Wado-UK Championships 2014

6th East Yorkshire Open Karate Championships

2014 Wado UK Championships -- Results PDF
Gallery pages of the official Photographers (I'm Famous Photography) can be seen by clicking here
Our own gallery page can be viewed by clicking here
A letter from the Lord Mayor can be viewed by clicking here

On Sunday the 7th September, Wado UK hosted over 30 of the member associations and clubs from within the English and Home Nations Karate Federations. It was the 6th occasion of our East Yorkshire Open Karate Championships, and the day was once again a complete success. With everyone pulling together to help organise and plan the event, there is no wonder the day went so well.

For the first time but hopefully not the last, Wado UK hosted the Lord Mayor of Hull at the competition. This was a great honor because time is precious for anyone, particularly those in high demand. It was extremely pleasing to achieve this coup, and thanks must go to Steve Bell who did all liaising with the Lord Mayors office on our behalf. The Lord Mayor herself was really enthused by the visit, as this was her first sighting of our chosen sport. She spoke to many competitors, posed for photographs, and finished off by presenting the winners trophies and medals to the ladies kata winners, Kelly Horsefall, Haley Just, Kylie Jo Greeff and Briane Goff. The Photo below shows the presentation taking place.


The Lord Mayor of Hull presenting the ladies kata winners with their hard earned rewards
Also pictured is John Moreton, President of Wado UK left & the Lord Mayors Consort

The usual 6 tatami set up was again in operation, which helps the competition provide a safe competitive surface for those in attendance. No gaps between areas other than the proscribed safety areas means there will be no twisting of ankles if a competitor were to go into jogai.
Our new medals were presented for the first time this year also. Refreshing the old Wado style dove and fist was something we decided to do after 5 years of presenting them. They served us well, but with other more imaginative designs appearing on the circuit we didn't want to be left behind. Our new map of Yorkshire with the East Riding picked out in white enamel and also sporting the White Rose of Yorkshire were very well received. Along with the bigger than usual trophies for the winners too.

We would like to thank all those who attended the competition, and who therefore also contributed to its success. We see many associations and clubs return each year, and this is very encouraging for us.

We would also like to thank all those who assisted in the days activities. Officials included;

Dale Gamble (Chief referee) , Ivor Thomas, Peter Bibby, Gary Hoyle, Nigel Blood, Brian Jarvis, Gordon Harrison, Dave Robinson, Amir Arvandi, John Robinson, Brian Wragg, Tracey Archer, Gemma Holland, Robert Lamb, Graham Mableson, Geoff Dixon, Amir Karimi, Tiina Prajuste, Sarah Cotton, Colin Broach, Ashley Pickles, Tony Tutty, David Johnston, James Cotton, Rob Edwards, Rosemary Harper, Fred Ritson, Darren Cousin,Shirley Braid and Andrew Parker.

We were also assisted by many members and parents from within our own group and we are eternally grateful for this much needed help. Thank You Everyone!

Wado UK medal winners included;

Kata Gold - Tomasso Concass, Ben Mitchell
Kata Silver - Thomas Balaam-Reed
Kata Bronze - Ben Harrison, Callum Longmuir, Laura Fee, Briane Goff
Pairs Kata Silver - Ellis Miller, Josh Hartery - Chikara
Team Kata Bronze - Joshua Hartery, Josh Beaumont, Ellis Miller- Chikara
Kick-Master Gold - Reynaldas Sokolovas, Charan Dhesi, Amrit Dhesi
Kick-Master Bronze - Matthew Clarke
Kumite Gold - Charan Dhesi
Kumite Silver - Tomasso Concass, Josh Beaumont, Riley Dunn, Joe Rose
Kumite Bronze - Amie Neton, Joel Edgar, Reynaldas Sokolovas, Lewis Peak, Ellis Miller, Callum Longmuir, Chris Fenton
Team Kumite Gold - Oliver Dearing, Teerth Dhesi, Jakub Lutwiejko
Team Kata Silver - Thomas balaam-Reed, Joe Rose, Ben Harrison

  • Below is a list of results from the days events. We believe them to be accurate but we are more than happy to correct any spelling mistakes if you wish to contact us.

