JKS Nationals – Nottingham 2nd November 2014

I think we all know that Haxby isn’t a particularly competitive dojo and there is never any pressure for its members to attend the various competitions around the country. That didn’t stop a small team, including two debutantes, from wanting to compete in the annual JKS National Championships. And there can’t be many clubs who could boast that they supplied an equal number of competitors, officials and spectators to the event.

The vagaries of scheduling the individual events to ensure that each Tatami was in use a much as possible, but to an outsider seemed quite random at times, even with a fifth tatami being added to the arena, it was a long day for anybody taking part in both kata and kumite. As spectators, however, it meant that we got to see some high quality and interesting karate between supporting the Haxby Squad. Unfortunately, a prior commitment meant that we left soon after the last Haxby competitor had finished their event and we missed the special England v Scotland event which rounded off the day.

Holly, Adam and Jonathan were up first in team kata, the opening event of the day. Competing in the 11 – 15 yrs category, their first round opponents were the Walsall B team, made up of slightly lower grades than the Haxby team. Walsall’s Heian Godan was, unfortunately for them, performed slightly out of sync and led to Haxby’s Bassai Dai winning the round with a score of 2:1. The second round saw our team up against three male black belts who performed, a fast, peppy and intricate kata full of bounces, jumps, high kicks and spins (kanka sho, I think) that was not only performed immaculately but was a delight to watch. Inevitably, despite an even better performance than in the first round, all three judges scored against Haxby in this one. This was no embarrassment, though – the trio had only had a limited number of practice sessions and to get through to the second round was seen as an achievement in itself.

All four members of the Haxby team also competed in the individual kata events. A clash of events meant that I didn’t get a chance to watch Jonathan, whose first round Heian Nidan wasn’t favoured by the judges, who awarded a unanimous win to his opponent. Nor did I see Adam, whose Heian Sandan saw him progress through to the second round with a unanimous win. Unfortunately, in that round two of the judges deemed his opponent’s Heian Shodan the better and Adam’s competition was also over.

Elizabeth, performing on a Tatami with five judges, fared little better in the Dan grades category. Her first round Heian Sandan split the judges three to two, but in her opponent’s favour. Talking to her afterwards, she thought it was probably her stances than let her down. Something for her to work on, then.

Holly had a similar experience to Adam, winning the first round with a Heian Godan that saw all three judges rule in her favour. Her second round Heian Yondan, however, saw her opponent receive the same score.

With Adam and Jonathan heading home, the girls had a long wait before their individual kumite events, both of which took place late in the afternoon. Elizabeth was the first to compete and was up against Lois Norwicki, a 3^rd kyu from FSK who didn’t have the height advantage of Elizabeth’s usual opponents. As usual, Elizabeth fought bravely and with spirit, attacking much more than in the past. Unfortunately, it was to be her defence that let her down again. Both fighters went for a chudan gyaku zuki but it was Lois who was deemed to hit first. Then, as Elizabeth attempted to win the bout outright with a mawashi geri, Lois snuck in with another chudan punch, winning the fight 2:0.

With just Holly left to compete, it was looking as if Haxby were going to be leaving the event without any medals. Well, sort of…

Earlier in the afternoon, Holly had been drafted in to fight alongside Emily and Abby from Selby in the team kumite event. Fighting first in the first round, Holly won her bout and, with Emily losing but Abby leading 1:0 at the end of the allotted time and the judges awarding her the win, the trio progressed to the next round. With only a few teams entered, this turned out to be the final. Holly was first onto the tatami again but she took an eye-watering kick to the head which meant here opponent won outright. Both Emily and Abby’s fights ended in draws and, in both cases, the judges couldn’t separate them either, meaning that the team lost the round but, ultimately, won a silver medal.

After a bye in the first round, Holly’s individual kumite was a much more measured affair than Elizabeth’s, but Holly still took the fight to her second round opponent – Sofie Evans from Brecon. With no score at the end of time, and the judges not able to split the girls, the bout went to extra time and Holly scored first with a jodan punch, winning the fight. Again, a small number of competitors meant that her next round was a semi-final and a medal was guaranteed. A chudan punch saw Holly’s opponent take the first point and a jodan punch won her the fight, meaning Holly came away with a bronze medal.    

These competitions aren’t just about the medals, though. Winning is nice but, like any sport, it’s the taking part and doing your best that counts. “I tried,” mouthed Elizabeth to me as she left the mat after her kata, and that’s all we can ask, isn’t it? Well done to all four club members, all of whom showed determination and spirit.

Thanks to Ian Massey for this report (and to agreeing to be the squad coach at the last minute!)

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