Clean sweep for Vale in KATA events (From Barry And District News)

Clean sweep for Vale in KATA events

THE VALE Karate Organisation is now firmly established as one of the strongest traditional karate associations in Wales, and have continued their exceptional competition success over the last few weeks.

At the Welsh Bushi-Kai Open at Afan Sports Lido, one of the biggest tournaments in Wales, the inimitable Nick Hooper, only nine years old, set the standard with the Vale's first win of the day.

Already one of Wales's most successful junior karate champions he defeated opponents up to six years older in winning the Under-16 Kata title. It was the first of a Vale clean sweep in the kata events.

Andrew Jones easily won the category for adults below the grade of brown belt and Kirsty Williams won the same category for competitors under 16. Finally, Vale Kata Coach Bo Channon, unbeaten in Kata by a Welshman for many years, showed why with another awesome performance to easily take the Men's Black Belt title.

Fellow Vale instructor Andrew Kanias also turned in an excellent performance to take third place with the other two places in the top four going to their respective English association's champions.

Thirteen-year-old Alice Hooper went through several rounds of tough competition to eventually land her second Open title in the Girls Under-14 Kumite.

Billy Seagrim was due to fly to Germany the following week as a member of the Welsh Under 21 team for the European Youth and Cadet Championships, and so thought of resting. However, as his category was packed with champions from all over the UK he decided the experience and challenge was worth the risk.

The work he has put in over the last couple of years has been paying rich dividends for some time now and continued here as he beat an Englishman, the current British champion, in the final to land the Vale's sixth title of the day.

As well as the Vale's champions, there were trophies for Scott Paramore, his first, in the Boys Under 10 event, for Janine Baker in the Ladies' Intermediate grades Kumite and the under 12 boys team of Josh Carmichael, Daniel Sweeney and James Dixon who came through for a well deserved third place.

A very small Vale squad took part in the WKA Welsh Traditional Open, also at Port Talbot, but still managed to come home with a number of trophies. Nathan Bridges won the Men's Kata event and was runner-up in the Men's Kumite, and Claire Cooper also won two trophies.

As if the competitive element of the Vale were not busy enough, around 70 enthusiasts took part in their bi-monthly Kata tournament.

There were first place medals for Matthew Johns, Leah Copeland, Sian Taylor and Alice Hooper in the Junior events and for Helen Young and Gavin Keedell in the adult events.

The squad were on the road again on March 3, this time to Bath, to take part in the prestigious "Legend Shotokan Open" and fulfiling all their hopes, dominated the event, coming away with no fewer than eight first place trophies.

Bo Channon took on and beat some of Britain's top Shotokan karate competitors in the extremely tough black belt kata division and was followed on to the winner's rostrum by Andrew Jones who won the same category for lower grades.

The star of the show was probably 18-year-old Claire Cooper. A double trophy winner a week earlier, she landed a treble of first place trophies winning her events in kata and kumite disciplines as well as being a member of the winning Vale Ladies team.

For further information tel 01446 419701, e-mail valekarate@ntl world.com or visit the website: www.valekarate.com