PRESENTATION NIGHT A BIG SUCCESS

For the first time, at our Winter 2019 Grading, new belts and certificates resulting from the Winter grading, were not presented in the dojo directly, but at a special presentation night.

The Grading, which took place on Sunday 17th November, was another busy and high quality affair, with just over 80 of our students progressing in grade. Five days later on Friday November 22nd, all successful students gathered in the Main Hall and to the delight of the couple of hundred supporters, were presented with their new Belts and certificates. Twenty-two 4-6 year-old Tigers were among the successful members. We also celebrated the successful promotion of two new Black belts: Ben (Junior Shodan) and Jayne. Also four of our most senior Black Belts progressed. Doru to Sandan (3rd Dan) and Helen, Kee and Ritchie were awarded their Diploma’s for Yondan (4th Dan) A great evening.

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Fantastic results for Vale Karate at WUKF European Championships!

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Vale Karate Coaches Sensei’s Leah and Luke travelled to Denmark with the Karate Wales Squad for the 11th WUKF European Championships which took place in Odense in Denmark from 24th-27th October 2019.

Leah was one of Wales’ coaches, with Luke being one of eight Vale members in the seventeen person squad.

Four days of tough competition, saw every one of Vale’s competitors rise to the challenge, with, incredibly, every one earning a European medal!

Vale Karate’s excellent 7 year-old Jakob Bartush won his 2nd European Kata title, twelve months after his first such title at the European Championships in Malta in 2018.

Sensei Luke Howard, on his return to the tatami after breaking his jaw sixteen months ago at the WUKF World Championships in Dundee earned a silver medal, and couldn’t have been closer to the European title, losing 6-5 in the final!

An amazing achievement as this was his first competition since then.
His Mum; Clare, who herself has recently started fighting competitively again after fifteen years away from competing, also won a silver medal!

The Lee family had a very successful competition!

Alysha earned a bronze in Kumite, Mayzi took a Kumite Silver and Elle-Mai, more used to Kumite medals, took a Kata Silver!

Emillie Thompson was on top form and was excellent in taking a Kumite silver medal.

Talia Efstathiou was last years European Champion and has improved radically since then, but up against extremely high quality competitors, Talia took the bronze medal.

Vale’s results.

Jakob Bartush - European Champion 🥇Under 8yrs Boys Kata

Mayzi Lee - Silver Medal Under 8yrs girls Kumite 🥈

Elle-Mai Lee - Silver Medal 10yrs girls kata 🥈

Emillie Thompson - Silver Medal 12yrs Girls Kumite 🥈

Clare Howard - Silver Medal Ladies Vets Kumite 🥈

Luke Howard - Silver Medal Senior Male Kumite -75kg🥈

Talia Efstathiou - Bronze Medal 🥉 11yrs girls kata

Alysha Lee - Bronze Medal 🥉16-17yrs female cadet Kumite

90 ATTEND THE SUMMER GRADING!

No fewer than ninety Vale Karate students progressed at the Summer Grading which took place all day on Sunday July 14th and on the evening of Monday 15th July.
Vale Karate have six new Junior Dan Grades; Elle-Mai, Lloyd, Thomas, Talia, Leia and Emillie and a new Adult Dan Grade as Ed was awarded his adult diploma.

Gradings will now take place every four months, in April, July and November. The new certificates and Belts will also in future be awarded at a special ‘awards’ presentation evening in the main Hall on the Friday following the Grading. The evening also applauding recent competition successes.


THIRTEEN CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS FOR THE VALE KARATE SQUAD BUT WE LOSE THE TOP SPOT AFTER SEVEN SEASONS!

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For seven season’s, ever since Vale Karate joined the Welsh Karate League, Vale have earned the ‘Champion Club’ award.
For five seasons the outcome was never in doubt as we dominated, but for the past two seasons we’ve been under siege from very strong English Groups! At the end of the 2016-17 season, we pipped the AKA Squad by 3 golds, and at the end of the 2017-18 season it was again very close at the top with Vale once again seeing off the combined ESKU and GKR squad, again by three gold medals!
This past season however it was not to be, as Mandie Read’s mighty AKA were too strong across the board! So when the dust had settled at the end of the day, and the end of the season on Sunday March 24th, AKA had amassed an incredible one hundred and seven gold medals, 36 clear of Vale who won 71, the Akaizen group were 40 behind Vale on 31.

We won no fewer than thirteen Champion of Champions trophies and many Vale performances throughout the day, and indeed throughout the season have shown huge promise for next season.

There are challenges for Vale ahead, as Sensei’s Leah and Luke are leaving Wales to find adventures abroad!
Australia being the first destination in May.
We wish them all the love and luck in the World! Their input has been immeasurable, but Vale Karate will continue, and continue to grow!

Both Leah and Luke ended their involvement in the WKL (for the foreseeable future) in style with three Champion of Champions trophies between them!

A huge well done and thank you to all who were part of the Vale Squad in the 2018-19 season! also to our members who officiated and of course the parents who support their children and Vale Karate tirelessly.

2018-2019 CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPIONS:
BRADLEY JAMES (Special & Para Kata)
DANICA APOLOGISTA (Junior Shotokan Kata)
ANGEL MANAYANI (Under 8 Girls Kata)
JAKOB BARTUSH (Under 8 Boys kata)
LLOYD BEER (U10 Advanced Kata)
ALYSHA LEE (U16 Girls Kumite)
LEAH HOWARD (Ladies Kata)
LEAH HOWARD (Ladies Kumite)
LUKE HOWARD (Mens Kumite -75Kg)
LLOYD, ELLE-MAI, MAX (U10 Team kumite)
JAKOB BARTUSH (U8 Novice Jukuren)
ELLE-MAI LEE (U10 Advanced Jukuren)
GREGORY JAMES (U12 Advanced Jukuren)