The 2005 ITF Wales season came to it's conclusion this weekend with the annual Awards Presentation Night with Masters Prewett VII and Taylor VII presenting the overall Grand Prix winners with their trophies and each of the school awarding student of the year as well. A fantastic night was had by all, we would like to thank everyone involved in organising and helping out in the the Grand Prix throughout the year and putting together the evening and of course all the families, students and instructors for coming along and making it the great night it was.

Well done to all members who competed in the British Open for their schools and in representing the ITF Wales so well. As there were so many there will be no individual reports but schools successes will be added as soon as they are available: Aberystwyth and Tywyn 1 gold 1 silver 1 bronze Cardiff North 1 gold 1 silver 2 bronze Cardiff University 4 gold 1 bronze Ely 5 gold 4 silver 3 bronze Fairwater 2 gold 4 silver 1 bronze Marshfield and Lisvane 1 silver 1 bronze Pontprennau 1 silver

This year five ITF Wales students travelled over to compete in the Irish Open from Ely and Fairwater Schools setting off at midnight Friday to Fishguard saw them experience their first (not so smooth) ferry crossing but they didn't let the conditions get to them once at the tournament. The day started off well with Kane Collins in the Under 13 blue belt patterns performing very well to take silver in the group. Next up Conah Prosser and Lanny James both in the 13-17 blue belt category and putting in very good performances which resulted in Conah taking gold and Lanny silver for patterns. In a 13-17 black belt category with over 20 competitors Tom Harris I put in some good performances but was unable to get past the 1/4 final losing out to a very good display by a Scottish II dan and Sophie Collins II did very well in her first tournament as a II dan and made it through to the 3rd/4th place round and narrowly lost and had to settle for 4th place. In sparring under 11's male Kane Collins did very well against a much larger, higher belt opponent but was unable to beat him and had to settle for reaching the 1/4 finals. Conah Prosser fought in the male 12-14 green-red belts and made his way through to the semi final but was unable to overcome the eventual gold medallist and had to settle for a bronze medal. Lanny James female 12-14 green-red belts also lost in the semi final despite a very good round of attacking sparring so settled for bronze too. Finally Tom Harris I gained experience moving into the 1/4 final but was unable to better his Irish opponent and had to bow out just before the medals. Sophie Collins II also reached the 1/4 final and put in a very solid display but to everyone's disbelief was beaten and this ended her run in the event. The competitors were treated to a team event competition between Scotland and Ireland which Ireland won. All enjoyed the trip and tournament but were happy to be home Sunday after a very long tiring trip.

The 2005 Grand Prix came to its conclusion this week with a fine display of Taekwon-Do from more than 15 clubs and over 130 competitors that took part. The day started with all the competitors gathering for the opening and then promptly moved into pattern event, a pretty smooth run meant the tournament finished after the sparring events by around 12:30 and was followed up with the official medals presentation. The standard of competition on the day was high as every one did their best to push themselves up the overall Grand Prix rankings ladder for those final overall places in each division. Thank you to all who attended as competitors, officials, helpers and spectators, we look forward to seeing you all at the End of Year Awards Night on the 26th November when the Overall awards will be presented.

