Kata:
Natalie Payne, Aimee Sell, Emma Lucraft
Navin Patel, Kieran Nunkoo, Alex Gardner
Kata Team:
Melissa Williamson, Kelly Horsfall, Kira Munns-Charlton
Coach:
Jonathan Mottram
Kumite:
Chloe Sheldon, Lauren Crawford, Hannah West, Charlotte Wastell, Phillipa Morris, Stephanie Thorndick, Sophie Santillo, Rebecca Croly, Lauren Tutty
Ryan Jay, Ashley Taylor, Jack Lowe, Joshua Farrand, Michael Burke, Callum Holmes, Thomas Hickman, Jamaal Otto, Alfie Ambrose, Joe Kellaway, Ryan Lambert
Coaches:
William Thomas, Davin Pack
Willie and Davin
The Final medal position
The Final say:
On the 8th October 2011 the England Junior squad flew out to Malaysia to compete in the world championships, the Squad was made up of the elite hand picked fighters from across the country. These fighters are from a number of different styles and clubs from across England
We are proud to say that we had four fighters from Uechi –Ryu GB representing England at these championships – Jamaal Otto (East London), Jack Lowe (Essex) , Alfie Ambrose (Essex) and Hannah West (Essex ).
Jamal Otto showed his pedigree, fighting his way to the quarter finals, to meet a Turkish opponent. This was perhaps the most exciting and spectacular bout of the whole Championships. Trailing 7-4 at the end of the allocated time, Jamal scored with a magnificent spinning back kick to the head to take the scope to 7-7. The Turkish officials protested, but the point was deemed to have been scored on the bell and not after. At 4-4 in the extension, the bout went to the Turkish competitor. There were a total of six 3-point scoring techniques in this magnificent contest! In the reperchage, Jamal fought through to the bout before the Bronze Medal final and sustained a back injury against his Japanese opponent. Jamal actually won the bout, but because he had been on the ground more than 10 seconds, he was disqualified. It was a shame as he looked very capable of winning a well-delved medal.
Jack Lowe was fighting a German opponent in the first round and it was 0-0, with each seemingly cancelling each other out. With one second to go, the German attacked and scored. His opponent did not make the final so no repercharge. This was a hard way for Jack to go out of the championships considering he looked the fighter in control for the whole fight.
Alfie Ambrose made the last 16, losing out to a Greek opponent. Alfie won a Bronze at the Europeans in February and continued to show his pedigree.
Hannah West also looked very good. She is only 14, yet showed great maturity, using her height and long kicks. She battled her way into the last 8, then fought a French competitor who closed the distance and denied Hannah the possibility of using her reach advantage. The French competitor then lost unluckily to a Bosnian, denying Hannah the repercharge.
I attended the championships in support of our Uechi fighters and the rest of the squad.
I was totally impressed with the attitude and commitment of our representatives. I have watched and worked with our gang this last few years and I would like to point out how proud I am of you all. From seeing your faces when you were picked for this great achievement to represent your country, to seeing you stand out on the tatami wearing your England
Was so happy I was able to witness this special time for you all.
Good luck for the future and may Uechi Ryu in England
Sensei
Dean Lowe
13 comments:
Jack, Alf, Jamaal and Hannah have now finished there pre-training and are having a couple of days off before they fly out to Malaysia where we hope they will all bring back medals.
Also don forget that the Dojo will be closed on a Tuesday now for 2 weeks as I will be in Malaysia.
Training first day yesterday 30 degrees heat!
http://www.englishkaratefederation.com/malaysia-2011/messages.php
You can e-mail your support to the EKF and they will pass on your support to the Uechi fighters.
E-mail webmaster@englishkaratefederation.com
The England Junior and Cadet Team have been in Malaysia since Saturday evening and it is Wednesday morning here. They are getting used to the tropical heat and the humidity as this is the 'rainy season'. They are also getting over the jet lag, well all but Ryan 'sleepy' Lambert! The whole squad is really starting to gel together and the commitment is very apparent, especially Lauren Crawford who has had a large Cross of St George shaved and dyed on the back of her head!
