Archived News - July/August 2009
Home || Back to News ||
19th August 2009
Mr Rawlins, Chris Perkins and our top fighters were once again away only this time they were in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) on 15th & 16th August to compete, win and have the honor to represent Australia at the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 14th-18th October.
Sinead Smyth, Jess Jordan, Emily O'Sulivan, Jasmine Cross, Jason Rocca & Chad Cross all from WA were joined by Renae Perkins from QLD to compete in this prestigious event. These Selection was special for a number of reasons.
(The team just chilling out before the big day)
1. It was the first time that the fighters were using Electronic Sensor Chest Guards (hogu). It was the La'JUST system, the same hogu they will be using at the World Championships. Some of our fighters have used the Adidas system in New Zealand at the Oceania Championships but these were different as you have to have foot socks on which have has sensors on them. Once it makes contact with the chest guard with enough force and hit at the right angle you would register a point. Mr. Rawlins will explain more in detail at tournament training.
2. The AOC and the ASC were both present to oversee the Selection as they were funding the winners to the Worlds. This would also be the first time since the big bust up between TA and STA that the fighters were getting fundings, something welcomed by all athletes and coaches.
3. For this very reason, you had the best of the best Taekwondo fighters competing at these Championships and it was going to be very had to win a medal, also the round robin system was used.
The scoring was hard as arm shots and kicks to the back were not scoring and you had to hit the chest guard with enough force and the right angle to score points, plus all the new rules were also used which will be explained at tournament training.
After all that, and at the end of the day our fighters did us proud as we walk away with 2 gold medals and 3 silvers from the 6 divisions that they competed in.
( The team at the conclusion of the Championships minus Chris & Renae who had to leave to catch their plane)
Congratulations to Sinead & Jess who fought brilliantly, especially Sinead who had to fight 6 matches to win her gold medal. Both girls will now be representing Australia and us at the World Championships. Jasmine, Jason & Chad won silver in very close fights with both Jasmine & Jason lost to two very good fighters by one point which could have gone either way. Chad could not adjust to new system and was frustrated but still managed a silver. Renae unfortunately was elimated by Sinead in the earlier rounds (both in same division) and Emily did her best but could not get a medal.
We should be were proud of our fighters as this was a strong competition with the best and most experience fighters competiting and let's not forget that Renae, Emily and Chad are only juniors and this was a senior selection event. Congratulations and well done to you all!
31st July 2009
A good number of members and spectators turned out for the grading and the overall standard was very good with a few students even double graded. Well done to all who trained hard for these gradings and passed and to those who failed this time, don't get discourage. This will be a test of your character and to see if you go back to your clubs and train even harder to improve and pass with outstanding marks next time. Congratulations to all the club instructors who prepared and worked with their students.
It was also a special day for some of our Black Belts as they were awarded their respective ranks in the club after serving the customary one year probation in our club.
Georgia Lee, Mackenzie Lee, Hayley Brandon, Nadine Venter, Ondrej Venter, Chad Cross & Jasmine Cross were all welcomed into the Rawlins Black Belt family. They have proven to the Boss, the senior instructors and members of the academy that they are worthy of the rank given to them and in return they have been given the respect and admiration of the whole academy. They will receive all the benefits and rewards that all our centers have to offer.
23rd July 2009
By Team Manager - Denise Venter
This trip was going to be a whole new adventure for our club as we had many new faces, both players and parents joining us for the first time with many of our seniors players not joining us. The excitement started months before our departure on the 9th July. We had an early start to the day, arriving at Perth International at 5am and some of us still half asleep but eager to board and begin our journey.
This was our first time flying Air Asia and with that in mind came many jokes but our flight proved to be a pleasant one and of course the team walked around, taking photos, bonding and chatting about what lay ahead for us. We were not booked to sit together but this did not stop the Rawlins team, our team bonding began in the sky.
(Team bonding on the plane)
Arriving from a chilly Perth dressed in our blue & white Australian uniforms we made a statement early on. Going through customs and the H1N1 posts we stood out as a group until Tim got pulled aside for swine flu testing. We were not sure if it was the sudden Malaysian heat or maybe a little too much of the good stuff that brought about a fever on the computer screen but luckily the routine check proved to be negative with Tim rejoining the group.
We were greeted out side with a big welcome banner by the organising committee who were very pleased to see Mr. Rawlins and his team again after 2 years. Our bus was ready and waiting and after loading our luggage we all headed into Shah Alam where we were met by friendly staff and members of the Malaysian TKD association at the Concorde Shah Alam. We chose this hotel rather than the visiting team hotel as Mr. Rawlins knew the different in both the hotels and we soon realised that he had made a wise choice. This year our accommodation ran really smoothly with each room being allocated and we were soon settled and comfortable. It did not take long for some of us to find the swimming pool, gym, sauna and massage area.
(At the airport and the bus upon arrival in KL)
Our first night dinner was a welcomed one as we were all hungry and in need of a decent feed. Of course the chocolate fountain proved to be popular and the poor chef had to replenish the marshmallows and vanilla cakes a few times after our hungry team members discovered the delights of their sweet & cake selections.
(Wonderful food!)
Friday was rest, registration & weigh in day but we got to do some training and a kick out before the weigh in. After everything was done some members headed across the road to the local shopping mall to stock up on fruits and drinks for competition day. When in Malaysia one can never really accept how cheap things are for us so spending starts on day one with most of us shopping and buying odds and ends. Friday night was an early night for all as our bus was due at 7.15am the following morning to pick us up.
