Black belt success for Tidworth

1:03pm Wednesday 19th September 2007

Hants and Dorset Taekwondo Schools have had many reasons to celebrate in recent weeks with championship successes, a visit from a pioneer Grandmaster and successful blackbelt promotions.

Forty two competitors travelled to the Spectrum, Guildford, for the London Open Championships and returned with an impressive medal haul of five gold, seven silver and 13 bronze, with students from the Tidworth Taekwondo School earning a very credible overall fifth place out of 60 schools competing. This followed success a few weeks earlier at the Welsh Championships, in Cardiff, where members earned hard fought victories in pattern, sparring and power test disciplines, amassing six gold, two silver and nine bronze. Members are affiliated to the UK Taekwondo Association, which this year is celebrating 40 years of in the UK.

To mark this milestone, medal winners were also presented with special anniversary certificates. Sights are now set on the English Open Championships at K9, Crawley at the end of the month.

Last month, 100 members attended a special seminar conducted by the man that brought Taekwondo to this country 40 years ago, Senior Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha IX Dan. Students covered all the main disciplines and at nearly 70 years of age, Grandmaster Rhee showed incredible energy in conducting the children and senior seminars.

The day ended with a colourbelt grading with all those applying for promotion, succeeding to their respective grades.

l Recently Hants and Dorset celebrated five blackbelt promotions. After a gruelling weekend of training and assessment in Leicester, culminating in a formal practical and theoretical examination in front of Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha and five other Taekwondo Masters, Ian Thomas, Marston Wortley and Grant Matthews were presented with their first dan black belts. Susan Julyan was promoted to second dan and Ramesh Ladwa, the former instructor of Thruxton Taekwondo School (now living in Dubai) was promoted to fourth Dan Expert' status.

www.hantsdorsettaekwondo.com