REFINING OUR TRAINING SCHEDULE

After introducing a new schedule at the beginning of November, we have tinkered with the timetable at our dojo at Barry Leisure Centre to increase the benefit to our members.

• The Monday 7pm session for Junior 1st Kyu's is now for Junior 1st Kyu's and Junior Black Belts.
• The Wednesday Fighting Fit sessions for 8 years and below and 9 years and above are now for ten years and below and eleven years and above.
• The Thursday 7pm 'Junior Black Belt' session will now be a Kumite class for Junior brown and Black Belts.

We believe these changes will benefit our club in our relentless pursuit of excellence!

VALE KARATE'S BIGGEST SQUAD YET ATTEND WKL 5!

WKL 5, was organised by Rob, Cathy and Leah and our competitors rose to the challenge attending in impressive numbers, in fact the biggest squad in Vale Karate's history! Eighty-four category entries.

As well as the booming children's squad, who, due to the new improved curriculum, are improving rapidly, it was great to see the return of some of Vale's 'more established' students shaking off the dust and rust to once again step on the tatami for Vale Karate!  
Steve Copeland, Sarah Morgan, Heidi & Kloe Christoforato & Kee Wong all made a comeback and showed that quality doesn't diminish with time... With Steve and Kee meeting in the Male Veterans Kumite final (Steve taking the gold) and Sarah winning the ladies veteran Kata event. Heidi took bronze in the Female Vets Kata, and with Kloe took bronze in the Parent & Child Kata event. Kloe also took U16 Female kata bronze.
Ritchie Godchild made his debut in blazer & greys joining our own Doru Grad.

Our regular medallists didn't disappoint,  with Leah again demonstrating why she's Wales' best all-rounder by taking the Kata/Kumite double. 
Alysha Lee  beat team-mate Ella Forsyth in the final of the U14 Girls Kumite (with Lauren Moran showing our strength in depth in this area with a fine bronze medal winning performance)  
Nathan Shepherd extending his lead at the top of the U10 Novice kata category with another gold ahead of Talia Efstathiou and Daisy Vann and Amelie Fisher having a fantastic result in winning the U8 Girls Kumite.

We also had a presence in all Team Kumite categories with all winning silver medals with the exception of our adult team (Luke, Leah, Stephen) who took gold!

Vale are having a season-long battle Royal with Mandie Read's ASKA GB at the top of the club medal table.
ASKA started the season strongly and had a good lead over Vale after two events. They then missed WKL 3, which handed Vale the lead. They may have expected to take the lead back in Penarth, being just two gold medals behind, however a strong performance from our large squad meant Vale just edged victory (ten golds to nine) to extend their overall lead to three golds (41 to 38) it's going to be close at the end of the season in March! The first time in five season's Vale have been challenged! Bring on WKL 6, in Barry on January 29th! 

Vale results:
Gold
Bradley James: Special & Para Kata
Amelie Fisher: Under 8 Girls Kumite
Nathan Shepherd: U10 Novice Kata
Alysha Lee: U14 Girls Kumite
Leah Copeland: Ladies Kata
Leah Copeland: Ladies Kumite
Sarah Morgan: Female Veteran Kata
Luke Howard: U75Kg Mens Kumite
Steve Copeland: Male Veteran Kumite
Luke, Leah, Steve: Adult Team Kumite

Silver
Jared Butcher: Special & Para Kata
Lucas Widdrington: Special & Para Kata
Amelie Fisher: U8 Girls Kata
Chiara Baker: U16 Shotokan Kata
Lloyd Beer: U8 Boys Kata
Jack Eustace: U8 Boys Kumite
Talia Efstathiou: U10 Novice Kata
Greg James: U10 Advanced Kata
Gracie Sheldon: U12 Novice Kata
Danica Apologista: U14 Advanced Kata
Ella Forsyth: U14 Girls Kumite
Josh Davies: U16 Boys Kumite
Kee Wong: Male Veteran Kumite
Greg, Nathan, Anne: U10 Team Kumite
Rhydian, Ellie-Jayne, Edward: U12 Team Kumite
Sam, Alysha, Elliot: U14 Team Kumite.

