Competition Success for Players at ChungdoKwan Nationals!
On Saturday the 17th of February 2007, three new and upcoming Welsh WTF Taekwondo Players stepped up to the challenge and competed at the Chungdokwan National Championships, held in Berkshire, Reading.
Marianne Woodcock, John Cregg and Tom Lovett flew the Welsh WTF Flag amongst a small but experienced collection of Taekwondo Fighters, all there hunting for the elusive Gold medal and to be crowned National Chungdokwan Champion 2007.
First up was Tom Lovett, an inexperienced but very talented fighter with bags of potential. This was only Tom’s second time in the competition arena, but he refused to let such formalities phase him, convincingly winning his first match and vastly outclassing his opponent. His category was small, and his initial win put him straight into the final against a far more experienced opponent. Never beaten until the final bell rings, Tom fought tooth and nail until the last seconds of the final round, narrowly missing out to the better fighter on the day, but giving him a good run for his money nevertheless. A silver medal hung from Tom’s neck as the day drew to a close.
Marianne Woodcock followed, representing the fierce and fiery female Welsh WTF members. This was Marianne’s first competition experience, and any average individual would have expected a cautious approach at best. Not Marianne however, who, filled with passion, enthusiasm and anticipation, went in with all guns firing against an opponent twice her height and weight. A dynamic and entertaining bout followed, with Marianne missing out on a victory by just 1 point, but walking off with a medal nonetheless and a fistful of experience, standing her in good stead for her next upcoming competition.
John Cregg was the final Welsh WTF player of the day, and faced an opponent with a vast amount of experience and ability. Again, this was only John’s second time in the WTF arena. John fought well, but the draw on this day did him no favours, with his opponent taking the lead in the first round. After a brief consultation with his coach, John’s game plan altered slightly, leaving his opponent unable to dominate as he had done only minutes earlier. John applied his strategy, and despite being unable to claw back points lost in the initial rounds, he took his opponent’s game plan away, upsetting and frustrating him whilst John gained experience in how to turn the tables on your opponent in spite of the situation you find yourself in.
All in all, a good day was had by all, with the 3 players walking away with a lot to work on and a lot still to learn, but with head’s held high and plenty to look forward to in the future. Bring it on Bournemouth May ’07!! Master Jo Draper.