Parramatta and Toongabbie Mini Tournament

On Saturday 15^th October 2011 the Parramatta and Toongabbie Il Shim Taekwon-Do Clubs held a mini tournament to provide our younger students with the opportunity to experience competition and what it’s like performing “on the mats” and in front of an audience. It was also a great opportunity for our black belts to gain some experience in corner judging, coaching and umpiring.

In a nutshell… the day was a fantastic success with 35 competitors taking part. I was very pleased with every aspect of the event, and I was very happy when Master Daher told me he felt the same. All students participated with great spirit and it was wonderful to see the junior students demonstrating many of the techniques they have been learning in class.

We began the day with pattern divisions. It was clear that there were some nerves in many of our competitors who hadn’t been in a competition before, but they courageously did their best and will learn a lot from the experience. The benefit of experience is that these students will feel much more relaxed next time they have the opportunity to compete. Many students also had the benefit of advice from Master Daher as to how they could improve their techniques.

We then had the sparring divisions. All of the competitors did very well, really giving it their best. I was really pleased to see a number of students that weren’t sure if they should compete, deciding to give it a go… and then win medals! Well done!! I was also very impressed by the behaviour displayed by all competitors.

A few of our black belts (Mr Jasser, Mr Azad, Mr Massoud) and Mr Paul Wehbe (4^th Kup) then entertained the audience with several rounds of demonstration free-sparring.

While on the subject of sparring, Miss Marlee Tyson (I Dan) did an absolutely outstanding job of refereeing all of the sparring bouts. I think all that attended would agree that Miss Tyson looked more like a seasoned professional than somebody who was refereeing their first tournament! Well done Marlee (Mr Kelly would have been proud of you!)

Master Daher and our Black Belts assisted with handing out the medals for those students who had achieved 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in their events. There were some beaming smiles from the medal winners and lots of photographs with Master Daher after the event. (See full list of results below)

I would like to thank our black belts for assisting in various roles on the day: Ms Therrien-Tremblay, Mr Jasser, Mr Azad, Mr Ali and Mr Massoud. A special mention for Mr Paul Wehbe (4^th Kup) who also assisted with throughout the day – thanks Paul.

Thank you to Mr Charles Mouyat for taking photos on the day. There will be some photos from the event on the website soon.

Thanks to Sam Daher for providing assistance to transport the mats to and from the venue and helping out on the day.

Thank you to Ms Therrien-Tremblay and Miss Tyson for their baking skills and initiative, and to Mrs Tyson for looking after the table of goodies throughout the day.

And a huge thank you to all of the parents and friends who came along and supported the students. It was very pleasing to see so many so many parents making the effort to provide the opportunity for their children to compete. And thanks to all those who helped pack up after the event… it was one of the quickest pack-ups I’ve ever seen!

In closing, I thank Master Daher for his support, his presence on the day, and his ongoing guidance. I believe all of our competitors, as well as those assisting with judging and umpiring, gained invaluable knowledge and experience through participating in the event.

We hope to have another mini-tournament in February to get students ready for the General Choi Cup in Sydney in March 2012. We’ll keep you posted.

Regards,

Nathan

Nathan Tyson (II Dan)

Instructor

Il Shim Taekwon-Do

Toongabbie