6:59pm Monday 16th November 2009
By Sports Desk
Cleckheaton Shotokan Karate Club went further into the black recently with four of its members stepping up to new levels.
Each of the quartet are black-belt holders and have ascended to new heights in the sport.
Ashley Cowburn and Michael Cooper, both 24, have been selected to join an elite group of just 20 promising students from around the world to take part in an intensive training programme, starting in Switzerland next March.
After training since they were eight years old, both are now national champions in competition and hold two of the club's black-belt third dans, Conor Mitchell, aged 12 and Olivia Robinson, 14, were each awarded their second-level black belts after making a presentation to the United Kingdom's senior grading panel. and now join other senior black-belt grades within the club.
Both youngsters started training in 2004 within the club, as well as attending numerous international courses.
The Cleckheaton club are affiliated to the world's governing body, comprising of over 35,000 members from countries as far away as Australia and whose leaders have recently announced their intention to select and train the next generation of senior karate instructors. Mike Cowburn, the club’s chief instructor, said: “These achievements rank among the highest accolades in my 37-year karate career. I am extremely proud of my students with their recognition now putting the club firmly on the world map.”
******************* Ilkley’s Premiere Karate Club members have broken their all-time international record.
They came away with 26 medals - ten gold, seven silver and nine bronze - at the 2009 SKU Open Karate Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield last month, despite a total of 350 participants competing at the event.
The club proved a force to be reckoned with in kata, kumite and team kumite as they were ranked top of the individual club listings.
Team captain Elly Field started the avalanche of awards as she won three golds, which included the team trophy.
A determined girls’ team, which consisted Elly, Georgia Breadley, also 11, and Bridget Taylor, ten, made sure that the team title stayed on British soil, despite being up against strong international opposition.
Abi Thackray made a promising debut in the girls’ junior kata event by taking a silver medal in a closely-contested final.
Adding to the titles were Breadley and Taylor, who took gold and silver medals in their respective kata events, making it an all Ilkley final.
However, the tables were turned in the open brown belt kata event as Taylor took gold and Breadley had to settle for a silver after another nail-biting final.
In the veterans’ black belt kata event, club instructor Mark Outterside showed he still has what it takes by winning another gold for his club.
Meanwhile, Jade Miller made a welcome return to the competition after a six-year absence.
She was entered in five events and came away with four podium places, including two golds for kata (set moves), a silver and a bronze medal for the women’s free-fighting events.
Outterside had nothing but praise for his students afterwards.
He said: “The girls’ team did especially well as they had a couple of tough bouts against girls who were a lot taller.”
The girls’ team winners are now hoping to compete in the 15th World Traditional Karate Championship next year, held in Brazil.
Ilkley results: Kata (set moves) Boys’ brown belt 13-15 yrs: 2 Matthew Ginty. Boys’ brown belt 13-15 yrs open: 3 Matthew Ginty. Girls’ brown belt 8-9 yrs: 3 Lois Breadley. Men’s green to purple belt 35 & over: 2 Mark Davison. Women’s brown belt veterans: 2 Jo Taylor. Men’s black belt veterans: Boys’ green to purple belt 8-9 yrs: 1 Daniel Field-Toole. Girls’ brown & black belt 8-9 yrs: 1 Lois Breadley. Boys’ brown & black belt 13 yrs & over: 3 Matthew Ginty. Men’s brown & black belt 35 yrs & over: 3 Robert Toole. Women’s brown & black belt 18 yrs & over: 3 Keeley Hall.
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