It’s getting to that time of the year where I like to
reflect on the achievements and events of the year gone by. And what a year!!!
January:
It was quite a slow start but was only ever going to develop momentum. The Westend club got back very quickly, but the Kilmarnock club was a bit slower.
The first accolade of the year Was for me to be awarded the
SportScotland Development Coach of 2012.
Then on to the Annual Awards night….lots of students to get
recognised
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| All the award winners |
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| Kilmarnock award winners |
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| Kids with their certificates |
February
A reasonably quiet month, everyone was working hard and focusing on the first competition and grading of the year.
A reasonably quiet month, everyone was working hard and focusing on the first competition and grading of the year.
March
English Championships 2013 and based on the medals won, a very sucessful competiton for the club.
English Championships 2013 and based on the medals won, a very sucessful competiton for the club.
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| L-R Back: Michael McRoberts, Hazel Bracken, Paul Monahan and Scott McMillan (instructor) L-R Front: Ty O'Donnell, Nicole Shearer, Breagh MacKellar, Cailin Beggs, Kiara Wright |
And also the first colour belt grading of the year
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| 5-9 year old Kilmanock class with their certificates |
April
Black belt Grading – New 2nd Dans – Lindsay Jess and Natalie McMillan.And a massive well done to Taylor Allan who achieved his 1st Dan at the age of 11 years.
Black belt Grading – New 2nd Dans – Lindsay Jess and Natalie McMillan.And a massive well done to Taylor Allan who achieved his 1st Dan at the age of 11 years.
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| L-R: Lindsay Jess, Taylor Allan, Natalie McMillan Back: Scott McMillan (Instructor) |
May
Welsh Championships
Welsh Championships
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| L-R
Back Row: Natalie McMillan, James
Reed, Paul Monahan, Hazel Bracken L-R Front Row: Sarah Poole, Ty ‘Donnell, Scot Wright, Breagh MacKellar |
June
2nd Colour Belt Grading of the year.
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| The Westend kids with their grading certificates |
July
The 10th
Open World Taekwondo Championships in Coventry, England. This would be the
place where new milestones in Phoenix Taekwondo’s history would be written.
This competition turned out to be the biggest Taekwondo
competition ever in Europe, with 3000 competitors over 3 days, being supported
by 31 countries, from as far as New Zealand.
The Kilmarnock competitors were in action on the first day,
with the Black belt point stop categories. Point Stop is where the competitor
need to be first to score the point with either kicks or punches to the scoring
area. This type of competition is very dynamic and requires the competitors to
be very quick.
First up was Hazel Bracken who was 1 of 20 competitors in
the Black belt Ladies heavyweight category. Not normally Hazels preferred
event, but winning all the fights to the final saw her matched up with World
Champion Nicky Line from England. The
final was a close affair, unfortunately she was narrowly beaten by her English
opponent, and silver was the colour of her fist medal of the weekend.
Next for Hazel was point stop team event. This was where Hazel and her Scottish team mates, Joanne Duncan and Gillian Duncan managed to get revenge over the English World Champions, which included Nicky Line, for Scotland to win the event in the England v Scotland final.
Next up was James Reed…who was in the Men’s Black belt
Middleweight category, which had 67 competitors, this was not going to be a
short day. In the earlier rounds James
competed with total dominance, he was generally too good for the competition
fighting 7 rounds to the final. So the final was Scotland v Argentina, scoring
all his points with ease he ended up beating his Argentine opponent 10-1 in the
final. And so James took the first of his World titles….this was a bonus, as
the one he wanted was on the Sunday. This brought closure to the Scottish
participation for the first day.
Time for day two, this day was for the all colour belts and
junior black belts. First up in the green belt Patterns was Kiara Wright, in
her first big competition and full of nerves, she performed her pattern
superbly, unfortunately this was not to be her day. Next was Breagh MacKellar,
current Welsh and English champion, competing in her first World Championship
and was hoping to do well. Competing in high humidity and the occasion getting
the better of her, it was not going to be her day. This was a similar story for Breagh’s class
mate Nicole Shearer, who has excelled in national competitions, but found
herself a little unlucky in the Individual blue belt category. Nicole put up a
good fight, but unfortunately was not enough on the day.
Time for the colour belt boys, Declan Caddis Green Belt lightweight, who in his first world championships didn’t fair to well in the individual event, but in his team event managed to pick up a bronze. In the Boys blue belt middleweight, there a slightly different story for Scot Wright, who managed to take his domestic form and do well through the rounds. His determination was rewarded in with a bronze in his first International competition.
