2017-2018 Term 2 Review
With the exam season and deadlines looming, it is now that I can look back and review Term 2.
Many things have happened with UEL Taekwondo and I’m glad to have been able to be there to witness it.
In Term 2 we have:
1) Began Wednesday training sessions
Having a third training session has been something long wished for by myself, as well as the club. To have everyone’s needs catered for is crucial to any form of development, so to finally have that extra session was truly appreciated by us.
Hopefully we can ensure that it will be continued moving into the 2018-2019 academic year, but this will be confirmed in due course!
2) Had Iraq National Taekwondo athlete Joseph and Coach Bahar visit UEL Taekwondo
Through Master Fiaz, we were lucky enough to have Joseph from Iraq’s National Taekwondo Team and Coach Bahar visit us at a training session in February. This allowed the club to learn more about sparring at an international level, gain advice on how to improve at sparring and experience training with a high calibre athlete.
We were all incredibly grateful for that opportunity and wish both Joseph and Coach Bahar all the best for the future!
3) Competed at the Student National Championships
At the beginning of March, UEL had 10 competitors go to the BSTF Student National Championships in Worcester, England, competing in both poomsae and sparring. Although we didn’t gain any medals in poomsae, we were immensely proud of Jade El-Mariji for reaching the C-Class Female semi-finals, and of Candice Wu for reaching the C-Class Female finals.
As for our sparring competitors, they came away with 7 medals in total, including two silver medals and 5 bronze medals. It’s always rewarding seeing people compete for the first time, be that in the sport or with UEL.
Thank you to everyone across the club that continues training even if they’re not competing themselves. It’s thanks to you that our competitors can work to their best and go to competitions throughout the year. And thank you to our competitors for going out and competing for UEL. No matter how you perform, I’m grateful for your willingness to try and desire to improve.
4) Members of the British Taekwondo board visit UEL Taekwondo
Towards the end of term, we were lucky enough to be visited by UEL governor and British Taekwondo Chair Jon Smith, as well as Technical Director Mike McKenzie and Chief Operating Officer Shirley Stapleton from British Taekwondo. Having 7th Dan Grandmaster Mike McKenzie leading the session was a unique experience for our members, and definitely something to remember!
Thank you once again to British Taekwondo for visiting and for allowing our members to learn from you and ask questions. Good luck with your continued development of Taekwondo in Britain and we hope to see you again in the future.
5) Elected a new committee for the 2018-2019 academic year
With the academic year almost over, a new committee needed to be elected for next year. Your new committee for 2018-2019 are:
Darren Crisp- President
Sarah Gould- Club Secretary
Matthew Payne- Treasurer
Thank you to the 2017-2018 committee and all that they’ve achieved. I’m grateful for all the help given across this year and for allowing some of my personal goals for the club to become a reality.
6) FIRST EVER participation in the 2018 Challenge Cup
For the first time ever, UEL Taekwondo competed in the annual Challenge Cup against Anglia Ruskin University. For two of our members, this was their first time competing in a sparring environment, and we're proud of them for taking on the challenge! The matches were very tight in scores, with UEL ultimately winning 2-1. Well done to our competitors for the win, and to all of the teams that competed in the Challenge Cup.
Things to look forward to:
Team DJB Hanmadang- 6th May
Grading (Colour Belts- End of May, Black Belts- End of June)
UEL Sports Awards- 23rd May
Summer Training -24th April to 24th June 2018.
It's been a great year with UEL Taekwondo, so I'd just like to thank every one of you that has been involved with the club this year. It's thanks to you that we've been able to grow so much, both in and out of the ring.
Good luck to everyone with their upcoming exams and deadlines!
Please find the Term 2 Impact Report below.
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