Fourteen members of the WIKF England competition squad competed at the Seishin Karate Open for the first time.  As the Seishin Open was one of only two competitions in August, as expected the number of participants was high with many of the top Junior and Senior athletes in the UK.  The conditions for the competitors, supporters and spectators were not ideal, with soaring temperatures, and no air condition.  More importantly there was not enough space and seats for everyone and the admin and refereeing throughout the competition was questionable.  Even though the squad hadn’t trained or prepared enough for this event and considering the standard of its organisation, the squad still came away with 5 medals, 3Golds and 2 Silvers.

 First up were the Kata events featuring Ken-Bu-Kan’s Michelle Little and Jay Kirton in the Junior grade event.  Both athletes performed well in round one beating their opponents 3 flags to 0.  In round 2, Jay Kirton let his focus and concentration slip away and made a mistake in his Kata which saw him lose 3 flags to 0.  Michelle on the other hand reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out 2 flags to 1 just before the medal position.  The Kata events were over and the medal tally was nil, but the squad’s spirit was high going into the Kumite events.

Competing for only the second time in an open competition, Nikkisha Bailey took the mat in the mixed Peewee section.  Nikkisha worked very well against her first round opponent but lost narrowly.  Next up was James Phillips, who had moved up an age and height category from a division which he dominated from 2004-2005, winning over 12 Championship titles.  In an unfair event which saw big differences in the heights of competitors, there was no surprise that there would be unfair match ups, like in the first round for James, who gave away at least 6 inches.  Although James lost, the experience of fighting taller and heavier opponents will help him in his next competitions.  David Ward from Suhari also found the height variance difficult losing in the first round.  Suhari’s Danielle Duke was next in action in the girls 9-10 years division.  Danille fought well in the first round beating her opponent, but lost in the second round.  Fallon Rayman from Suhari was also the 9-10 years girls event and performed well in her opening rounds to secure a final position.  Fallon fought well but narrowly lost to her experienced opponent 5-3, to claim the Silver medal and WIKF’s first medal of the day.

Next up was Michelle Little who was keen on winning the Seishin open to add to her numerous other titles in 2006.  Michelle looked in good form, disposing of her opponents in quick time and fairly easily to reach the semi-final, against a midlands all styles competitor.  The semi-final was close but Michelle won 8-7 in the final seconds to prepare her for the final.  In the final, Michelle beat her opponent convincingly 7-2, to claim our first Gold medal and another Championships title for Michelle.  Maxine Hines was in action in the girls heavy-weight division but lost in the first round.

In the 11-15 boys Kumite, Jay Kirton was competing in the under 40 Kilos event.  Jay quickly found his rhythm, winning 7-2 and 6-1 to reach another final, scoring numerous sanbon techniques in both rounds.  The final was tense against his opponent from Ishinryu, but Jay managed to stay focused and win convincingly and take our second Gold for the squad.  Gavin Bailey and Jerome Brown were both competing in the under 45 Kilos event and both boys made light work of the opponents.  Jerome fought many taller opponents but managed to score 4 sanbon kick and takedown techniques to reach the final.  Gavin Bailey had a more difficult route winning 2-1, 4-2 and then 6-2 in his semi-final against the 2006 British International and British All Styles Champion Ryan Jay.  Gavin’s win meant an all WIKF final.  The final was tense between the two friends who ended the match 2-2, which went into encho-sen.  Both competitors showed their experience and knowledge of each other and neither wanted to make a mistake.  Another minute passed but no score.  The bout went to decision and Gavin won 3 flags to 1.  Another Gold medal, our first Silver medal but more importantly, their were 4 finalist in 8 events from our squad.  In the final boys event, James Townsend and Ken-Bu-Kan and Suhari’s Mark Hamill were competing in the over 50 Kilos division.  James fought well, but lost to the eventual winner in the first round and Mark fought were but lost in the first round, who was competing for only the second time in an open competition. 

Finally, Isaac Rosen took the mat in the senior over 75 kilos event, which included a few National team members.  Isaac fought well, but lost narrowly in the first round 5-3.

Our first outing to the Seishin Open and although it wasn’t the best results, it was a chance to compete in the summer and to get some more mat time before the 2006 European Championships taking place in Holland.

 

Fallon Rayman (Silver)	Jay Kirton (Gold)
Gavin Bailey (Gold) and Jerome Brown (Silver)	Michelle Little (Gold)