Travelling over via Austria to the Slovenian Open the ITF Wales party enjoyed some wonderful scenery as a prelude to the competition. The day started off with the Under 13 patterns which saw Bethan Pezzack (Fairwater) and Lanny James (Ely) both making the finals of the U13 female blue belt event and Beth's more flowing style won the day to give her gold, Lanny having to settle for silver. The first of the boys to compete was Ryan Davies (Ely) in the green belt section but unfortunately his opponent was a little better on the day and he was knocked out in the 1/4 final stage. Next up was Kane Collins (Fairwater) in the male blue belt section and he sailed through to the final where he was narrowly beaten to take silver. The final under 13 to compete was Delme Pezzack (Fairwater) in red belts and despite a very strong pattern he lost narrowly in the 1/4 final stage. In the 13-17 age group first up was Ben Hull (Ely) in the male green belts and he performed well through to the final but was beaten there and had to settle for silver. In the blue belt section Conah Prosser (Ely) made it through to the semi final but voting went against him there and he had to settle for a bronze medal. Red belt section saw Gareth Francis (Ely) perform well but be pipped to the vote and meant he stopped in the 1/4 finals. The final male to compete was Tom Harris I (Ely) and he strode through the rounds getting stronger each heat and finished his final off well to take gold. In the female division Sophie Collins I (Fairwater) put in a very good performance but unfortunately her European Championship Bronze medal opposition was on form on the day and it wasn't enough to get her past the 1/4 finals. After lunch the sparring commenced with the Under 13's, in the -35kg Bethan Pezzack lost the final to a strong local girl opponent. in the -40kg Lanny James sailed through to the final and dominated the fight to pick up gold. In the male division -25kg Kane Collins lost eh final to another local and had to settle for silver, in the -50kg Delme Pezzack had a very good fight against a strong opponent and narrowly lost the fight having to bow out in the 1/4 finals, Ryan Davies fared a little better making it to the semi finals but was unable to overcome a powerful Croatian opponent and had to settle for bronze. in the 13-17 division the day started in the -52kg with Conah Prosser losing in the 1/4 final to a strong Croat opponent, next up was Ben Hull who couldn’t find his stride in handling a local opponent and had to bow out in the 1/4 finals. In -58Kg both Gareth Francis and Tom Harris I were unable to defeat their opponents so both advanced no further than the 1/4 finals. The final junior bout was Sophie Collins I in -53kg who managed to draw yet another European Champion and narrowly lost to her in the 1/4 final. The final division left was the senior sparring which firs saw Miss Sophie Collins I step up to -53kg senior and fight the Slovenian European Champion (bronze) and give her a very tough fight indeed and she was very unfortunate to lose the bout and have to settle for silver. Next up was Mr Tom Harris I also stepping up to senior level for the first time to -63kg - a very hard fought semi final saw Tom handle a very powerful and fast opponent and despite losing prove himself up to the task and also give him his first medal as an adult with the bronze. The last two competitors were both in the +80kg male section, here Richard Taylor II fought his way to the 1/4 final but was unable to over power his opposite number there and went no further and Jason Jones II worked his way through to the semi final but facing a very tough bout with his Slovene opponent and had to settle for bronze in the end. A good performance by this Welsh squad, almost all of whom were in their first international event, a lot of experience gained and everyone had a thoroughly great time with the locals showing us great hospitality and looking after us well. Special thanks to Mr Zeljko Gvozdic V for everything you did whilst we were over with you and look forward to seeing you at the Welsh Open next year.

ITF Wales were represented by 13 competitors at this years London Open and performed well picking up 16 medals as the final tally. Ely School finished 4th overall and Fairwater joint 6th from the 53 schools with over 250 competitors entered on the day. Full results for the day can be found at www.londonopen.co.uk In the Under 13 patterns division Green belt section Lanny James (Ely) picked up gold and Ethan Davies (Ely) collected bronze, Ryan Davies (Ely) making it through to the quarter final. In the Blue belt category Bethan Pezzack (Fairwater) won gold and Kane Collins (Fairwater) took bronze, Delme Pezzack (Fairwater) making it through to the quarter finals. In the Red belt category George Crews (Fairwater) picked up silver and the Under 13 category was completed in the black belt section with Ben Miller (Fairwater) going out in the quarter final against the silver medallist - a good performance on his first black belt competition. 13-17 Yellow saw Ben Hull (Ely) pick up silver. In the Blue category Conah Prosser (Ely) picked up silver and the group finished with Lee Burridge (Fairwater) in the black belt division making it to the quarter final in his first black belt competition. In the Adult section Mr Stuart Wordingham II (Cardiff Uni) moved through the semi final but was unable to overcome his opponent and was left to pick up silver on the day. In the sparring event Under 13 -135 category Ethan Davies (Ely) picked up a bronze in the green belt section, Kane Collins (Fairwater) and Bethan Pezzack (Fairwater) won silver and bronze in the blue belt section respectively. In -146 Delme Pezzack (Fairwater) deservedly won gold against some tough opposition. In +146 Ryan Davies (Ely) and Lanny James (Ely) faced off in the final giving a great display of sparring and Ryan pipped Lanny to take gold and leave her with silver. In the red section George Crews (Fairwater) fought well to go to the semi final but was unable to overcome his opponent there and had to settle for bronze. Finally in the black belt section Ben Miller (Fairwater) stepped up to his first black belt competition and performed well but was unable to beat his opponent this time. In the 13-17 Yellow belt category Ben Hull (Ely) fought hard to gain his bronze medal and Conah Prosser (Ely) had a very hard fight against a black tipped opponent who went on to win gold, but he can take pride in the fact that he was the only person to take him to a tie. In the adult section Stuart Wordingham II (Cardiff Uni) had a hard fight but was unable to find a way through his opponents defence. Next up was Jason Jones II (Pontprennau) who also faced a tough challenge from his opponent, despite his best efforts he was unable to beat him. A number of our competitors took part in the Special Technique/Power events gaining valuable experience for future events. All in all it was a good day had by all and a very enjoyable tournament. Congratulations to all who partook. And extra special thanks to our "drive" for the day Leighton Prosser 10th Kup - without whom we wouldn't have got there.

