gtuk goodwill championships

I think it’s fair to say that recent activity within the G.T.U.K. has left a lot of people wondering how the association would go forward and indeed whether in fact it would be able to move forward.  Because of this, this tournament was an even more important event than it would have been normally.

This tournament was the start, very publicly, of a new image within the G.T.U.K.  It heralded a new beginning, a fresh start for everyone to see, instructors, black belts, students and parents alike.  Walking into the hall at around 8am on the Saturday morning you could already sense the change.  The hall was set up the night before and even though this was nothing new, the hall felt different.  It felt exciting and fresh – the posters that were everywhere proudly advertising the event, the merchandise stall with t-shirts, wristbands and car stickers, the free programmes for competitors and spectators.  The hard work that had gone in to organising the event from a relatively small but dedicated group of people was already clear to see.

Spectators and competitors began to file into the hall, the usual pre-competition nerves mixed in with the positive vibes already being given off.  The officials briefing was delivered at 9am and the opening ceremony could begin.

Competitors stood in their rows and parents sat eagerly as Master Oldham, Mr. Burgess and Mr. Auciello walked in to the hall to a rousing reception and were presented to everyone.  Master Oldham spoke of the loss of Master Chew, a friend of his and the GTUK who had passed away the day before and the hall fell silent for a minute as our thoughts went out to his family. Master Oldham welcomed parents, competitors and officials, thanking them for travelling and supporting the event and the association.  The Taekwon-Do oath was spoken by all competitors and officials, and then two competitors spoke for their peers and gave the competitors oath.

This was followed in a similar vein by the officials oath.  These were greeted with applause and agreement by all – the public display of intent from all that the day would be competed and officiated fairly reinforced the ethics and tenets of Taekwon-Do in a very overt way.

Mr D. Holmes presented Master Oldham with a token of thanks from the senior instructors and members of the association, a small item for the massive role he has played in this association’s develoment.  The work he does is second to none and it is hugely appreciated by everyone.  Mr Burgess, Mr Auciello and then Master Oldham with an axe kick then each smashed a piece of wood on the table in front of them, to reveal the words ‘Tae’ ‘Kwon’ ‘Do’ to all and the tournament was off and running.

The highly professional and switched on nature of the officials meant that categories were sorted and distributed to the squares promptly and efficiently. Spectators could easily follow the progress of the people they had come to support and as usual the judging was fair and unbiased.  The pee wee’s were up performing their patterns first, followed by the junior patterns and the officials had a tough time of it – the standard was noticeably very high across all the divisions – congratulations to instructors and students alike – this comes from your hard work.

Sparring for the pee wees and juniors soon followed and again the standard was the highest it’s been for a long time. The control and skill shown by the competitors was noticeable to all and made for extremely exciting viewing – whether you were there in a fellow competitor or purely spectator capacity.

The end of the junior free sparring section saw the beginning of the medal presentations – another  new idea.  This went down very well with all – the competitors and parents felt like more of a big deal was being made of their results.  Master Oldham presented all the medals which again added to the feeling of importance for each competitor.  This also provided many photo opportunities and when the presentations were done Master Oldham was inundated with requests for photos and  autographs – these could be collected on the autograph page of the programme and something that the younger competitors really engaged with and enjoyed seeing who could get the most senior grades.

When the medal ceremony was finished the crowds got themselves into the best position they could for the highly anticipated demonstration.

The demo began with a performance of Kwang-Gae by the whole demo team, this was to a very poignant backing track and set the tone for what was an electrifying demonstration.  There were patterns with attackers, an amazing example of free sparring, patterns to ‘Singing in the rain’ with a cheeky grin and heel kick from Mr. Auciello, breaking wood, bricks, breeze blocks and roof tiles, flying kicks and more, some awesome set sparring from Mr. D and A. Holmes, and a blindfolded flying reverse turning kick kicking a can off the head .  The audience lapped up the atmosphere and enjoyed every single moment of it as did the demo team.  It was an honour and a pleasure to be part of it and we can’t wait to do another one!  The video’s will be on youtube and this website as soon as they have been uploaded.

Master Oldham publicly congratulated and thanked the international instructors, not just for the demonstration but for their help in taking the G.T.U.K. in a new direction. With the hall still buzzing from the demonstration it was time for the adult portion of the tournament to begin and again across patterns and sparring the standards were incredible and the atmosphere was amazing – it gave a new edge to the competitors, they were excited to be competing for their medals.

The black belt divisions finished off the competitive side of the day with some excellent displays of Taekwon-Do it’s more than a little something that’s going right when you see that we are producing standards as high as that. The medal ceremony for the adults was again presided over by Master Oldham, and as with the juniors and pee-wees competitors who won medals in the more senior divisions were handed a letter inviting them to the all new squad session on the 27th March – an added bonus and something that injected even more excitement into those invited and to those who are keen to be a member of the new England squad setup.

With the competing done Master Oldham closed the tournament, thanking everyone for a great day.  I don’t think anyone left that hall having not had a fantastic day.  The bar had been opened upstairs and many went to renew old acquaintances from previous tournaments or to have a drink with new friends and despite the tiredness from the day there was still that buzz, people were talking about the tournament, they were talking about the demonstration, they were talking about the G.T.U.K.

Make no mistake, the G.T.U.K. is going through an evolutionary process.  Evolution though, is natural.  Evolution happens and makes things stronger. But this doesn’t happen overnight.  It doesn’t even happen in a couple of weeks, it takes time.  It’s already happening and the tournament was a clear display of that and a clear indication to those people wondering if and how the G.T.U.K. can move forward that we’re damn sure we already are and will continue to do so.

 

Phil Miller

Press Officer

 

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PHOTO’s

 

All action and presentation photos are now available for viewing and purchase from our website.

Could you please forward this flyer on to all clubs that participated for distribution to competitors and parents.

Many did not have time to queue on the day due to travel arrangements.

Click this link to view photos: www.dephoto.biz/gtuk

As well as photos see our GREAT range of gifts which make FANTASTIC surprises for the family all year round!

MOTHERS DAY, Posters, Magazine Cover, Jigsaw, Acrylic, Canvas, Box Framed Print, Pencil Case, Moneybox, Mousemat, Mug, Coaster & Placemat, Shoulder Bag, and MUCH more!

 

Many Thanks

Clarke Penrice

 

DE Photo

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