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Taking on a new discipline
MORE THAN 125 Mid Sussex karate students competed in a Grand Tournament at the Olympos leisure centre in Burgess Hill to celebrate the launch of Julia Turley's karate school as the national centre for the Shorinjyru Renshinkan karate style in England.
Julia, a black belt of 25 years standing, was chosen to head the England branch of the international Shorinjiyru Federation after an inspection visit from Soke Tamatsu, the son of the style's Japanese founder. The Federation has more than 125,000 members world-wide.
This honour has led Julia and her students in a new direction, adopting the slight differences of the renshinkan karate style over the ryushinkan technique they had followed.
All the tournament students implemented the style changes when they competed in the kata (memorised sequences of defence and attack movements) and kumite (sparring) elements of the contest. The school's dan grades (black belts) also competed in a weapons kata (kobudo) using traditional Japanese bo (9 feet long staves).
Julia said of the changes: "Our students have adapted amazingly well to the technical changes, confirmed by the very high standards demonstrated by the tournament competitors.
"The adoption of the Shorinjiyru Federation as our 'mother' organisation is a very important and challenging step for the school as a whole. This is the Federation's first centre in the UK, which is a very exciting opportunity for both us and them."
Students, aged five years and upwards, worked hard to demonstrate the correct techniques to the tournament judges. The winners and runners-up in each category were:
Kata – Pee Wee: James Poter, ru Joshua Plank. Junior: Jade Conroy, ru Charlotte Harrison. Intermediate: Luke Fuller, ru Georgina Harrison.
Senior: Cassie Sales, ru Charlotte Smith. Dan Grade: Grant Bucher, ru Ajit Dutta. England Kata Champion: Grant Bucher, ru Jade Conroy.
Kobudo: James Drake, ru Lance Goldsmith. Kumite, Junior Boys: Jordan Littlecott, ru Drew Steele; Junior Girls: Jade Conroy, ru Julia Ulliyott; Intermediate Boys: Jake Harman, ru Sam Wright; Intermediate Girls: Georgina Harrison, ru Charlotte Haigh; Women's: Sally Smitherman, ru Stephanie Ransome; Men's: James Drake, ru Grant Bucher.
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
