Vale karate kids dominate at national championships (From Barry And District News)

Vale karate kids dominate at national championships

ON Saturday, May 21, the National Govern-ing Body for Karate in Wales, The WKGB, held The Welsh Championships at The Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff.

This is the highlight of the Welsh traditional karate calendar and so Vale Karate attended with a strong squad.

As always the day started with the kata categories.

The dominance that The Vale enjoys in Welsh Karate in this discipline was demonstrated when they won five of the seven Gold medals available, as well as earning three silver and three bronze medals.

Of the four adult events The Vale won three.

Vale Kata Coach Bo Channon took the men's senior title for the third time in four years, and for the fourth successive year this final was between Vale team-mates, with Senior Instructor Andrew Kanias, Welsh Champion last year, taking the silver medal.

Mateaki Mafi was winner of the Men's Intermediate title with Nicola Joseph gold medallist in the Ladies Intermediate event.

The other adult category, the Ladies Senior event was won by The WKA's Natasha Purdue with Vale Karate's Alice Hooper on her senior debut at The Welsh Championships in silver medal position.

Nick Hooper at the age of 12 has won around 40 Open titles including the Welsh Under 12 title five times.

He sustained a knee injury at the beginning of January and was doubtful for these Championships; however at the last minute he entered and on his debut in the Welsh Under 16 event emerged as champion. As has been the case on many occasions; Nick headed a Vale 1-2-3 with Rhys Davies earning silver and Natasha Paton winning the bronze medal.

With Nick moving up to the Under 16 events the potential void was filled by Perrie Wilson, recently promoted to the Vale'A' Squad, who was Under 12 champion.

With these championships open to over forty member Associations of the Governing Body every medal was hard won, this was particularly true in the Kumite events. Natasha Paton however, was not to be denied. Natasha, winner of the Vale of Glamorgan Junior female Sports Personality of the year award recently, won her fifth Welsh championship, taking The Under 14 Girls title. The final Gold medal of the day was won in the Under 12 Boys team event courtesy of Perrie Wilson, Luke Davies and Christian Jones.

Junior Kumite coach Gareth Reynolds reached the men's senior Kumite final only to miss out on his fourth Welsh title by a single point.

The very next weekend the Vale squad was in Bristol for the British Institute of Karate Organisation's British Open and continuing their run of success won another six titles. Bo and Andrew again reached the men's kata final where Andrew became the first Welshman to beat Bo since he was a child. There were also gold medals for Mateaki Mafi, Natasha Paton, Gareth Reynolds, the 12 year and under Boys team and finally in the Under 14 event Scott Paramore.

On June 11, the Vale Junior seven-strong'A' squad travelled to Sheffield to participate in Britain's most prestigious junior tournament: The BKF British Youth Championships in Sheffield.

The day started extremely well with twice British Kumite champion Natasha Paton demonstrating the Vale all-round ethos by landing a kata silver medal.

Two kata bronze medals followed from newly crowned Welsh Champions Nick Hooper and Perrie Wilson.

The Kumite events also yielded two bronze medals from Leah Copeland in the Under 12 girls category and from last years Under 12 British champion Rhys Davies just finding the step up to Under 14s slightly too much. Scott Paramore has improved steadily over the last couple of years. He had the Vale supporters on their feet in the Under 14 Boys heavyweight division, becoming the 2005 British Champion.

The good news for Vale Karate doesn't end there however.

Vale Coaches Bo Channon and Gareth Reynolds are among six welsh athletes to have been selected for the 2005 Commonwealth Karate Championships taking place in New Zealand in August.

For more information on Vale Karate telephone 01446 419701 email: vale@valekarate.com or visit www.valekarate.com