Kata Results

Category
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Bronze
KA 1
Lilly Mae Beeford Maddison Taylor Tai Bowen Lara Elliot
KA 2
Tomasso Concass Leeanne Delert Isabelle Emmerey Kate Rushforth
KA 3
Anthony Sempebwa Gena Elliot Edwin Leech Lucy Fields
KA 4
Ben Mitchell Asif Ahmadi Kyja Welburn Browen Horler
KA 5
Ellie Mae Hume Joe Johnson Callum Longmuir Mia Bower
KA 6 Girls
Simone Stewart Tammy Porter Sadie Stoner Megan Purvis
KA 6 Boys Brandon Greenwood James Raynor Ryan Holmes Ben Pinder
KA 7
Lucy Dalton Andreea Merlan Paven Chanal Roholah Ahmadi
KA 8
Alice Hayten Emily Fields Charlotte Raynor Lauren Fretwell
KA 9
Luke Easton Thomas Balaam-Reed Dylan Traves Ben Harrison
KA 10
Matt Zanbon Karen Owen Laura Fee Cassi Riley
KA 11
Kelly Horsefall Haley Just Kylie Jo Greeff Braine Goff
KA 12
Lee Lamb James Lee David Johnston Joseph Birch
KA 13
John Reynor Tony Pratti Dean Moody Karen Owen
KA 14
Hull & East Riding A Zanshin Miller CEWKA Chikara
KA 15
RBKA B RBKA A Dokan E Dokan B
KA 16
 Hull & East Riding Dokan B Hull Zanshin Dokan A
KA 17
 RBKA Dokan C Dokan D Meesham
KA 18
 Barnsley Shindokai Hull & East Riding Combined Services Chikara

Kick-Master Kumite Results

Category
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Bronze
KM 19
Maddison Taylor Beth Kerr Ruby Nichols Isobel Emery
KM 20
Charan Dhesi Chloe Telford Fay McQuillan Summer Purvis
KM 21
Amrit Dhesi Daniel Bartolletta Reuben Fellows Jack Pearce
KM 22
Renaldas Sokolovas Luke Brigham Matthew Clarke Patrick Quinn
KM 23
Leah Burkinshaw Lola Cassidy Brooke Burden Eve Palmer

Kumite Results

Category
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Bronze
KU 24
Emily Moran Riley Dunn    
KU 25
Tai Bowen Marcus Henderson Nathaniel Spencer Harry Stockdale
KU 26
Charley Deeble Lily Mae Bedford Laura Elliott Jacob Driver
KU 27
 Leah Burkinshaw Lydia Spellman Olivia Fellow Katie Snowdon
KU 28
Samuel Phillips Tommaso Concas Theo Sharpe Luke Martin
KU 29
Charan Dhesi Charlotte Newton Chloe Telford Grace Barnes
KU 30
Lola Cassidy Pheona Sempebwa Autumn Holmes Amy Newton
KU 31
Kristian Davis Josh Beaumont Reynaldas Sokolovas Ellis Miller
KU 32
William Smith Sam Perin Callum Warwick Oliver Russel
KU 33
Lucy Dalton Ellie Porter Ellie Mae Hume Mia Bower
KU 34
Rachael Traverse Libby Tucker Simone Stewart Emma Waudby
KU 35
Jake Haynes Mohzen Haidan Troy Darnborough Callum Longmuir
KU 36
Brandon Carr Jed Thompson Joel Edgar Leo Hunter
KU 37
 Andrea Merlan Chloe Peterson Helen Ward  
KU 38
 Natasha Holmes Mary Jane Mia Swaine Holly Stoner
KU 39
Paven Chahal Nathan Lee Glover Liam Cameron Roholah Ahmadi
KU 40
Spencer Cooper Joe Rose Jamie Gridley Morgan Rose
KU 41
UNCONTESTED  
KU 42
Katie Dalzel Ruth Thorpe Emma Grantley Jodie Hogarth
KU 43
Randy Lovedale Michael Holiday Lewis Peak  
KU 44
Aaron Kieran Zach Sharpe Lewis Palmer Josh Gleadell
KU 45
Ruth Thorpe Cath Brettel Mallisa Dargue Deborah Grindley
KU 46
 Amilia Harvey Siobahn Hayes Valentina Kruc Kylie Jo Greef
KU 47
 Cath Brettel Karen Owen Hayley Just Deborah Grindley
KU 48
Andrew Wils Matt Zambon Michael Harris Chris Smith
KU 49
Garethn Dunkirkly Dean Bannister Kevin Hall Chris Fenton
KU 50
Brian Hall Ronnie Harley Dean Moody  
KU 51
Dokan A Dokan B KKC Goshinkai
KU 52
Kaigon Goshinkai Grindon KKC
KU 53
Dokan A Dokan B Hull & East Riding A Hull & East Riding B
KU 54
Wado UK Shindokai Roding Washington
KU 55
UNCONTESTED  
KU 56
Sale Wado UK  
KU 57
UNCONTESTED  
KU 58
 UNCONTESTED  
KU 59
Shindokai Combined Services  
KU 60
Shindokai Combined Services A Combined Services B  

We are very fortunate to be able to call on our volunteers for this event, as the amount of work necessary is enormous. The competition itself is only one day of the year, but aside from the actual planning of the event which takes place over the preceding year, the event itself actually takes 4 days to run. Here is a whistle stop tour of the manic weekend that is the Wado UK East Yorkshire Open Karate Championships.

