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European Championships - Bochum - Germany27th March 2010
On the Thursday before the competition we travelled to Dusseldorf Weeze Airport where we were met by members of Karate Dojo Wattenscheid, the Organisers of this year's European Championships. An hour after they had transported us to the hotel in a respectable fleet of Volkswagen people carriers, we had changed into tracksuits and were off to a local park for some light training. Then we stumbled across a cosy restaurant for carbo-loading and a chance to soak up the local culture. The next day followed a similar pattern but included some free time for rest and relaxation. It was good to catch up on sleep and we all devoted quite a bit of attention to the local supermarket, stocking up on snacks that would sustain us during the next day's competition. Saturday! The day of the competition itself. We met at 6.30am for a team stretch and workout, some words of encouragement and support from Sensei Adel, Sensei Roy and Sensei Jenny, followed by a hearty breakfast. With a number of big appetites among us we probably set the record for the fastest ever clear-out of a hotel's buffet selection! Then we changed into karate-gis and were transported to the competition venue, the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum. In the warm-up area, the German team were going through some industrial-strength training drills. Another team had organised matching shaved heads. The Italian team modelled some particularly stylish over-gis. As the floor started to fill, the England team focused on a thorough warm-up led by Sensei Roy. Soon afterwards the eliminations began, starting with male cadet (age 16 - 21) kata. We moved through the categories with mixed fortunes.Our coaches kept a watchful eye and offered help and guidance. While the morning went on with a mixture of success and disappointment, spirits were soon lifted when it dawned that JKA England's female cadet kata team, senior ladies kata team and senior ladies kumite team had made it through to the finals! And cadets Jana and Roisin were to be finalists in their individual categories! Before the finals themselves we enjoyed participating in the Opening Ceremony. This featured a procession into the arena by each team and a taiko drumming demonstration. Feeling the energy and spirit of the drummers, we hoped to be able to apply similar levels to our forthcoming performances. Another 8 hours or so later ( yes - it was a very long day!) saw the team experience the exhilarating final rounds of the competition, a short stint of partying and a getaway-style autobahn journey in the middle of the night. Then our very tired but proud group assembled at Dusseldorf Airport. The strict RyanAir 10kg baggage rule was waived and Roisin, Rachel, Jana and Jodie were able to walk through the gate with an impressive selection of enormous trophies, a partial reflection of the achievements listed below. The final results for JKA- England are below:
23 countries, over 250 competitors, a warm and supportive atmosphere and a display of some of the highest standards of JKA karate in Europe. Now it's time to get back to the dojo to keep up the good work! Sasha Biesty 2011 JKA Europeans to be hosted by JKA-EnglandLook out for 2011 – JKA England are hosting at the K2 Centre, Crawley. |
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On 27 March 2010, JKA England's Senior Squad participated in the European Championships held in Bochum Germany. It felt great to be part of the team and embarking on my first International competition.