Youngsters claim Scottish title success - Four golds for city competitors

FOUR members of Claire Crosbie’s TaeKwon-Do School in Inverness were crowned Scottish champions in their divisions at the ITF Scottish TaeKwon-Do Championships.

The squad of 12 who travelled to the competition in Glasgow collected an impressive haul of 14 medals - four gold, three silver and seven bronze.

The under-13-years green belt sparring category produced an entertaining display of TaeKwon-Do. The under –135cm height division saw team-mates Ryan Patience and Tyler MacKay, who are both seven, face each in the final.  An exciting performance delighted the crowd, who were then treated to an additional round when the duo were judged equal on points after normal time. It was Patience that took the Scottish title by the narrowest of margins, leaving MacKay to settle for the silver.

Eight-year-old Dylan Morrison was to collect the club's second gold of the day in the under –145cm sparring division. Along with former Scottish champion Finlay Davidson, also eight, he had already picked up bronze medals in the patterns section. On this occasion Davidson was unfortunate not to reach the last round and had to settle for the bronze while an impressive Morrison powered through to take the title.

Soon to follow him was 12-year-old Daniel Wilby. The former British champion added the Scottish accolade to his list of achievements after competing in the over 155cm sparring category.

Making an impressive competitive debut was Sophie MacLeod (14), who picked up the club's fourth gold medal of the day for female sparring. MacLeod narrowly missed out on taking a second gold in the patterns category, instead having to settle for silver.

In the veteran category, another first-time competitor, Ian Graham, collected bronze in both the patterns and sparring categories. On both occasions the blue belt was defeated by a higher graded red belt.

In the yellow belts, Millar Gamble (nine) and Max McLachlan (five) were making their competitive debuts. Gamble made his way through an 18-strong field in the under-13 patterns to claim a silver while McLachlan and eight-year-old Paul Wilby took bronze in the sparring sections.

“I was delighted with the students' performances, especially from those who made their debuts,” said Instructor Claire Crosbie, who has nine Scottish titles to her name.  “I made a particular request to some members to encourage them to try a national competition and the results they have achieved here will be a massive boost to their confidence.”

In the blue belt category, top spot went to 12-year-old Matthew Ross.  For the green belts, former Scottish champion Finlay Davidson (9) added another gold to his medal tally and Paul Wilby (8) collected the first place prize in the yellow belt category.  In the junior section, all the youngsters were making their competitive debuts, but it was five-year-old Max McLachlan's impressive display that won him the gold medal.

Medals at the double for Myrrh

MYRRH Oliver won silver and bronze medals in an impressive competition debut at the ITF British Championships in Edinburgh.  After a nervous start in the patterns category the student from Inverness-based Claire Crosbie's Taekwon-Do School managed to claim third place.  A more assured performance took her to the final of her sparring category, but she narrowly missed out on the top spot.

Eight-year-old Dylan Morrison had to also settle for second place in the junior yellow belt patterns category, ahead of six-year-old Ryan Patience, who collected a bronze medal at the English championships in his first competitive national event last month.  Team-mate Paul Wilby (6) reached the last eight of the yellow belt section, while brother Daniel (12), a 2009 British Champion, failed to repeat his success in the green belt categories, in which Lewis Searles (8) continued his form by taking bronze in the sparring group.

Instructor Crosbie was delighted with the accolades earned by her students.  "Every competition has given the students an added confidence which they have applied to their training and their medals are a just reward for their efforts."

Youngsters line up to flex muscles

A martial arts gathering on the Black Isle was a real family affair for a quartet of successful youngsters put through their paces.

Students at the North Kessock TaeKwon-Do School run by former European champion Claire Crosbie were scrutinised by Les Hutchison, an 8th Dan master with the International TaeKwon-Do Federation.

It was a successful day for the brother and sister pair of Mia and Ben MacLachlan, and Abbey and Conan Ross, who were among 30 of Claire’s students promoted after attending the all-day seminar.  The four youngsters, all pupils at North Kessock Primary School, were required to perform a set series of kicking and punching techniques as well as demonstrate their knowledge of Korean terminology.

Five-year-old Mia, attending her first seminar and grading, was promoted to yellow tag, while brother Ben (7) successfully gained his green tag. Abbey (6) was also promoted to the rank of green tag while brother Conan (8) reached yellow belt.

