Welsh Nationals 2011

 Sunday 25^th September 2011, Hereford.

 Only 12 of you went however you came back with a fantastic 6 medals, 1 Silver and 5 Bronzes. It was also the most attended BJC Junior Nationals for many years.

  Starting with our smallest Francesca Taylor and Ceiran Walsh, both had good opening fights, Francesca producing one of her trademark ippon throws within a few seconds and Ceiran holding his own against boys several kilos heavier. Ceiran was pleased that he managed 5^th Place in a large group of heavier boys and Francesca just missed out on a bronze medal and thankfully kept her shoulder injury free even after some heavy throws.

Amber Gregson in only her second Nationals was determined to do well, and she did, against some tough opposition she came away with a well deserved Bronze Medal. Matt Weller was at his first Nationals and really enjoyed his first experience, holding his own with boys who had several Nationals under their belts. Jovan Lee-Roles did get frustrated with his performance this time, having won several medals in the past. Jovan fought hard but to no avail, though he had done his paper round before coming to Hereford.

Lola Arthur and Fiona Carroll were in the bigger groups that also contained several BJA fighters. Fiona stood up well against some fierce opposition and was pleased with her performance even without medal success. Lola was pleased with another Bronze Medal but it came at a price, what we had hoped was a sprained shoulder after one particular hard throw turned out to be a broken collar bone. We must all wish her well and hopefully see her back in 6 weeks. Lauren Curtis also had fearsome opponents but fought well and was pleased to up her medal from a Bronze last time to Silver this time.

Kushal Nayee and Max Blighton were both in the same weight/age group but in different pools. Both fought extremely hard and both experiencing at least 6 fights as they progressed. Max won all but one of his and Kushal winning several of his. Their dogged determination paid off as they both came away with Bronze medals in a large group that again had a lot of experienced BJA fighters.

Adam Lyne and James Chitty were both in the re-introduced Epoirs category. The weight separation was decided on the day, James in a light group and Adam in the heavy group. Both groups again had a lot of BJA fighters mainly Brown and Black belts which would prove to be tough competition. James was pleased with his performance but realized he hadn’t had enough mat time. Adam was slightly disappointed with his, but shouldn’t be as he came away with a Bronze medal even after some referee decisions went against him.

Well done to you all, an awesome performance at a very heavily attended competition.

A slightly smaller group than normal attended, 19 children of which for 8 it was their first time. It was still an impressive performance by everyone and we came away with 4 medals; 1 Silver and 3 Bronze.

The competition in general had a low turnout, however it meant that those there were definitely the best in the country and proved to be very difficult to win against.

Philip Sparks in his first Nationals had some good fights, scored some points and gained great  experience. Francesca Taylor was up against some old rivals, had a good start with a great ippon, but then took a couple of knocks which shook her concentration, still she enjoyed her visit to the medics bay again. Ceiran Walsh battled strongly but struggled with some of the new rules, especially the change in the starting procedures.

Keiran King and Jack Mitchell both had to move up a weight group and joined Alex Bakewell and Jovan Lee-Roles in what was probably the largest group. All 4 had some good wins and Keiran and Jovan managed to get through to fight for the Bronze medal, however both just missed out.

Amber Gregson and Abigail Pinney both enjoyed their first Nationals experience and can’t wait to get back for the Welsh Nationals. Ben Griffin also at his first Nationals started well and then came up against the eventual medallists, he battled hard but just couldn’t get his trademark throw. Bryony King just gets stronger each time she attends and I am certain she will medal next time.

Kushal Nayee after many years and attempts was justly awarded with a Bronze medal in a very tough group. Alex Owen, Max Blighton and Will Hankins all at their first Nationals came up against some extremely strong opposition but all enjoyed the event and now have a better idea of what to expect next time.

Fiona Carroll and Lola Arthur were both delighted to win medals, Fiona a Silver and Lola a Bronze, well done girls. Nel Attwood ended up in an amalgamated category so was up against far heavier girls than herself. She did take a bad knock to the ribs at the start but carried on. Lauren Curtis performed well again and was very pleased with her Bronze medal and I believe some of the pictures taken while she was fighting.

Well done to you all, a fantastic performance, especially as we didn’t have much chance for practice just before the competition.

Best wishes

Jonathan

J U D O

Sunday 19^th June 2011

Henry Box School, Witney, Oxfordshire

When: Sunday 19^th June, Children too arrive by 10:00 am for warm up and size off. Medal presentations at 1:00pm

Where: Henry Box School, Church Green, Witney. OX28 4AX Look for the Church – Henry Box School is right next to it.

What is it ? A team competition where the children are sized off and then put into different teams. Each team will consist of about 10 players and have a team Captain (16/17 year old) and then children reducing in size down to 5/6 year old size. Each team member will fight their corresponding size on the other team. Girls 12 and over will only fight girls. After each member of the team has fought the teams are rotated. We expect each child to have at least 5 fights. Points are recorded for wins and draws and the team with most points wins. There will Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies for each team member.

Cost: £3.00 per child plus £2:00 spectator fee.

Rules: Only Green belts fighting Green belts allowed to perform sacrifice throws. Only coloured belts fighting coloured belts allowed to perform armlocks, chokes and strangles.

School rules: All children and spectators are only allowed in the Sports Hall, changing rooms and toilets. The School is a total non smoking site.

This is more of a fun competition and is particularly suitable for those that have never been to a competition before or are a little bit nervous about competing. Everyone has a chance of winning a trophy as it all depends on how well the whole team does rather than individual performances.

We are  always looking for parental assistance so if anyone is willing to help please contact Jonathan on  07967 349864 or Debbie on  07817 759085.