Bronze
Connor Ashill: Special & Para Kata
Heidi & Kloe Parent & Child Kata
Danica, Ella, Ellie-Jayne: Team Kata
Angel Manayani: U8 Girls Kata
Elle-Mai Lee: U8 Girls Kata
Elle-Mai Lee: U8 Girls Kumite
Max Riddick: U8 Boys Kata
Lloyd Beer: U8 Boys Kumite
Daisy Vann: U10 Novice Kata
Emillie Thompson: U10 Girls Kumite
Griff Hughes: U12 Boys Advanced Kata
Rhydian Pullin: U12 Boys Advanced Kumite
Chiara Baker: U14 Girls Advanced Kata
Alysha Lee: U14 Girls Advanced Kata
Lauren Moran: U14 Girls Kumite
Kloe Christoforato: U16 Girls Kata
Emma Squire: Ladies Kata
Heidi Christoforato: Female Veteran Kata
Vincent Piguet: Male Veteran Kata

RELAUNCHING...

On Monday 31st October 2016, Vale Karate underwent several major changes in our continued pursuit of excellence!

A new 'VALE KARATE DOJO' at Barry Leisure Centre.
Our small dojo is the home for classes five days a week, with our old weekday groups changed and divided to make smaller classes.
Smaller classes inevitably lead to higher standards. There is also now the opportunity of private 1-2-1 classes.

PLEASE NOTE: We have continued with our big weekend (Friday & Saturday) classes at the Hub (Barry YMCA) where everybody will have the opportunity to train.

NEW BADGE and NEW TRACKSUIT.
We spent a great deal of time discussing and designing our new badge, which encompasses the Welsh Dragon and perhaps the Vale of Glamorgan's most famous landmark, Porthkerry Viaduct. The new Vale Karate Tracksuits with the badge embroidered on the front and VALE KARATE embroidered in silver on the back are now available to buy (Contact Leah)

NEW COACHING SET-UP
Leah Copeland Wales' top all-rounder has now joined me as a full time instructor, and a partner in Vale Karate and I know our coaching team will lead us to even greater success!

Exciting times ahead!!!
 

Rob Copeland

Our new badge features the Welsh Dragon, and perhaps The Vale's most famous landmark; Porthkerry viaduct.

WKL II: WREXHAM

The second WKL event of the season took place in Wrexham in North Wales.

Coming so soon after the exertions of the WUKF World Championships in Dublin, the Karate Wales Open was quieter than expected, however it appears coaches and competitors alike had their sights set on Wrexham as their return to competition, and so this event, historically the quietest of the season, was anything but!

After a bronze at WKL I in Newport, Bradley James was back to winning ways with a gold in the Special & Para Kata in Wrexham. Lucas Widdringtion, now among the older competitors added another Bronze to his collection.

Mandie Read and her Son Daniel from AKA took the Parent & Child Kata for the second consecutive time, Mark & Ella being Vale's only medallists on this occasion.

We have a big entry in the Junior Kata teams but against stiff opposition, only the Vale Warriors (Danica, Ella & Ellie-Jayne) could earn medals, bronzes. 

Danica took another bronze in the Junior Shotokan Kata with Chiara Baker also taking a bronze medal.

Welsh Open champion Amelie Fisher took the U8 Girls Kata gold medal, with Elle-Mai Lee taking bronze. Amelie than took a Kumite bronze, with Elle-Mai going one better, taking the silver.

Nathan Shepherd was again champion in the U10 Novice Kata, with Daisy Vann and Talia Efstathiou each taking bronze medals. in the same age group's advanced Kata section, Gregory James was again champion. Nathan is another of our all-rounders, as demonstrated in the Kumite where he took the silver medal. Kian George took a bronze.

Ellie-Jayne Farrugia took a silver in the U12 Girls advanced kata, just ahead of team-mate Ella Lyons who took bronze.

