Letterkenny Shotokan Karate Club hosted a successful summer camp last week.
A week-long training session, held in the Letterkenny Community Centre, culminated in students being assessed on their ability to move to the next level in their karate journey.
Sensei John Wilkie (6th dan) and Sensei Christopher O’ Donnell (3rd dan) put the students through their paces as the week progressed. They carefully examined both the strong and weak points of each karateka and their progress since the last grading at Christmas.
Kumite sparring, technique, spirit, dedication and the testing of detailed self-defence routines known as kata; all were put under the scrutiny of the sensei.
“Belts are not simply given, it’s up to you to earn them,” Mr Wilkie said.
“And there were many who did indeed earn them on their day.”
Grace Gallager and Sensei John Wilkie with her medal for ‘Best Spirit.’
The first group to pass the examination were the beginners who earned their first grade of white belt plus certification on Thursday, setting their first step on the long, but rewarding, road of Karate.
The intermediate and advanced students faced their final test on Saturday. Some nerves and tension were apparent during the two hour session but they soon settled into their confidence as time went on. There were some near misses and some words of warning from the sensei, but ultimately there were a lot of happy faces by the end. John Wilkie has sat on many grading boards, including with the likes of famous karateka such as Masao Kawasoe, and he had this to say: “Some of the standards I saw at this camp are as good as I’ve ever seen”.
Those who advanced:
Matthew Sweeney – red belt
Joshua McHugh – purple belt
Dominic McHugh – purple belt
Teresa Gallagher – purple stripe
Grace Gallagher – purple stripe
Kyle McGuigan – brown
Matthew Gallier – purple stripe
Lily Gallier – purple stripe
Catherine Deeney – brown
Megan Callaghan – brown
Benny Jose – brown
Yohan Zaman – orange
Shruti Oommen – red
Rithik Sojan –orange
Shubhi Gobinath – orange
Reuben O’ Donnell – orange
Padraic Sweeney – orange
Uryaash Gupta – orange
Vibhas Akella – yellow
Yukta Akella – yellow
Ravi Akella – yellow
An extra congratulations goes to Grace Gallagher and Rithik Sojan, both of whom received medals for their display of spirit.
LSKC would also like to wish the best of luck to Noah Gallagher, Gerard Foley and Teresa Gallagher who will be competing in the GB Open International Karate championship at the end of the month in Birmingham. All in all, it’s the end of another successful period at one of Ireland’s oldest karate clubs.
From L-R: Kyle McGuigan, Catherine Deeney, Megan Callaghan, Grace Gallagher, Teresa Gallagher and Benny Jose.
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