Competitions

2012 Competition Dates

English Open - Saturday 24th March - Guildford Spectrum
Welsh Open - Saturday 19th May - UWIC (Provisional)
London Open - Sunday 8th July - Guildford Spectrum
Scottish Open - Saturday 22nd September - Ravenscraig (Provisional)
UK Open - TBA November - Central UK

UK Open 2011

The UKTA UK Open is always a huge event in the Taekwon-do calendar and this year was to be no exception. With over 400 competitors from around the UK the categories were large and the competition was fierce but that didn’t stop a number of Tidworth Taekwondo members from heading to Guildford spectrum to do their best and enjoy the experience.

Junior member Jack Beaumont was keen to build on the success he’d had in the Welsh open earlier in the year. After some initial equipment problems, Jack managed to fight through a number of rounds in his sparring category and achieved bronze medal position. In his favourite event, the special technique, Jack managed to perform some excellent flying sidekicks and made it through several rounds but fell just short of a medal position.

There was more medal success in the sparring, with Matthew Bates showing increased confidence in his sparring abilities and managing to achieve the silver medal position. In the patterns categories Tidworth members continued to perform their patterns to a high level and Kiera Seabrook was able to take the bronze medal for her category.

For Emily Kinchlea and Andrew Smith this was their first experience of Taekwondo competition and they showed excellent confidence and composure when under pressure. Regular competitors Tyler and Harry Hiscock also attended the competition and performed well, particularly in sparring bouts against some difficult opponents. Remember to visit the gallery for photographs from the day.

With the 2012 competition dates due to be announced any day now we hope that students will continue to see the valuable opportunity that competition provides and get the dates in their diaries so they don’t miss out next year!

Welsh Open 2011

On Sunday 25th September four members of Tidworth Taekwon-do travelled to Cardiff for the annual UKTA Welsh Open. With the competition kicking off at 9:30am it was a long day but one which proved to be extremely positive with Tidworth Taekwon-do winning 6 medals in total; 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze - a huge success from only 4 competitors.

A particular mention should go to junior member Jack Beaumont who fought his way to huge success in his first ever Taekwon-do competition. He successfully fought his way to a silver medal in his sparring category. Most impressive was his achievements in special technique in which he competed against children of a much higher grade and managed to achieve a gold medal. Special technique involves performing a flying side kick over an increasing distance and is an event in which Jack has always shown great promise.

All other members in attendance were also successful on the day, including Harry Hiscock, another newcomer to competitive Taekwon-do, who achieved a silver medal in sparring and his brother Tyler Hiscock who achieved bronze in sparring. Lorraine Ryall, a member of the adult class, achieved 2 gold medals on the day for sparring and power test.

We are extremely proud of all those who competed and are now focusing on the UK Open in November where we aim to build on these successes. Visit the competition gallery to view more photographs from the day.

English Open 2011

Matt and Tyler with medals There was more success for the students of Tidworth Taekwondo at the first UKTA tournament of 2011, held at the Guildford Spectrum on 12th March 2011. With over 400 competitors in attendance the day was sure to be a long one and with large numbers in each category medal positions would be keenly contested.

The day began with the pattern event and first up was Matt Bates, competing in his first ever competition. Understandably nervous, Matt acquitted himself superbly progressing through several rounds and into the medal positions. Despite another impressive performance he narrowly missed out on a place in the final, eventually taking the bronze medal. A fantastic achievement for his first taste of competition.

Tyler Hiscock added to his 2010 successes by taking bronze medals in both the pattern and sparring events. Despite being one of the youngest in his category, and invariably one of the smallest, Tyler continues to compete effectively in the strong 13-17 year division. As he continues to develop competitively it will not be long before his efforts are rewarded with gold medals.

Lorraine Ryall with medal Lorraine Ryall went one better than her efforts at last year’s English Open by taking gold in the female blue and red belt sparring. In the final she faced the same opponent as last year but with more focus and greater accuracy in point scoring she overcame her more aggressive competitor. This performance was even more credible given that Lorraine competed more rounds than any other competitor in the category.

This was a great start to the year and it was nice to see so many supporters in attendance. Thanks also to Martin Smith who attended as an official and helped to ensure that all rings were able to run continually throughout the day. The next competition is the London Open on the 17th July where it is hoped to see further success from the students of Tidworth Taekwondo. Visit the gallery for more photographs from the day.