Said Claire, “TaeKwon-Do is an activity that we try to encourage the whole family to become involved with as age is not a barrier to anyone wishing to take part in the sport.  “We saw one of our youngest members achieve her first promotion at five years and also one of our eldest members, at 53, receive his green belt.”

The club trains at the North Kessock Community Hall every Wednesday and is open to new members.

Searles wins silver in Edinburgh

NINE-YEAR-OLD Inverness martial artist Lewis Searles won silver at the International TaeKwon-Do President’s Cup in Edinburgh – after missing top spot due to a single judge’s vote. 

The youngster showed great poise, strength and agility to see off his fellow green belt opponents and power through to the final round in a strong field of 32.  Competing in the knockout format where competitors were required to demonstrate a set series of offensive and defensive moves, the final proved to be a nail-biting encounter.  He had to settle for the silver medal, presented to him with a congratulatory handshake by Master Stokhoff (7th Dan), a senior ITF master from the Netherlands.

Searles’ success follows a recent promotion award from senior ITF master Les Hutchison (8th Dan) during a grading in Inverness.  The seminar, which was attended by more than 40 local TaeKwon-Do practitioners, saw the youngster presented with a highest-grade trophy for achieving the highest pass marks on the day.

“The competition has only recently been opened to colour belts so I was keen to return with my own students and delighted to see them all compete so well on the day,” said instructor Claire Crosbie (5th Dan).  “The international competition was a step up in level for them and they can be happy with their performance.  “For Lewis, his medal for patterns and a recent bronze for sparring at the British Championships show his potential to be a very good all round TaeKwon-Do martial artist”

Youngster in martial arts final

AN Inverness martial artist was among the medal winners at an international taekwon-do competition recently.

Nine-year-old Lewis Searles, a student from Claire Crosbie's taekwon-do school in the city, competed at the ITF Presidents Cup in Edinburgh, taking the silver medal for green belt patterns.  The category saw a strong field of 32 martial artists competing in the knock-out format where competitors were required to demonstrate a set series of offensive and defensive moves. The youngster showed great poise, strength and agility to see off his opponents and power through to the final. In this, it was a single judge's vote that decided the outcome.  Searles' success follows on from a recent promotion award during a grading in Inverness.

Inverness youngsters shine at championships

INVERNESS Taekwon-do continues to impress on the national stage after students won eight medals at the ITF Scottish Championships in Glasgow.

Eleven members from the city club took part and it proved to be a worthwhile one with all their medals coming in the under-13 yellow and green belt categories.  There was a memorable debut for Tyler Mackay (6) and seven-year-old Dylan Morrison. The youngsters performed well in their yellow belt category, overcoming their first event nerves, with MacKay taking the silver medal in a closely-fought sparring final and Dylan picking up a bronze for his efforts.

Daniel Wilby, a recent British sparring champion, also collected a bronze medal in the same section to complete a successful day for the three Cradlehall Primary School pupils.  Also in the yellow belt class, Raigmore pupil Finlay Davidson (8) continued to add to his medal tally when he was awarded a bronze in the patterns section. The defending Scottish sparring champion put in a determined performance, working his way through a large field of competitors.  The event, which produced Davidson's third medal in successive competitions, saw him compete in the yellow belt division after illness had prevented him attending a recent green belt grading.

Success for Inverness came in the green belt section as well with fellow Raigmore team-mates Aiden Grant and Gemma Martin, taking medals in their individual sparring categories. Ten-year-old Martin faced some tough opposition in the final of her female sparring group, eventually having to settle for silver, while Grant (11) picked up a hard earned bronze in the male division.  Brothers Liam (12) and Matthew Ross (11) also faced some difficult opponents during their sparring rounds, a repeat of the results at the recent British Championships meant Liam once again took silver, leaving Matthew to collect the bronze.

"It was a pleasing performance from all the students who travelled," said instructor and 5th Degree black belt Claire Crosbie.  "The competed very well on the day, especially those who have moved up a level to the rank of green belt. They can be very proud of their achievements after the hard work and commitment they put in during their training."

Medal haul for fledgling club

TAE Kwon-Do students from Inverness were once again amongst the medal winners at the recent ITF Scottish Championships in Glasgow.  The 11 members from Claire Crosbie’s TaeKwon-Do Schools picked up a total of eight medals as the city’s newest martial arts club continues to impress in the national competition arena.  All their medals came in the under-13-year-old yellow and green belt categories. 