Wales were represented in this years World Championships by Mr Dean Matthews IV and Mr Wayne Brookes I. They started their tournament in the patterns event. Mr Wayne Brookes I had a good quarter final round against his Canadian opponent but was unfortunately beaten by him ending his participation in the patterns event. Mr Dean Matthews IV had a first round draw against last years European champion from Bulgaria and beat him to move through to the quarter final, in the quarter final he came up against the Argentinean and winning this round moved him into the semi final against the home competitor Australian, putting in a good solid performance won the round for Dean and moved him forward into the final for the IV Dan patterns against the North Korean. At the end of a close run final Dean narrowly lost out to the North Korean meaning he picked up the silver medal. As the competition moved into it's next stage, the sparring event our two representatives proved themselves again. Mr Wayne Brookes I in the -80Kg section started off with a good round against the Turkmenistani winning this to move through to the second round where he faced Scotland once again he secured victory in this round to move into the quarter final where he now met the Norwegian, a good fight was needed to move him onto the semi final and face the Czech which he did. This was a very hard round and he was narrowly beaten - the Czech going on to take gold. So Wayne finished with a bronze medal which is no small feat for someone having just stepped up to world senior competition. Mr Dean Matthews IV had a good first round event against Greenland and went through to the second round where he narrowly lost to his opponent ending his run in the sparring event. All in all we can say a very good performance by both competitors with Dean winning his silver in patterns and Wayne the bronze in sparring at a world senior event. The ITF Wales can be proud of the achievements of these two fine representatives.

This years second seminar was taken by Master Ray O'Neill VII from the Wiltshire schools and he was assisted by Mr Dean Matthews IV and Mr Darren Johns II. The event started early in the Heath Hospital Sports Hall on Saturday. The students had a good time and enjoyed the different style and aspects of Master O'Neill's instruction. Thanks to Mr Darren Johns II for arranging the event and anyone who wishes to attend the next one, September 10th 2005 can do so through their school.

Skittles Night 2005, RAFA Club 3rd June - Just to say thank you to everyone who came and helped make a successful night of the fund raiser, over £400 was raised to help Dean and Wayne with their trip to Australia next month for the World Championships. A quiet night to the evening was soon overcome with the vocal assistance of the resident DJ who soon had the place Okey cokey, Conga and Oops upside your heading. After that the floor son filled up with the disco diva's and people could be seen enjoying their evening everywhere, oh and some skittling was also done! so thank you for all your support and a final word of thanks to Mrs Brookes and Mrs Matthews for all their work in putting the event on for us it was much appreciated. You can check out a pictorial record of the evening in the gallery.

Having flown up the previous day and spent an evening relaxing a small ITF Wales contingent was ready and eager to attend this years Scottish Open on Saturday and did the association proud with their performances. This years tournament saw a significant increase in the number of competitors, especially among the black belt divisions meaning a better level of competition for our representatives. From Fairwater School Miss Sophie Collins I degree, was unlucky to go out in the quarter finals of the black belt 13-17 pattern event to a Scottish opponent who went on to take gold, but she came back with vengeance in the sparring to take the gold in her group with a great performance totally dominating her opponent. Her brother, Kane Collins 4th Kup, also went out in the quarter finals, in the blue belt under 13 patterns, on a very close call but he too went on to take gold in his sparring division with a very solid display. From Ely School Conah Prosser 2nd Kup, performed exceptionally well in the 13-17 blue belt division to take gold in patterns and then followed this up with a silver in the 13-17 blue/red sparring group only narrowly losing out in the final. Lanny James took gold in the under 13 green belt division with a good performance throughout the heats and in sparring she once more took gold in a hard fought final which went to extra time after the initial draw but determination saw her through in the end. In the senior division Mr Stuart Wordingham II, Mr Jason Jones II and Mr Richard Taylor II had all travelled up on the morning of the event. all three were in the same group of sparring, they put in some good performances but unfortunately didn't go past the quarter final stage with some hard opposition being present including this years European champion. To finish the day off nicely Lanny James won the overall under 13 award, so in all it was a very good day for the ITF Wales as a small contingent all performed really well bringing home 5 gold, 1 silver and an overall award between them and they showed what high standards are in the ITF Wales. We would like to offer them our heartiest congratulations for a job well done.

