7th Wado-UK Presentation Evening 2014

The 12th December was the 7th occasion we attended the Hull University for our annual presentation evening. In a change to tradition though, this year we left the John McCarthy Suite behind and moved into the Asylum venue. The increased capacity of Asylum meant we didn’t have the issues of previous years, whereby some people were unable to get tickets as we had simply sold out. Coupled to this the unrestricted view in Asylum as opposed to the restricted view in the John McCarthy, Asylum will hopefully become our venue of choice for the future. It is already booked for December the 11th 2015.

In the end we had approximately 230 people in attendance on the night, all there to enjoy the festivities of our end of year celebrations. Wado UK have had a very good year in 2014, which sets up nicely our aims for 2015. As we continue to grow and our organisation improves, the future for our students looks promising. We now have many youngsters who are now approaching their adolescent years, and if we can maintain their focus should go on to represent us well in the future. In this we all play a part, from us as instructors our parents and the students themselves. If we all maintain our focus and determination I’m sure we will see some of our youngsters go on to achieve some amazing achievements in the near future.

Making awards on the evening is always a very rewarding activity for us as instructors, but it is an incredibly difficult thing to do at times. We have 5 club awards covering Best Newcomer, Club Service, Achievement, Kata and Kumite. One award per category, yet we are often faced with the difficult situation of having more than one worthy candidate. It’s worth remembering that for each winner there is always a group of other very worthy candidates who deserve recognition. This is the same situation with the Association Awards of the Emily Pierce Shield, Service, and High Level Achievement. The winners for this year can be seen in the photographs below receiving their awards from their club instructors. The association awards are by tradition presented by our president Mr John Moreton.

All of our students deserve an award for their determination and perseverance. Of course the fact that we return every year to hold this evening is our way of saying well done to all and thank you for the hard work on our behalf.

The night had an exciting additional element for 2014, Magician Mark Waddington. Mark took our booking late in the day so to speak, and it was a good decision to invest in his services. His act was well received and many people were left amazed by his close up sleight of hand trickery, err, I mean magic. Following on from Mark we moved into the buffet, raffle, and disco part of the evening, where people had the chance to circulate and chat as is normal at our celebratory evening. Overall Asylum proved to be an exciting prospect for the future, as it provided an excellent view and an abundance of space for those in attendance. It was a great night and everyone there made the night a success and a night to remember.

The night of course has two main purposes. Firstly to recognise and reward those of our members who have stood out to us for many and varied reasons. The second is to celebrate another year of success for all of our members, award winners or not, by having everyone come together to reflect on the year just passed. This year was no exception, and the following people were rewarded for their achievements, determination, and or assistance to their clubs and Wado UK.

Our association award winners can be seen below being presented their awards by the President of Wado UK Mr. John Moreton 8th Dan and Paul Braid from the Shinken Dojo.

The first association award is the Emily Pierce Memorial Shield. For 2014 there was to be a shield share as two worthy recipients couldn't be separated. The winners were Libby Dunham and James Preston. James was unable to attend on the evening so the photograph shows Libby with Paul and Shirley Braid.

Libby is pictured below with Paul Braid left and Shirley Braid

The next association award was the Association Service Award.

This award is designed to reward someone who has been instrumental in the development of Wado UK through their help and assistance at such things as events. Jackie Newton was this years winner following her assistance as a table official at our competitions, fundraising for the kids bowling days, and helping to chaperone youngsters at competitions.

Jackie is seen below being presented with her award by the President of Wado UK,
Mr. John Moreton 8th Dan

The next award of the evening was the Association High Level Achievement Award.

This award has been designed to reward the recipient for their achievements throughout the year. The winner for 2014 and for the second year running was Amrit Dhesi following his two gold and two silver medals in the British 4 Nations and British International Open Karate Championships in Glasgow during 2014.

Amrit is seen below being presented with his award by the President of Wado UK,
Mr. John Moreton


Our club award winners can be seen below at the podium area, having just been presented their awards by their club instuctors.

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 2014 were;

From the Chikara Dojo Connor Featherstone
From the Zanshin Dojo  Samuel Gray
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Ryan Chappell
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Michal Drabek


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 2014 were;

From the Chikara Dojo William Miles
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Jordan Taylor
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Justin Behag
From the Zanshin Dojo Maddison Bell


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 2014 were;

From the Chikara Dojo Darren Horner
From the Shin-Ken Dojo Fiona Way
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Chris Dearing
From the Zanshin Dojo Joe Rose


The fourth club award is the Kata award. It is awarded for success, enthusiasm or ability in relation to Kata practice.
The winners for 2014 were;

From the Shin-Ken Dojo Ben Harrison
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Charan Dhesi
From the Zanshin Dojo Tommaso Concass
From the Chikara Dojo Harry Rowland


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 2014 were;

From the Shin-Ken Dojo Aiden Clarke
From the Zanshin Dojo Josh Hartery
From the Chikara Dojo Yakub Lutwiejko
From the East Hull Woodford Dojo Oliver Dearing

Five candidates were awarded Dan grades during 2014. they can be seen below displaying their Dan Grade Certificates. L to R Gary Pickles 1st Dan, Ben Harrison 1st Dan, Paul Braid 3rd Dan, Brian Goff 1st Dan and Jordan Taylor 1st Dan

Photography by Dean Dent

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