KUGB Student National Championships 2005

The KUGB National Student Championships (often just "the Student Nationals") is the first major competition of the academic year and falls in the middle of Michaelmas Term. The competition is open to all KUGB members in full-time education and is held in Chesterfield.

Competition Report

Today the squad braved sub-zero temperatures, overcame navigation difficulties and travelled up to Chesterfield for the KUGB Student Nationals. We got off to a rather slow start, but this was soon to change! Before the results, there are several special mentions that should be made:

Firstly, to Charlie Bradley, who got through to the last 8 in individual kyu grade kata, and also scored an impressively quick victory in one of the Men's B team kumite fights, scoring ippon with a jodan mawashi-geri within 10 seconds of the match starting!

Simon had an even quicker victory in the Men's A team kumite; a perfect ashi-barai floored his opponent and a jodan punch secured him an automatic ippon (all within 5 seconds). Unfortunately, he suffered a very unlucky injury in a later fight, taking him out of the competition.

Will, who broke his toe recently, made it through to the final 8 of the men's individual brown belt kata, having to perform Heian Godan twice (imagine that if you will, with a toe broken on your right foot...). Not only did he show true spirit in competing at all, he did himself proud by producing some very impressive kata, broken toe or not.

And now onto the results themselves! In the individual categories, Su-Yin secured the gold medal in the women's kyu grade kata and Paul got silver in the men's brown belt kata. Individual medals are very hard to come by, and both fought off (though not literally, it was kata after all) stiff competition to get their well-earned medals.

In the team categories, Simon's injury meant that the men's A team kumite (Simon, Ian, Tom) had to withdraw, but they still secured bronze medals. Sadly their team kata will have to wait for another competition before it is unleashed... The men's B team (Paul, Richard, Andy) were there to further the CUKC cause however, beating the other teams to get gold in the team kata category. Charlie, Madeleine and Su-Yin got bronze medals in the women's team kumite, whilst the women's team kata trio of Sarah, Charlie and Madeleine out-classed all of the opposition, resulting in another set of gold medals and a clean sweep for CUKC in the team kata!

All of the squad showed excellent spirit and determination and we hope that we'll see you all again (and more of you besides!) back at training in preparation for next term's competitions (and the grading of course).