Time for the colour belt boys, Declan Caddis Green Belt lightweight, who in his first world championships didn’t fair to well in the individual event, but in his team event managed to pick up a bronze. In the Boys blue belt middleweight, there a slightly different story for Scot Wright, who managed to take his domestic form and do well through the rounds. His determination was rewarded in with a bronze in his first International competition.
In the Mens blue belt Paul Monahan, was very unlucky to lose to Welsh lad in his first round, a match he dominated in parts.
Next was Natalie McMillan, who domestically has been doing well and is a European medallist. Her first two rounds Natalie was too strong for the competition beating a Pole and her team mate Demi Allan, to get a quarter-final matching with an exceptionally talented German girl. Natalie started the quarter-final well very even until half way through the match and letting her guard down the German opponent managed to get two head kicks, which effectively ended Natalies participation in the Individual competition. However in the team event Natalie with her team mates Demi Allan and Lindsay McGowan, were narrowly beaten by a good USA team for the final and earned a very credible 3rd place, which brought a close to the 2nd day of competition for the Kilmarnock participants.
So the main day, for the Black belt continuous events and
the International team competitions.
The day started with Hazel Bracken being called up for her
continuous bout, Hazel again proving to strong, march through the rounds
beating opponents from Poland, USA and Wales to meet Nicky Line again in the
final. Hazel fighting composed was ahead after round one, but narrowly lost the
match over the two rounds, again picking up the silver.
Next was Michael McRoberts, fighting in the Mens
middleweight. Michael, fighting well, managed to get through the rounds but was
beaten in the quarter finals.
After Michael was James Reed in the Men’s Middleweight
category which, loaded with very talented fighters, was always going to be a
tough competition. James eased through his early rounds, getting a tricky
Argentine in the semis, which he narrowly won. This set up a meeting the World
Champion from 2010 Tyrell Belony from England. This match was a tense affair as
both have fought each other many times. Round one was all even as was round two,
the match went into an extended 1 minute. Coming out for all he was worth James
applied the pressure for the whole of the extra time. It came time for the
judge to call the winner and 3 judges to 1 scored in favour of James…meaning he
was double World Champion.
After tough individual events, it was time for teams James
was in the Mens team, beating Russia and USA to a semi-final with Wales…which
was narrowly lost, so the boys had to settle for silver this time.
Hazel with her team mate managed to go one better, claiming silver in the teams, beating Poland and Russia to meet England in the final. Again another close affair….but England took the advantage to win.
Hazel with her team mate managed to go one better, claiming silver in the teams, beating Poland and Russia to meet England in the final. Again another close affair….but England took the advantage to win.
These were World Championships were the most successful ever
for any Scottish contingent and most certainly for any Ayrshire club.
Kilmarnock can boast a Double World Taekwondo Champion, in the form of James
Reed.
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| Phoenix Taekwondo competitors for World Championships, with Provost
Jim Todd |
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| Hazel Bracken - 3 silvers and a gold |
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| James Reed – Scotland’s First Double World Champion. |
August
Back to training after Summer Break
Back to training after Summer Break
September
3rd Colour Belt Grading of the Year and the Scottish Open
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| Westend Club with their grading certificates. |
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| Open Scottish Championships Kilmanock medal winners |
October
Closed
Scottish Championships
Black Belt grading – Well Done to Marc
Ferguson, Aidan Tonner and Jack Moran
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| L-R: Jack Moran, Aidan Tonner, Marc Ferguson and Instructor Scott McMillan |
November
British Championships
British Championships
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| L-R: Natalie McMillan, Sarah Poole, Ty O’Donnell and Breagh MacKellar (British Champion – Hazel Bracken missing from the picture). |
December
4th and final Colour belt grading of 2013
4th and final Colour belt grading of 2013
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| Westend Club with their new belts |
Wow! What a year….all the clubs doing very well, learning
and growing. Whats more important is the personal development. Taekwondo, when
taught properly, is not only an effective martial art. Taekwondo is a very
effective too to develop life skills, along with the support of parents and
guardians.
It is fair to say I am very pleased with 2013, and after a “wee” break looking forward to what 2014 has in store for Phoenix Taekwondo.
I hope all reading this has a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR
See you all in 2014
Scott
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