The National Kumite Coach, Willie Thomas, and his assistants have managed to instil a very positive mentality into all the competitors. They are receiving inputs on psychology, warming up properly, not wasting time in bouts, as well as what it takes to be great, namely you have to beat someone great! This is all about getting the right motivation and both Jon Mottram, the Kata Coach, and Gavin Pack, as well as Willie, have been having one-to-ones with the team. These have been very well received.
There have been few injuries so far; just a strained knee, back pain and shin splints, so nothing that might affect performance. There are lots of blisters due to the surface of the training area and the heat, but Mo Surdar our Physio is on top of this. The team members are hydrating well, there has been no weight loss and no tummy bugs or ear infections, despite the climate. There is a good variety of food in the hotel and no problems fitting in meals.
The Squad have trained two sessions a day, each for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Sunday was 11AM and straight after lunch, Monday was 8AM and 4PM and Tuesday 8AM and 1PM. We have allocated slots, as do all the countries. The competitors need to learn to take on lots of water and the Head of Delegation, John De Bono, and chaperone, Sean Doyland, have helped out bringing in the huge quantities needed. Some members can lose 1.5 Kgs of body weight in one session and that can affect performance. The newer members have not been used to the necessary fluid intake, but are adjusting well.
The Kata Team have been performing in front of the rest of the Squad, to try and re-create the competition environment and pressure. This is like getting through the first round. The are very impressive indeed. We all know the quality of the opposition they will have to face from the very best in the world.
The interactions between the competitors and the coaches is so positive and the young people are so responsive. Behaviour has been impeccable and has even been commented on by hotel staff. The atmosphere amongst the team is excellent, except Tom Hickman who keeps losing to 14 year old Joe Kellaway, who is half his weight and 2 feet shorter. Watch out Tom, he will be looking to take your place in the Senior Heavyweight division one day!
Today is a wind down day before the competition starts tomorrow. There are other competitions: table football, table tennis and snooker, though I anticipate that the competitiveness will continue there too! Sean Doyland has been 'fined' for poor taste in shorts, though some have noted that he is easy to find when looking for a chaperone! We have also discovered that as well as his Karate skills, Callum Holmes has a splendid singing voice, reminiscent of a young Elvis Presley.
In short, the Team is prepared and as ready as they can be for the World Championships. We are all ready to shout, support and wish them all the luck in the world!
Good luck in the championships
First result of the competition
WKF 7 - Result Kata Femal U21 Emma Lucraft (England) Won Bronze
First the best news: we have picked up a medal in the kata. We have been trying to check, but believe this is the first world medal in kata this country has ever picked up. Helen Raye won at the Europeans and Jonathan Mottram came 4th in the Worlds. Today Emma Lucraft (photo right) took a Bronze. Emma looked confident and showed strength and poise, taking her through to the semi-final where she was piped by an outstanding Japanese competitor. In the repercharge, she won 5-0 and showed how far the EKF has come. Jon Mottram, our Kata Coach, actually jumped over the barrier when she won the last bout, perhaps forgetting that he had undertaken to shave his head if we won a kata medal.......if we win another, his eyebrows might have to go too! Joking aside, congratulations to Emma and well done to Jon.
The other kata entrant today was Alex Gardner who was unlucky to draw the Japanese competitor in the first round. He then lost the repercharge on the most narrow split decision. He still looked good and did us proud. He is fast and has the presence to be successful in the future.
Ryan Jay is already a European Champion and world medal holder. He looked slick and in control through the first rounds, then fought an awkward Turkish competitor and the match went to time. Though never really looking like he could beat Ryan, this fighter threw a lot of short techniques in the last minute of extra time and was awarded the match on a split decision. The Turkish competitor went out in a later round, denying Ryan a shot in the repercharge. This was a great disappointment for Ryan and everyone else. We all know how good Ryan is and we know he will bounce back strongly from this.