Friday - It all starts with the collection of our 2 Luton hire vans around 4pm. From there it’s off to the lock-up to pick-up the bulk of our equipment from its storage in Beverley. The more hands we have here the quicker we get done, after all it is a club night! This then moves on to picking up the remainder of the equipment from its various locations, such as garages and lofts at people’s houses. Once finished we are off to club for the last session of the week, and then get some sleep hopefully.

Saturday – Saturday morning sees us off to the Zanshin Dojo to pick up the last of the mats, tables and Kick-Master posts. Whereas the afternoon is always set aside for the setting up of the Airco Arena, which usually finishes around 4pm. Still no time to sit back and relax even at this point though, as the mobile phone never stops with last minute requests for changes, additions and withdrawals from the many groups who attend.

Sunday - Competition day itself is an early start to make sure we get to the venue ahead of the competitors. Apparently our traveling visitors have a procedure, the closer you live, the earlier you get there. Maybe to get a good seat, but maybe just to attempt an early entry. We panic less at this point than in recent years, but we do use the time to conclude any last minute arrangements for the competition itself. This year the competition started 10 minutes later than scheduled, as it seemed difficult to get everyone into action. As the categories got moving however the momentum took hold and we actually finished 20 minutes ahead of 2013, despite having a bigger entry. The day was well received by those who attended, although we did get a few suggestions for improvements. The newly designed medals also went down well, along with the bigger trophies we invested in this year. Hopefully 2015 will be even bigger and better, after all planning has already started.
Following the competition it is a frantic strip down and van loading session, with the Airco staff doing the same with their tiered seating we use. Once we are all loaded it’s off home to load up the garage, dining room and any other available space with items which belong to us, but also items of lost property which we always strive to repatriate to their rightful owners. Next it's off to Beverley to unload everything we picked up two days ago.

Monday - Monday morning and we’re still not finished. The last job of the competition itself is probably the returning of the Luton vans, though this isn't’t particularly true as the dining room is still cluttered with various paraphernalia as yet to be returned to its resting place. Back to work at this point and back to club on the evenings. Nearly finished I guess but it makes sense now to make a note of all lessons learnt over the weekend. Hopefully this exercise will make next year a little easier. Right, I must sort out that dining room!

Below is a write up which was requested by the Lord Mayor of Hull for her official press release. At the time of posting this web page we have no idea if it will be posted verbatim or edited.

On the 7th September 2014, the Airco Arena at the KC stadium came to life with around 400 competitors from around the UK, for this year’s Wado UK Karate Championships. This was the 4th time we have used this facility for the event, as it offers us the best opportunity to set up for the 6 tatamis (areas) that we need. This competition had humble beginnings at the Hull University in 2009, but since then it has expanded to such a degree that only the Airco Arena is now big enough to stage the event.
Karate in the UK is a very large sport, with clubs all over the Home Nations. Hull has its fair share of clubs, and Wado UK is a group of clubs in and around Hull which practice the Japanese style of karate known as Wado Ryu. Wado UK is run by John Moreton, a former British team member when in 1975 the British team won the World Championships for the first time in Long Beach California.
Mr Moreton has taught many students over the years, and though now he has scaled down his own training, his group thrives under the guidance of instructors he has taught. Several of these instructors are the driving force behind this East Yorkshire Championships, which is now one of the biggest and best competitions on the UK circuit. Many of those who attend have been coming to Hull for this competition since its conception, and with the excellent feedback Wado UK have received, they are likely to be coming for many years to come.
This year’s event was made all the more special because of the attendance of the Lord Mayor of Hull in her full civic outfit. The trophy presentations which the Lord Mayor was kind enough to award looked very special indeed on the photographs. They will look equally as good on the Wado UK web site.
The competition itself followed much the same format as many other competitions during the year. Kata or the forms sections were contested first, followed by the children’s Kick-Master categories, with the Kumite, or fighting categories, being last on the agenda. Kata itself is very difficult for non-karate-ka to understand, but a simple analogy is that it is like a Haynes manual of movements which each have a combative or defensive application. Looking on, some of the movements can easily be recognised as kicks or punches for instance, but many movements have subtle applications which are sometimes hard to decipher. Locks, blocks and throws are all common place within the kata movements, which are often more difficult to see. This gives rise to the belief that there are secret movements hidden within the kata, when in reality it’s just a very long learning process before these subtleties are revealed.

