5th Wado-UK Presentation Evening 2012
On Friday 14th December 2012, around 150 of the Wado-UK membership gathered to celebrate the achievements of the group and its members during the year. The night was a great success, thanks to the hard work and dedication of many of our own people. The John McCarthy suite within the Hull University proved again to be a popular venue. However, this year we had outside caterers provide the buffet, and this also proved to be a good move. With a buffet for the younger children and a separate one for the adults, the arrangements proved to work very well.
The main award of the evening was the promotion of Wado UK President John Moreton from 7th Dan to 8th Dan Hanshi. This level of grade is the highest ever for a Karate Ka in our area, and represents over 40 years of training in Karate for John. This particular award was actually the final award for the evening, and it proved to be a perfect finale to the celebrations.
John Moreton is seen below receiving his
English Karate Federation 8th Dan certificate from Tony Dent.
John Moreton is seen below with some of his Wado UK Instructors
Tony Dent, Shirley Braid, Barry Meanwell, Paul Braid and Steve Balaam-Reed
The first association award was the Emily Pierce Memorial Shield. This award was designed to celebrate the life of Emily who passed away in 2010. This is the second year this award has been presented, and the recipient for 2012 was Keesha Cowles of the Shinken Dojo
Keesha is pictured below with Paul Braid and Jo Pierce, Emily's mum
The next award of the evening was the Association Service Award. Nominations this year for the award were as follows;
- Gaynor Dent for her outstanding efforts in every activity the association organised
- Allison Munro for her dedication and assistance with all events run by Wado UK
- Chris Dearing for his assistance and guidance on all matters regarding grant funding
- Mike Pinder for his enthusiasm in helping at all events staged this year
For 2012 the winner was Chris Dearing of the East Hull Woodford Dojo. Chris is seen below being presented with his award by Wado UK President Mr. John Moreton.
The next award of the evening was the Association High Level Achievement Award. Nominations this year for the award were as follows;
- Barry Meanwell for his selection onto the EKF Senior men's team for the Senior European Championships in Tenerife in May, and a Bronze medal at the EKF National Championships.
- Jessica Newton for her International appearance at the European Junior and Cadet Championships in Azerbaijan in February 2012, and her double gold medal success at the EKF National championships in April.
- Brandon Greenwood for his Kata Silver medal at the British International Open in Glasgow
- Amie Newton for her Kata Gold Medal at the British International Open in Glasgow.
For 2012 the winner was Barry Meanwell of the East Hull Woodford Dojo. Barry is seen below being presented with his award by Wado UK President Mr. John Moreton.
John Moreton also presented certificates of Dan grade promotion to Both Barry Meanwell of the East Hull Woodford Dojo, and Steve Balaam-Reed of the Chikara Dojo. Barry was promoted to 5th Dan in March 2012, with Steve being promoted in December.
Barry Meanwell 5th Dan
Steve Balaam-Reed 5th Dan
There were also certificates of qualification for those members who undertook table officials duties. Those successful candidates were;
Jade Clark, Stevie Dent, Steve Bell, Jenny Holmes, Mike Pinder, Paul Johnson, Tracy Bell and Paul Foster.
Qualifying as a competition Marshal was;
Elaine Hayes
Certificates were also awarded to all who assisted in Wado UK events this year,
For the table officials there was;
Gaynor Dent, Wendy Jollens, Allison Munro, Jackie Newton, Jenny Holmes, Steve Bell, Stevie Dent, Paul Johnson, Mike Pinder, Andrew Parker and Jade Clark
For the refereeing and judging officials there was;
Steve Balaam-Reed, Chris Fenton, Dean Fenton, Sammy Fenton, Paul Braid, Matthew March, Jim Dunn, Shirley Braid, Tracy Balaam-Reed, Barry Meanwell and Joe Munro.
For the competition area marshals there was;
Ben Munro, George Campbell, Elaine Hayes, Amanda Rose and Abbie Milner
For our volunteer helpers there was;
Kath Ward, Jo Pierce, Andy Barratt, Chris Dearing, Dean Dent, Amie Rose, Keith Meanwell, Chris Greenwood, Pete Rose, Katherine Oldershaw and Lisa Dearing
Certificates were also presented to those competitors who had represented their clubs at our Junior Championships in the Summer, and those who represented Wado UK in external competitions. Those who represented their clubs can be seen below.
The club level awards saw an addition as from this year. The new award is called the Best Newcomer, and it was adopted by all but one of our member clubs. It proved very popular, as it gave club instructors the opportunity to reward students who hadn't had much experience, but had perhaps shown great promise or enthusiasm.
The first club award is the Best Newcomer award. It can be awarded for for anything from enthusiasm, dedication or even reliable attendance.
The winners for 2012 were;
From the Chikara Dojo Sharla Cone
From the Chikara Cottingham Dojo Olivia Ashworth
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Matthew Clarke
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Kojo Nuama
From the Zanshin Dojo Ashley Oldershaw
The second club award is the Achievement award. It can be awarded for for anything from success to outstanding enthusiasm, dedication to determination.
The winners for 2012 were;
From the Chikara Dojo Libby Blake
From the Chikara Cottingham Dojo Michael Holiday
From the Kingswood Dojo Brandon Greenwood
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Amie Newton
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Teerth, Charan & Amrit Dhesi
From the Zanshin Dojo Josh Beaumont
The third club award is the service award. It is awarded for help with running the club or assistance in the development of any aspect of the club.
The winners for 2012 were;
From the Chikara Dojo Jenny Holmes
From the Chikara Cottingham Dojo Harry Fitz-John
From the Kingswood Dojo Brandon Greenwood
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Dave Short
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Mike Pinder
From the Zanshin Dojo Andrew Parker
The fourth club award is the Kata award. It is awarded for success, enthusiasm or ability in relation to Kata practice.
The winners for 2012 were;
From the Chikara Dojo Saskia Williams
From the Chikara Cottingham Dojo Robert Day
From the Kingswood Dojo Hayden Greenwood
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Matthew March
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Oliver Dearing
From the Zanshin Dojo Josh Hartery
The fifth and final club award is the Kumite award. It is awarded for success, enthusiasm or ability in relation to Kumite practice.
The winners for 2012 were;
From the Chikara Dojo Faith Holmes
From the Chikara Cottingham Dojo William Blake
From the Kingswood Dojo Hayden Greenwood
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Jess Newton
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Charlotte Pinder
From the Zanshin Dojo Gary Stevenson
Photography by Dean Dent