The North Of England 22.10.2017

For the bulk of our squad this was a return to the competition scene after a summer respite, for some of the younger ones it had been almost 6 month and it was time to see if the hard work they have put in recently was enough to secure success.

 

Dokan entered 50 students which is a colossal entry by any ones standards and we finished the day as top club on the medal table yet again. A crowning victory to end our 2017 competition cycle. But it was not all a jolly ride as a lot of the younger students under performed and I really did not get the results I desired. It is no fault of the children, they tried their best and are there to win but the fact remains they are competition rusty. Most lost on inexperience and lack of competition savvy and the only way to get this experience is to enter more tournaments. It is no good waiting for safe bets or local comps if you want to be the best you start by loosing and work your way to the top. I blame myself for this as I need to push more strongly the need to compete regularly with their parents.

On a brighter note we did have some good success on the day albeit mostly from experienced high grades. Our seven year old girls dominated their fighting section and the team spirit from our 9 years and under girls was fantastic. Eve Palmer won her kata section looking elegant and strong. Lewis Pounder had a fabulous day winning his kata and coming second in 12 to 13 year kumite when he was by far the smallest lad entered. Marcus Henderson fought his way to gold. Emma Snaith was brilliant all day and a very poor decision knocked her out of kata otherwise it should of been a double individual gold for her. If there was a man of the match in karate tournaments this day it would of been Katie Hunnam who was simply outstanding in kumite, she helped two teams to gold medals with grit and bravery and Katie was the Dokan Hero of the Day. 

All in all is was a fantastic day where the squad came together to support one another and everyone had a really good time and that is as important as winning. We are there to enjoy these events, helped along by our friends and families support. The North of England is ran by Paul Royston who is at the forefront of English karate competition promoters and he could not do more to try and ensure everyone is kept happy from all clubs. I see no reason we will not support all of Pauls events.

Finally there is another rising star in our midst, Maddy Harrison age 6. Maddy took gold in 7 years and under kumite and bronze in the kata plus a second gold in team kumite with Laila Hunnam and Isabella Metcalf. If Maddy gets the parental backing required we have another National standard karate superstar in the making. Watch this space...

Click on the link below for some photos from the day.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.dokan.co.uk/2017/the-north-of-england-22-10-2021.html#sigProIdee5cb35e8c