There were memorable debuts for six-year-old Tyler Mackay and seven-year-old Dylan Morrison.  The youngsters performed well in their yellow belt category, overcoming their nerves, with Tyler taking the silver medal in a closely-fought sparring final and Dylan picking up a bronze for his efforts.  Daniel Wilby, a recent British sparring champion, also collected a bronze medal in the same category completing a successful day for the three Cradlehall Primary School pupils.

Also in the yellow belt category, Raigmore pupil Finlay Davidson (eight) continued to add to his medal tally when he was awarded a bronze in the patterns section. The defending Scottish sparring champion put in a determined performance, working his way through a large field of competitors.  The event saw him compete in the yellow belt division after illness prevented him attending a recent green belt grading.  The youngster continues to impress with three medals gained in his first three competitions.

Success also came in the green belt section with fellow Raigmore team-mates Aiden Grant and Gemma Martin, taking medals in their individual sparring categories.  Gemma (10) faced some tough opposition in the final of her female sparring group, and eventually had to settle for silver, while Aiden (11) picked up a hard earned bronze in the male division.  Brothers Liam (12) and Matthew Ross (11) also faced some tough opposition during their sparring rounds.  A repeat of the results at the recent British Championships saw Liam once again taking the silver medal, leaving Matthew to collect bronze.

The students train under the supervision of Instructor and 5th Degree black belt Claire Crosbie at her schools in and around Inverness.

Best of British from new club
 

MARTIAL art students from Inverness picked up a host of medals from last week's ITF British TaeKwon-Do Championships in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall.

The newly-formed Claire Crosbie's TaeKwon-Do Schools from the Highland capital got off to a winning start when Daniel Wilby (11), a pupil at Cradlehall Primary, won gold for sparring in the under 13's yellow belt division - giving the club its first British medal.

The result was all the more impressive as this was Daniel's first venture into the competition arena. His success was to be the start of a run of medal presentations for the youngsters who travelled.
 

Raigmore Primary pupil, and current Scottish champion Finlay Davidson (8), produced an exceptional performance during the early knockout rounds to reach the final of the yellow belt under-135cm sparring category.  A hard fought encounter saw him marginally miss out on the top spot, but rewarded with a well earned silver.  Lewis Searles (9), his class-mate, also produced a fine performance in the same category and picked up a bronze for his efforts.

Continuing with his medal winning form was 10-year-old Liam Patrick.  The Hilton youngster competed in the under-145cm sparring category, reaching the final before narrowly missing out on the gold. His excellent silver medal win had been a repeat of his Scottish Championship result earlier in the year.

Also picking up medals were family members Ross Balfour (11) and Liam (12) and Matthew Ross (10) on what was their first venture into the competitive stage.  It was Liam who took the silver medal, leaving cousin Ross to settle for the bronze in the over-155cm sparring category.  Liam's brother Matthew was to pick up the bronze in the under-155cm grouping.

Adult competitor Steven Graham was another making his competitive debut and the yellow belt was given a difficult task when he found himself competing alongside green belts in the heavyweight sparring section.  This category produced some bruising encounters, but a solid performance saw him take the bronze medal.

Instructor and coach Claire Crosbie, who is a former British champion, said: "The students knew that the competition would be a step up in level from their attendance at the Scottish Championships earlier in the year. Their commitment in training has shown their desire to win."

"Many chose to attend extra training during the October holiday period and the rewards are now there to see. The eight medals from the nine students who travelled down to the event shows the quality of their performance."  "Special mention must go also to student Gemma Martin, who performed very well, but narrowly missed out on the medal positions."

Students get instruction from Master

A BLACK Isle martial arts club hosted a TaeKwon-Do sparring seminar led by a Senior Master from the International TaeKwon-Do Federation.

Students from Claire Crosbie's TaeKwon-Do Schools in North Kessock and Inverness attended the day-long session held under the instruction of Master Les Hutchison, an 8th Dan martial artist based in West Lothian. Hutchison is one of the highest ranked Masters in the UK and currently holds the positions of honorary president of the British Isles TaeKwon-Do Federation and vice-president of Scotland ITF.

The seminar, attended by students aged six to 12 years old, began with warm-ups and stretching before leading to many variations of punching, kicking and jumping techniques. The youngsters were then put through their paces with some sparring drill exercises before performing one-to-one self-defence sparring bouts against each other.