Griff Hughes took an U12 Boys advanced Kata silver medal.

The talented duo of Chiara baker and Danica Apologista contested the gold in the U14 Girls advanced Kata with Chiara having the edge and taking the Top Spot.

The final of the U14 Girls Kumite, between Vale team-mates Alysha Lee and Ella Forsyth turned from a celebration to a desperately unfortunate outcome as Alysha was taken to hospital after lengthy care on the mat. Without too much detail, Alysha developed breathing problems and couldn't continue. She was awarded the gold with Ella, who was extremely upset and concerned for her friend, awarded the silver.

Leah Copeand took her second consecutive Kata gold, adding a kumite silver later.

Heidi Christoforato returned to the WKL with silver medal in the Ladies Veteran Kata. Mike George took a silver in the mens Vet Kata.

After two events, Vale Karate find themselves in the unfamiliar position of second on the medal table, behind the GB Squad of Mandie Read's All-Styles Alliance.

The season has become very interesting!

VALE KARATE AT THE KARATE WALES OPEN 2016

The 2nd Karate wales open toOK place in Merthyr over the weekend of 2/3 july 2016.

This was a two-day event, with Saturday being devoted to Kata teams and Pairs, and all events for children of 12 years and below, and Sunday catering for teenagers and adults.

For well over a decade Vale Karate have been Wales’ most successful club, be it the WKL or elsewhere, and again were top of the medal table at this, the most prestigious event of the domestic calendar.

Although smaller than expected, this was another high quality tournament with medals hard to win in all categories.

A number of categories were merged, making winning medals even more difficult and young Jared Butcher was the first casualty of this development as he was placed in the All-ages Para Kata against older opponents. Jared and Lucas Widdringtion earned Bronze medals.

Kian George competing in the 6-8 Boys Kumite took another Bronze medal for Vale Karate as did Elliot Butcher in the high quality 11-12 Boys Kata.

Our first Welsh title came from 7-year-old Amelie Fisher in the 6-8 Girls Kata, with Heidi Randall-Sidaway taking the silver and Elle-Mai Lee earning Bronze. 

Amelie later took another medal, a Bronze in the 6-8 Girls kumite!

The Bronzes kept rolling in as Ella Lyons took third place in the 9-10 Girls Kata.

Chiara Baker, along with others of an elite group,  had earlier been presented with an award to recognise her two European and one World title, she then went on to dominate both her Kata and Kumite categories winning gold medals and Welsh titles in both! The impressive Sumaya Evans of Cardiff taking two silvers.

Our entries in the Parent & Child event, Mark & Ella and Mike & Kian, both took medals, silver and bronze respectively, Mike George was then rewarded for the work that has brought his consistency in the WKL as he took the gold medal in the Mens Veteran Kata. 

Our U16 Kata teams, the Vale Dragons and the Vale Warriors, both earned medals with Ella, Danica and Chiara (the Warriors) taking silver and Amelie, Elle-Mai and Heidi (the Dragons) taking the bronze.

Sunday’s events for teenagers started in great fashion for Vale Karate as Max Baker took the gold medal in the 13-14 Boys Kumite -50Kg, a great result. Max and Jack George then took a silver in the Boys team event.

Vale Karate won two medals in the 13-15 Girls Shotokan, with Danica Apologista just missing the gold, earning the silver ahead of Alysha Lee who took bronze. 

Alysha then went on to take the gold medal in Kumite, again vying with a team-mate as Lauren Moran took silver!

Emma Squire was in a tough category, the 16-17 Girls Open Kata with all the top three possible champions and all could also be vying for medals in the Ladies event! 

Emma eventually took silver ahead of Emily Smith of Samurai and just behind Charlotte York of Kansei.

Leah Copeland had been ill since her return from Dublin, where she had been in the form of her life. Her Kata was below par, and although her class earned her a medal, it was a silver not the gold, which went to the excellent Sophie Vingoe of Samurai. In the Kumite however Leah was peerless and took the Welsh title with strong performances.