West Cumbrian karate kids have excelled at two regional championships.
Hot off the back of their success at the European Wado-Kai Cup in Strasbourg, Cumbria Karate Academy students have finished the competition year in style with fantastic performances at both the North East Open and the Manchester Open.
Many younger students were competing for the first time and saw their hard work in training pay dividends.
It has given Quinn Henley-Orr, seven, of Cockermouth, the confidence to be proud of himself and also the motivation to keep training to improve his performance.
Mum Michelle said “The best thing about becoming a competitor with the club is the sense of team he has developed. The way the older students in the club support the younger students to grow their self-belief is priceless.”
One such student helping to coach the team was Melodi Saki, who saw medal success herself in the European Cup last month; she was supporting club coaches Amy Dixon, George Brews, Sophie Cowan and chief instructor Gordon Harrison.
Gordon said: “It’s been hectic year with lots of competitions; the young kids have done themselves proud and have seen their hard work in training pay off.
“They compete against other clubs from up and down the country and we’re really proud of, not only how they perform, but how they come together as a club to support each other.”
The club returned from the North East with 27 medals including:
- Quinn Henley-Orr Kickmaster bronze
- Caitlyn Rowson Wado Kata gold and pairs Kata bronze
- Molly Franklin Wado kata silver and pairs Kata bronze
- Penny Franklin Wado kata gold and Kickmaster bronze
- Jake Franklin Open kata bronze and Wado kata bronze
- Ross Pattinson Pairs Kata bronze, Kumite bronze, Wado kata gold and gold in team Kumite with teammates from Mitsuru karate in Penrith
- Samantha Hewitt Pairs Kata bronze and Wado kata gold
- Oliver Tyson Open kata gold, Wado kata bronze, pairs Kata bronze
- Morven Howard Pairs Kata bronze, Wado kata bronze, open kata bronze, Kumite silver and silver in team Kumite with teammates from Mitsuru karate in Penrith
- George Brews Open kata gold and Wado kata silver
- Zoe Dickinson Wado kata bronze
- William Graham Wado kata silver and open kata bronze
At the Manchester Open, in Urmston the team had the following success:
- Jake Franklin Individual kata gold
- Penny Franklin Pairs Kata bronze
- Molly Franklin Pairs Kata bronze
- Quinn Henley-Orr Individual kata silver
- Morven Howard Kumite silver and pairs Kata bronze
- Oliver Tyson Pairs Kata bronze and individual kata bronze and silver in team Kumite with teammates from Mitsuru Karate in Penrith
- Harriet Griffiths Individual kata bronze
- Ross Pattinson Gold in teams Kumite with teammates from Mitsuru Karate in Penrith
Gordon added: “Although the competitions are done for 2023 it’s not quite time to relax as the club have a grading event coming up just before Christmas where the students will be measured against the high standards required to progress and achieve their next belt.”
Cumbria Karate Academy is made up of four clubs across West Cumbria – Cockermouth, Workington, Whitehaven and Egremont and teaches traditional Wado-Ryu karate.