The kata sections began with the team events, which sees a three person team perform their kata in unison. The judges are looking for all the same attributes here as they are in individual performances, such as conformity accuracy speed power and realism, but they are also looking for synchronicity of movement. Here the difficulty of an individual performance is magnified as each team member attempts to create all those attributes of an individual performance, yet stick rigidly to a tempo being set by the other team members. This of course is in direct competition with an opposing team who attempt to impress the judges that their performance was superior. Winning teams have often contested several rounds before they are victorious.
Individual categories then follow the teams, with numbers swelling from dozens to hundreds as all of those who contested teams now attempt to become individual champions. Categories throughout the competition are sub-divided into age, gender and experience groups, and this competition sees no less than 19 kata categories having medals and trophies lined up on the table awaiting the winners.

The kIck-Master categories are only for the younger children of 10 years or less. This is a well-received section where the youngsters have the chance to kick and punch a post which stands in front of them. Here they can display their speed power accuracy fitness and imagination as they once again attempt to impress the judges. This event is always a noisy affair as excitement is the order of the day. 5 categories are contested here with the proud but exhausted winners displaying their medals as they leave the area.

Kumite, or fighting as we said earlier, is probably the easiest discipline to understand. However the rules of engagement are perhaps not. Never the less looking on as two competitors try to outwit each-other and score points is perhaps a simple enough concept. The difficulty comes from understanding what are fairly complex rules. The rules serve two purposes, the first of which is to establish a winner by rewarding the competitor who manages to score points on vital areas such as the head face and neck, along with the chest abdomen and sides. However they are also there to ensure the safety of each of the competitors. For example, some techniques are not allowed because of the obvious dangers to the opponent. Striking with the extended fingers could potentially blind someone. This therefore would be penalised. Excessive contact is another area of concern, and anything deemed to have been too heavy an impact would also be penalised. This isn't’t to say that injuries don’t happen, they do. As with most sports medical attention does become necessary, but the referees are there to ensure fair play, and along with the medics the safest environment possible is achieved. Of course the competitors themselves have a part to play in this safety issue too. In the main karate-ka subscribe to the ethics of fairness and not wishing to hurt or injure someone unless there is an absolute need. This then also helps to provide a competition which is safe and enjoyable for all.

British karate was once the best in the world, as John Moreton and his British team-mates proved in the 70’s and 80’s. As the winds of change saw countries such as France and Spain, and more recently Turkey and Azerbaijan take over this mantle, the Home Nations have had to play second fiddle to these new champions. We do still see success on this World stage, but these days it is on a smaller scale from our earlier dominance. However there are many reasons for this. Firstly these countries invest heavily in their sports, karate among them. Funding is available without question as they attempt to dominate the world of karate. Unfortunately in the UK every athlete is self-funded, or funded by their parents from the family budget. This makes attending competitions and training courses a very costly affair, and this is part of the reason Wado UK established this competition. The more quality competition we can offer the more chance we have of developing competitors of an International standard. Creating this competition in what is our own back yard, helps karate-ka in our Hull and surrounding areas compete at least once a year without the added expense of traveling and weekend accommodation. The fact that competitors travel from all across the UK to take part proves we have a winning formula. Many of our own Wado UK competitors had success at this competition, and this bodes well for the future.
John Moreton said that we are not complacent about our success, after all people can choose to attend or not. However we endeavor to improve on this event each year meaning that competitors are keen to return. Wado UK have plans to improve the event again next year, and plans are being drawn up to really elevate the event in 2017, when Hull is the European City of Culture. We hope to attract funding for the event in years to come, so that we can put Wado UK well and truly on the karate map, but also the city of Kingston upon Hull. 
Of course we have just spoken of the benefits to British karate here, we haven’t even begun the subjects of personal development of our youngsters, social benefits of these youngsters growing into responsible adults, and the teachings of respect for others. I believe karate and therefore Wado UK help to promote all of these things, and this is something we are very proud of. With our continued efforts and those of people who wish to buy into our aims, we will hopefully keep our youngsters off street corners for many years to come.

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