Michael Burke went out in the first round to a Dutch fighter. Michael looked as if the pressure of the occasion had been a barrier and that he tried too hard. This happens and it is valuable learning. What has been great is to see how much support the English team gives to each other. We are clearly the loudest and most united group. Callum Holmes today admitted to be suffering from nerves, even though he doesn't fight until Saturday!
Another disappointing result was for Stephanie Thorndick. She looked fast, rangy and confident. She sailed into the last eight to meet a good Austrian girl that didn't seem as good as her. Stephanie dominated the first half of the fight and always looked in control, until her opponent took the lead with what looked like a 'short technique' that none of the Flag Judges acknowledged and was given by the Referee. Stephanie immediately tried hard to get the point back and in doing so, walked on to a head kick. It proved too much of a deficit to catch up, though she kept fighting hard to the end. It was a shame as she had a good chance of a medal. The Austrian opponent then met one of the most outstanding and spectacular stars of the day, a Turkish girl who had beaten her 3rd round Australian opponent 10-0 in 52 seconds! In short, no repercharge.
Two other England Team members competed today. Chloe Sheldon was disqualified for excessive contact, perhaps the stress of the event, and Ryan Lambert lost a close match to a skilful and rangy fighter from Montenegro. Ryan then did not quite manage to get through the repercharge.
Jack Lowe went out in the early stages 0-1 to a German but fought well, but unfortunately the German went out before the repercharge so that was it for Jack.
A good day for English Karate, but an unfortunate one for a number that were clearly unlucky. The day was hard, with hot weather and an early start. The Opening Ceremony was disappointing as it was an hour late in starting and dragged on with long speeches, which made the finals very late.
Tom Hickman in the final later on today fighting for Gold!
Good luck Tom
A Ambrose out in 3rd round against Greece
Lauren Crawford (England) one 1st rnd out 2nd to KAZ - no repecharge
N Patel - Out in Kumite also Sophie Santillo won first round..out to Japan then in Repechage beat Thailand then out to Turkey
Amiee Sell Out in Kata also J Lowe out in Kumite No repecharge for both
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wkf-7th-world-junior-cadet--21-day-2
The finals are on live stream now copy and paste the link.
Tom Hickman world Champion -76K
The first and most fantastic news: we have a World Champion, the first since the EKF was set up. Thomas Hickman's performance was unbelievable in the under 76Kg category, arguably one of the hardest. Tom began from the start of his first bout looking like a champion, showing all kinds of techniques from kicks to sweeps to long, fast punches. His first opponent from India had no answer and with another minute to go looked as if he wished he was somewhere else!
Tom demolished his opponents in such spectacular form that all the spectators were applauding him. He even beat a very strong Russian without faltering. His semi final opponent was an outstanding Slovenian, who looked very dangerous, but Tom remained calm, fought energetically and didn't let him settle. When he made it to the final, the whole England squad jumped on him; it was wonderful to see the team spirit and a shame we did not take a picture. In the final against an Egyptian competitor, Tom came straight out and scored with a punch to the head. His opponent tried to pull level, but Tom kept moving and then executed a spectacular combination where he took the Egyptian to the ground and followed up with a punch for 3 points. Tom kept moving and not allowing his opponent to prepare an attack, scoring another point to take the world title 5-0. The whole squad ran from the far side of the stadium to congratulate him and his parents were there to see it too. The unity of the squad and the support they are showing towards each other has been a real highlight of this event. It was easy to know that an England competitor was about to go on because the stadium echoed with: "Let's go England let's go!". Even the waiters in the hotel are starting to sing that! When Tom won, numerous National Federation Presidents came to congratulate England on their performance. These included the Russian, Moldovan and French Presidents. The President of the French Federation, Francis Didier, spoke with EKF President, Carl Lindley and complimented him on the performance of the England squad, stating that a few years ago England was not the force it had once been, but it was now apparent that we now had a very powerful base in our young competitors to re-establish ourselves. Carl thanked him and seeing that he was leaving, cheekily asked him if he was not staying to hear God Save the Queen. The answer was not recorded!