Wales have won the bonze medal in the team power event. After an early exit in team patterns first round they then went on to a great start in team sparring, drawing last years champions Greece in the first round they defeated them with a solid display and went through to the next round where they drew Russia (who went on to take gold). The team put in a good performance and held two of the rounds to draws but the Russians proved to be too powerful and went through to the semi final themselves. This then left the team power event in which the Welsh team performed well and their display got them through to the semi final where they picked up a bronze medal for their hard work. In individual events all competitors put in sterling performances and although no medals were won they can be proud of themselves, especially with so many debuts in the international arena. Competitors went out to very strong opposition in the quarter finals in most cases so can be happy with their performances. Congratulations to the team for winning their bronze and to all the other competitors who travelled and represented Wales.

This year there are still three divisions: Under 13, 13-17 and 18 plus but within each division there has been a change so the categories are now White belt, Yellow and Green belts and finally Blue and Red. This year with the introduction of the White belt category it should be less daunting for Taekwon-Do novices to start competing.

During the day Master Taylor VII took time out to present the Welsh team, (Mr Dean Matthews IV (Captain), Mr Chris Black II, Mr Richard Taylor II, Mr Dave Lund I, Mr Wayne Brookes I and Mr Stuart Wordingham I.) which won the Four Nations Tournament at the end of last year to and they received a well deserved round of applause in appreciation of their achievement.

So with two more stages to go things are still wide open for all competitors.

The day went well with very few hiccups thanks to the prior planning and a successful day ended in the early afternoon and hopefully everyone went home satisfied having competed well and having had an entertaining time. We now look forward to seeing everyone at the second stage of the Grand Prix on Sunday April 24th 2005 once again at Eastern Leisure Centre.

The ITF Wales was represented at the English Open by 12 competitors from the Ely school along with four more from the Fairwater school this year and all competitors acquitted themselves well at the competition bringing home 7 Gold, 7 silver and 6 Bronze pennants between them (this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Taekwon-do in the UK medals had been replaced with anniversary pennants).

In the junior division Ryan Davies (gold patterns, gold sparring) and Ethan Davies (bronze patterns, gold sparring) dominated in the Yellow belt category, Lanny James (1/4 final patterns, gold sparring) fought well in the Green belt Category, in Blue belt category Kane Collins (1st round patterns, bronze sparring) did well in the new -125cm category and it was finished off with George Crews (1st round patterns, silver sparring) in Red belt category sparring soundly to reach the final.

In the 13-17 division Ben Hull (1st round patterns, silver sparring) started well in the yellow belt category. In Blue belt category Conah Prosser (silver patterns, 1st round sparring) and Sean Maloney (1/4 final patterns, bronze sparring) both competed well. In the Red belt category Tom Harris (gold patterns, bronze sparring) Lee Burridge (1st round patterns, 1st round sparring) and Gareth Francis (1st round patterns, 1st round sparring) all put in good performances but were unlucky not to go through further in the rounds. Finally in this division in the Black belt category Cassie Lund I (gold patterns, gold sparring) and Sophie Collins (bronze patterns, 1st round sparring) both did very well.

In the adult division Victoria Phillips I (silver patterns, silver sparring), Dave Lund I (silver patterns, silver sparring and Neville Thompson I (Bronze sparring) all performed very well to round of a very good day for the club and the ITF Wales.

Despite a very long day with a 4:30 start for most people, everyone enjoyed the day and can be proud of their performances, which given the introduction of the new low/non-contact rules for sparring at short notice, were as good as our competitors always give and deserve full credit for their efforts.