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MAY 1997 ISSUEFROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
The North
Island Championships just keep on getting bigger and more
competitive, this year we had 273 entries compared to 260
last year.
To avoid some of the mis-matches of previous years and
reduce the number of fights some of our younger members
had to face in previous tournaments, we created more
divisions. This year we had 60 fighting divisions, forms
and smashing compared to last year's 47 fighting
divisions, forms and smashing.
Although greatly increasing the cost of running the
competition it made for some more interesting and closely
matched competitions. The results are fully covered later
in this issue in the Tournament Report prepared by Stan
Wagner.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all
the officials, Referees, Instructors, helpers and
supporters who made the North Island Championships a
competitive yet friendly tournament, without your
support, thee events would not be the success that they
are in the Union.
No sooner had the planning and the tidying up of the
North Island Championships been completed, when we
received an invitation to attend a tournament in
Melbourne, Australia. This is the first opportunity that
the Union has had to compete against an Australian
National Team rather than just competing in their
regional tournaments. As this issue comes out to you, we
would have already returned and a full report on the
Australian trip will feature in the next issue of the
Union Times.
Unfortunately, some of our fighters were not able to
attend this tournament due to the short notice. The Team
is: Manager/Coach Michael Hannah (New Plymouth),
Heavyweight MartinCass (Karori), Middleweight Richard
Lister (New Plymouth), Welterweight Andrew Hughes
(Karori), Lightweight Glen Robinson (Karori), Lightweight
Ewan Plant (Dunedin City), Featherweight David Aldridge
(Wellington Working Mens Club), Welterweight Kristal
Kingi (Lake Rotoma), Bantamweight Sonia Whitmore (New
Plymouth). I'm sure you will wish this team every success
in their endeavours in Melbourne on the 10th
of May 1997.
On the home front, the Union still continues to grow,
with the new clubs that have joined us this month being
Waiotahi, instructed by mack Edwards, Waikato University
- Instructor Tracey Flintoff, Hastings Taekwondo Club -
Instructor Scott Cole, Hawkes Bay Taekwondo Academy -
Instructor Matthew Taare and Bay City Teakwondo Club
(Napier) with Barry Hawkins.
The growth and success of the Union can be attributed to
the good work of everyone spreading the message about the
Union and not just the Management Committee.
Keep up the good work, train hard and be the best that
you can!!!
See you at the AGM, if you can't stand that sort of
excitement, I will see you in Wellington at the Nationals
in June.
Michael
Hannah
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