is very cute and a nice bloke to boot!

Our juniors excelled themselves in their categories with John and Sarah choosing Judgement Day as their first open competition as squaddies. Both coped brilliantly with the pressure of competing at such a high level. Adam and David were in the Under 12 traditional sections and Nichola and Katie entered the Under 16 section and all showed that Wado katas more than hold their own against more popular styles when they are performed with application and passion. Katie came away with a fantastic second place and Nicola just lost out on third place in a tie-break.

Next, weapons. These categories were a bit confusing to watch because they incorporated all manner of forms - traditional and freestyle, done with or without music, with a huge variety of different weapons. John and David both performed Jo forms for the first time in an open competition in the Under 12 Coloured Belt section and Jordan entered with Kama for the first time in the Under 12 Black Belt section. He came away with a third in a category where it showed that there is no substitute for good technique, no matter how good the flashy stuff! Didn't help him not being able to hear his music and being informed that he wasn't allowed any 'releases' just as he lined up to perform - he was wonderful but then I am biased!
Adam Fields ended up performing his creative empty hand three times - twice in the non-musical section due to a mix up in the categories and then again in the musical section. This boy is going to be brilliant at this! He came away with a first and a second respectively.

6 pm, and Sarah and 'The Three Stooges' (Katie, Nichola and Hannah) lined up for the 13-16 Weapons section. The Bo Folks showed massive improvements in technique and performance whilst Sarah showed real composure and potential in her first open. All lost out on first place to Joe (?), another of the regulars on the FSK circuit, who really knows how to use nunchacks to great freestyle effect. Hannah got second in the tie break against a boy doing traditional sword by swapping weapons to kama, pinching Jordan's music and pulling off a scarcely practiced freestyle form!

The Forms Squad really excelled themselves today and I was very impressed with the level of performance in the face of outstanding competition and incredibly difficult environmental conditions. It was hot, sticky, noisy and very, very crowded but each and every one of them displayed the focus and determination needed to compete and succeed at such a high level. I get the impression that many of them surprised themselves at how far they have come and are now anticipating how much more they can achieve in the future . . .

A totally exhausting, feet-aching, sandwiches-going-off, brilliant day! Mines a very large g and t and an enlargement of the Ashley Beck photo please?!