In the small city of Gloucester, 54 students from Kenbu Dojo signed up and took part in one of the biggest Kenpo Karate championships in the world, run by IKKA Europe at GL1 Leisure centre, 3rd-6th October 2024. With so many individual stories and accomplishments it will be an event that last for decades in all the students memories.
The event took place over 4 full days, with seminars, competition, black belt gradings and a celebration dinner. Of which Kenbu Dojo took part across the board. We were the first there every morning with excitement and positivity flowing, all eager to take part in this great event.
Day 1 & 4 Well done to our students who took part in the seminars over the course of the weekend, there was some great instructors from across Europe lined up and they each learned quite a lot in a small space of time. All of whom have been sharing what they learned at class with the rest of our club members which has been very insightful. We also watched Shidoshi Sinead step up and despite the pain she was in, teach an excellent seminar on "Fight like a Girl" which was well received and some great feedback given afterwards. Day 1 also saw Sinead and Izzy first on site to assist with the setting up of the gradings and opening of all the tournament medals which were individually wrapped and greeting some of the teams as they arrived to check out the venue.
Day 2 - Saw Kenbu Dojo first in the hall assisting with set up and welcoming competitors on arrival. With all our adults (all events) and kids (team events) taking place across the day. With some amazing performances from everyone on the mats. For some it was the nerve to stand up and give it a go, who may have never thought something like this possible and for a select few it was a familiar environment and they were ready to put on their best performances. There was some really tough competition, but the atmosphere was super friendly and supportive to all our competitors and we got some great results overall in the medal tally too.
Day 3 - First again on site and ready for action, this was the big day with all our team on the floor together! We saw most of our junior students step out on the floor for the first time ever and give the Forms divisions a go and they really smashed it. Each one stood up with confidence and gave it their absolute best on the day, for most kids that is the hardest part and we really hope to build on their new found confidence for years to come. The day overall brought in a tremendous array of medals and podium finishes and we are so incredibly proud of everyone. We were super proud of our members for picking up the litter around the hall without being asked to and helping stack the finished areas at the end of the day too when asked.
Evening 3 - Saw the celebration dinner, where a group of Kenbu students and parents dressed in some of their best outfits and enjoyed a 3 course meal, music and dancing. With Jay leading the dancing and showing us all how it was done and the Spanish leading an impressive conga line that filled the room too. We also spent the night sneaking like ninjas and putting "You survived a Kenbu attack" stickers on all who were in the room, one table at a time. Which was a whole host of fun and a laughter throughout the night. Legend has it that there are still some stickers to be found..... Have you checked your back? lol
Day 4 - Kenbu Dojo members arrived first and helped with the clean up of the sports hall and getting all the mats stacked and ready for collection as their warm up, this was no easy task and they were well and truly warmed up by the end! Then went upstairs in the leisure centre for a day of seminars. There was a much more chill atmosphere in the room and some great teachers on offer too, which we know our students loved every minute of.
By the end of the event Kenbu Dojo were smiling from ear to ear, they supported each other all weekend and cheered their team on. More importantly they made friends with people from across Europe and cheered them on too. Fantastic sportsmanship was shown throughout and we proved that while only a small club we are a force to be reckoned with.
European Championships Medal Results:
Gold - x15
Silver - x 13
Bronze - x 23
Total of 51 medals overall!! Kenbu Dojo also came 3rd place school overall, 2nd placed country in the medal tables behind Ireland and even had one student Ezri make the top 10 individual competitors overall.
A huge thank you goes out to our club instructor Sinead, who worked incredibly hard all year and believed in all of the students throughout. She has had an incredibly difficult year for many reasons that most don't know, but despite all that still turned up every week and gave her students her best. And on the weekend of this event, despite being in agony never sat down as she supported and cheered on each and everyone on the mats. Sinead truly goes above and beyond for her students and that clearly showed over the weekend. Thank you Sinead for always believing in us all, even when we don't and helping us to achieve something that most could only ever dream of.
Thank you to all the parents/guardians/supporters who brought their kids along over the weekend and cheered them on. Its not easy sitting in the stands all day but just know that your kindness meant your child had a safe space to achieve the unbelievable this year, representing not just themselves and their club but also their country. Thank you for trusting Kenbu Dojo with your child's journey and long may it continue from here.
Thank you to all the organisers at IKKA Europe for a great event and giving us a fantastic opportunity. We plan to take a break from tournaments for a little while but will resurface again in the future and see you all on the mats again!
Until next time..... watch this Kenbu Dojo space!! :-)
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