Another excellent performance was that of Sophie Santillo on her first international as part of the England team. Sophie fought her way into the last 8 to lose to Japanese finalist. In the second bout of the repercharge, she scored with a great kick to the head as the other girl attacked and with literally a second to go, at 3-3, had a lapse on concentration and gave away a point. It looked like lack of experience and possibly thinking about the extension. She is still a great force for the future.
Almost exactly the same thing happened to Jack Lowe in the first round. He was fighting a German opponent and it was 0-0, with each seemingly cancelling each other out. Again, with one second to go, the German attacked and scored. His opponent did not make the final so no repercharge.
Aimee Sell came up against a Spanish competitor and lost by the closest and most painful of margins, 3-2. The girl who beat her was already a Senior European Champion and went on to win the Bronze. Again, it shows the depth and potential England has now developed.
Navin Patel lost in the kata to and excellent Italian opponent. Countries like Spain and Italy have led the world in kata for a long time, but England will soon be beating them.
Lauren Crawford looked very good, beating a Russian to take her into the last 16. She then fought a girl from Kazakhstan and, despite lots of heart, couldn't quite turn effort into points. She is another excellent prospect for the future
Alfie Ambrose also made the last 16, losing out to a Greek opponent. Alfie is another fighter with good prospects.
On the 8th October 2011 the England Junior squad flew out to Malaysia to compete in the world championships, the Squad was made up of the elite hand picked fighters from across the country. These fighters are from a number of different styles and clubs from across England.
We are proud to say that we had four fighters from Uechi –Ryu GB representing England at these championships – Jamaal Otto (East London), Jack Lowe (Essex) , Alfie Ambrose (Essex) and Hannah West (Essex).
Jamal Otto showed his pedigree, fighting his way to the quarter finals, to meet a Turkish opponent. This was perhaps the most exciting and spectacular bout of the whole Championships. Trailing 7-4 at the end of the allocated time, Jamal scored with a magnificent spinning back kick to the head to take the scope to 7-7. The Turkish officials protested, but the point was deemed to have been scored on the bell and not after. At 4-4 in the extension, the bout went to the Turkish competitor. There were a total of six 3-point scoring techniques in this magnificent contest! In the reperchage, Jamal fought through to the bout before the Bronze Medal final and sustained a back injury against his Japanese opponent. Jamal actually won the bout, but because he had been on the ground more than 10 seconds, he was disqualified. It was a shame as he looked very capable of winning a well-delved medal.
Jack Lowe was fighting a German opponent in the first round and it was 0-0, with each seemingly cancelling each other out. With one second to go, the German attacked and scored. His opponent did not make the final so no repercharge. This was a hard way for Jack to go out of the championships considering he looked the fighter in control for the whole fight.
Alfie Ambrose made the last 16, losing out to a Greek opponent. Alfie won a Bronze at the Europeans in February and continued to show his pedigree.
Hannah West also looked very good. She is only 14, yet showed great maturity, using her height and long kicks. She battled her way into the last 8, then fought a French competitor who closed the distance and denied Hannah the possibility of using her reach advantage. The French competitor then lost unluckily to a Bosnian, denying Hannah the repercharge.
I attended the championships in support of our Uechi fighters and the rest of the squad.
I was totally impressed with the attitude and commitment of our representatives. I have watched and worked with our gang this last few years and I would like to point out how proud I am of you all. From seeing your faces when you were picked for this great achievement to represent your country, to seeing you stand out on the tatami wearing your England badge with pride, was nice to see your hard work pay off.
Was so happy I was able to witness this special time for you all.
Good luck for the future and may Uechi Ryu in England and across the world continue to grow and achieve.
Sensei
Dean Lowe
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