The club’s final special event of the year was to celebrate our Chief Instructor, Sensei Ron Hicks’ 60th birthday, which occurs over the Christmas holiday. Ron has been an inspirational club instructor, who leads from the front, both technically and in his instruction across all grades in the club. Ron has been a member of Bath karate club for over 40 years and still approaches training and instruction with the enthusiasm of a newly minted Dan grade!

As a token of our appreciation and as a birthday present, the club’s senior instructors have had made a 3D model of Bath karate club’s logo – a vertical sai on a red background. The sai is a traditional karate weapon originating from Okinawa. Normally, sai come as a pair and can be used to strike and block in a similar fashion to how Shotokan karate’s punches and blocks are executed.

Ron’s gift features a pair of sai in a frame (only one sai is visible, the other is behind the background). Bath karate club has used a single sai as its logo since its formation in 1969. The prongs of the sai represent the three components of Shotokan karate:  kihon (fundamentals), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring).

Training has now finished for 2016 – it resumes on Thursday 5th January 2017. On behalf of all of club’s instructors, we wish our members, families and friends a peaceful and healthy Christmas, and best wishes for the New Year.

We are a very social karate club! Although we train hard, the annual Christmas party is a key fixture in the club calendar. This year saw one of the largest Christmas dinners – over thirty actively training karateka let their hair down (those that still have hair!) at Bistrot Pierre in Bath.

The food was good and the company excellent.  A brilliant way to end of a hard year of training. We also heard Sensei Ron’s annual speech, reflecting on the year’s successes – well done Gosia and James – and also looking forward to 2017.

Many thanks go to Rob for organising this year’s meal, and also acting as an impromptu waiter during dinner!

Congratulations to the club’s karateka of the year for 2016:

Competitor of the year – Gosia Glapiak

Student of the year – James Langley

Both Gosia and James have shown their commitment to training and competing over the year and are worthy recipients of this year’s awards. Well done to both of you from the club!

Today saw the latest kyu grading in the Bath-Bristol area followed by the annual children’s competition held in memory of Sensei Bill Winfield. The day was presided over by Sensei Bob Poynton, 8th Dan. There was a great turn out from all of the clubs in the area with 73 people training with Sensei Poynton and 52 people grading. There were also 22 children competing at Bills Day.

Congratulations to the following members of Bath Karate who successfully graded:

9^th Kyu: Islam Elbadawy

8^th Kyu: Momen Elbadalwy

7^th Kyu: Alex Martin, Adrien Espinasse

6^th Kyu: Nancy Richardson

5^th Kyu: Adam Mutlow, Sam Daly 5^th Kyu, Ben Hardy 5^th Kyu

3^rd Kyu: Jack Frith

2^nd Kyu: Paul Gamble

1^st Kyu, Adam Winchester

 

Bill’s Day Competition Results

Kumite 7^th Kyu and Below: 1^st Harry Lee; 2^nd Dylan Mateer

Kumite 6^th Kyu and Above: 1^ST Tyler Templer; 2^nd Allister Hanlon

Kata 7^th Kyu and Below: 1^st Dylan Mateer; 2^nd Quaid Bennett

Kata 6^th Kyu and Above: 1^st Archie Newbury; 2^nd Alistair Hanlon

Student of the day: Dylan Mateer

Thanks to everyone who trained, graded, competed, refereed and supported the event. Thanks also to Sensei Poynton for spending the day with us.