For the young martial artists it was ideal preparation as they look towards competing at the British Championships in Glasgow later in the year.  For the club, established only a year ago, its another chance to add their medal tally after their first venture into the competition arena.  An impressive display saw them take two Scottish Championship titles and collect a further three silver medals at a tournament earlier this year.

School instructor, Claire Crosbie, who reluctantly had to sit out from the days session due to her being in the later stages of pregnancy, was impressed with the hard work and effort put in by her students.  She said, "These types of seminars can really bring out the best of each and every student.  And so it proved today as their work rate all through the seminar was tremendous. They all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day which is the most important thing."

Trophy tops Emma’s promotion success

Martial arts student earns highest-grade mark of the day

Martial arts student Emma Tate was in a celebratory mood at a TaeKwon-Do seminar in Inverness after winning promotion.

Emma (9), a student of Claire Crosbie’s TaeKwon-Do School, was promoted to 6th Kup and presented with her new green belt by Senior ITF Master Les Hutchison, 8th Dan.  And to add to her success, she was also presented with a trophy, awarded to the student who achieves the highest-grade mark of the day.

Previous gradings have seen the Inshes Primary School pupil achieve high ‘A’ pass marks, but she has always narrowly missed out on the award.  But on this occasion she produced a very impressive performance for technique and knowledge of Korean terminology to finally secure top marks.

Emma only took up the sport when 5th Dan instructor Claire Crosbie set up her club at Inshes a year ago.  It was her brother who really wanted to participate and she tagged along with him.  Since then she has been hooked on the sport, training alongside other young people and mixing with the club’s adult students.  Emma is now the highest graded pupil at the club and reaching the coveted Black Belt is now her goal.

Ms Crosbie is delighted with Emma’s success. “Emma serves as a role model for the rest of our students with her dedication and commitment to the sport,” she said.  “The students who attended today all performed very well and I am pleased to see so many achieve their promotions.”

Tired of running or the gym?  Try a new skill.

If you’re bored of doing the same old exercises, why not try something completely different?

Steven Graham, 35, tried Taekwon-do at Claire Crosbie Taekwon-do Schools.  ‘The main reason I wanted to try Taekwon-do was to improve my fitness - as a dad of two girls I decided that I wanted to get back into shape and lose some of the weight I’d gained over the years.

Every session begins with an extensive warm-up consisting of stretches, star jumps, press-ups, punches and kicks, and what I like most about the training is that it’s carefully structured depending on experience and everything is built up gradually so there’s no pressure to keep up with another class member who may be more experienced.

Taekwon-do exercises all my muscles, and I much prefer this type of all over workout compared to the monotony of a session at the gym – pounding away on a treadmill just isn’t me. There are also fewer tendencies to overdo it because activities are switched, so after spending 30 minutes practicing kicks, punches and blocks we then move onto patterns or some ‘tag’ sparring.

The first few classes were tough as I wasn’t used to exercising, but after a few weeks I noticed a big difference in my fitness. Attending Taekwon-do has been a brilliant way for me to keep fit, I’ve met some new friends and my weight has started to go down, which has given me a great sense of fulfilment. I would recommend it to anyone, and as soon as my girls get bigger I’ll be sure to take them along to try a few classes and let them decide if they like it. It’s a fantastic way for them to expend some energy and it will help build their self-confidence for their years ahead.’

Tae Kwon-Do ace Kyle is just champion

A NEWLY-established Tae Kwon-Do school in North Kessock was celebrating when student Kyle Grzesinski was crowned Scottish Champion at an Open TaeKwon-Do competition.

Kyle (12), a pupil at North Kessock primary school, joined the club when it was established by instructor Claire Crosbie in November last year.  From then Kyle has gone on to achieve two successful A pass gradings to gain him his current rank of yellow belt, a position that allowed him entry to the event.

In his very first venture into the competition arena, his success came in the yellow belt sparring with a gold medal win in the under 155cm category.

And there was also success from some of his seven other team mates who joined him from the cub’s Inverness schools, with students collecting a further gold and 3 silver medals.

Instructor and coach Claire Crosbie said “I was delighted with the performance of the students who attended the event.  “Their preparation was professional and their hard work gave them the advantage over many of the students who have been training in the sport a lot longer.  “The medal winners can be very proud of their achievement. Fellow team mates also performed very well on the day and while some narrowly missing out on the medal positions, they all showed they had great potential at this level.  “I hope the students will build on their experience of the day and will take that to the British Championships later in the year”.