(Training in session)
We arrived at the stadium in high spirits with our juniors ready to perform on day one. We took our place once again on the yellow “comfy” seats and made ourselves comfortable, putting up our banners and flags. We were soon joined by the Victorian team who had come to Malaysia with some 100 strong athletes. They too made themselves at home in the aisles close to us. We were all there as Australians but were divided by states and uniforms.
When the competition eventually started our juniors were on fire with everyone winning their first round fights. It was most noticeable that we were there to win and make a statement. Our juniors stood out above the rest. They can be proud of their performance with some having 9 fights to win a medal. Their overall results showing on the final day medal presentation. The sportsmanship, respect and the way they acted in general is a credit to them all and the club.
(Opening ceremony and prize presentation)
SDay two was a whole different ball game with our seniors all in the “zone” and ready to try and emulate the fantastic performance by our junior (6 golds & 4 silvers) or come close to it. When the fighting got underway we knew that we were in for an exciting day with some big divisions and some very good opponents in all the divisions. Our seniors fought to the best of their ability with some great fights and it was very entertaining to watch such good match ups.The Malaysians had their top guns out aka their National Team fighters. They were not only fighting for their pride but also their reputations. By the end of thesecond day they dominated most of the divisions.
They didn't have it all their way with a few Aussies (Laura, Chad, Reggie and Erin) winning some of the divisions. It was a day of excitement where emotions and passion ran wild so much so that during one of the matches, the finals of the male black belt -69kg division (Malaysia vs Australia) the father of the Malaysian boy had a heart attack and died on the way to hospital. The young Malaysian boy went on to win gold.
Australia as a nation came together and dug down deep to raise some money for his family. WELL DONE AUSTRALIA. The family was later given our deepest condolences and the money was presented at a media conference by Mr. Rawlins and Justin. They were extremely grateful and appreciative of the generous and kind gesture.
(Juniors fighting and we watching Chad's final)
Day 2 was also the medal presentation and I was running around like a headless chook when they started calling juniors to the podium. It was soon clear that we were in with a chance of a Junior Championship Trophy but were not convinced as we only had 12 juniors. When Victoria was called as third place winners and Malaysia called as second place winners, Mr. Rawlins turned to me and said “we have it in the bag” AND WE DID! It just goes to show that it's not quantity but quality that counts. Our seniors also did us proud by taking third place in the overall medal count considering we only 8 seniors. This was an outstanding achievement.
(Forming the shape of Australia at the end of Day 2)
An after competition dinner/dance was organised for all team players. However when we arrived at the after party it was quite dull but it didn't take long for the RAWLINS crew to liven up the place with Allan burning up the dance floor with some fancy crip walking and popping. The party demonstrated that you leave everything at the tournament because everyone was dancing and mingling.
We were also challenged to a chant off by the Victorian team.The after party also proved to be our biggest statement with our team winning the “chant off” According to members from the Victorian team they had been practicing their chant for months but no practicing needed for our talented and skillful team. Within 10 minutes our “team rapper” Dennis had come up with a winner but needed a final statement to put the Victorians in their place. This was provided by Chad with a joke about the swine flu issue. We won the cheer off with ease and even did a encore to finish of the night.
(Party time)
Monday morning we packed up and made our way to the Concorde KL which is a 5 star hotel and without any hassles we were all quickly settled and ready to shop. Here we ate at the Melting pot which served food fit for a king. The food was top class. At the adults table, we are not sure if Tim had hollow legs but he managed to eat for all of us. He made sure he got his money worth. And while on that subject we would like to congratulate Tim on purchasing shares in the Malaysian Communications. After 2 phone calls to Australia from the comfort of his hotel room Tim was handed a bill that convinced most of us he would have been better off buying a mobile phone with credit. Hahahaha.
We all headed to BB plaza where we split up into groups. Here we all shopped till we literally dropped. My feet were killing me and I was looking for the nearest massage parlor. I tell you shopping with Claire, Tiaana & Hayley is NO joke. They must have tried on every item in ever store we walked past. It was huge fun and we never stopped laughing especially all the way back to the hotel as our taxi driver was a scream. By the time he had picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel he was saying “see ya later alligator in a while crocodile”
(Fun time)
Fun was had by all. The boys were playing Marco polo in the pool and poor Allen & Robert always seemed to be in the middle.....I think the junior boys were against these two, even the towel man from the hotel took great joy in laughing – not sure if he knew what was going on........
Another night, another day and fun was on the cards. The hotel made a cake to celebrate mine and Tony’s birthdays – unfortunately we had all pigged out on food and sweets that we forgot to eat the cake.
All in all the trip was a success and I am sure many of you will agree that we have a special bond as a team. Everyone looked out for each other and this is more than a special bond ''this is family''.
I would like to thank everyone. We had a great time and hopefully there will be many more in the near future. For those of you who did not come with us, you were not forgotten. This time around the age group was more on a junior level and there were many times I heard Mr. Rawlins saying “where is Jason or Jess or Sinead” – there was one time at the dinner table when he was asking me where Laura was but he started with “where is Jess?” I had to stop him and say “she's not here. She's on her honeymoon”. Hehe.
We were truly a team.
T - together
E - everyone
A - achieves
M - more
(Random shots)
22the July 2009
The State Championships was yet another big event with all the top clubs entering their best competitors to see who had bragging right to say they were the best. It was another outstanding performance by our club which saw us win 38 gold medals in the sparring from 48 divisions that we entered. Still waiting on how many golds we won in the patterns.
The competition was ran by both the Oh Do Kwan and Rawlins clubs. Apart from a few unsportsmanlike conducts from one club and using the new rules for the first time, it ran very smoothly with everyone enjoying themselves and eagerly awaiting the next one.
Thanks to the Black Swan Taekwondo Inc. for use of their 2 electronic scoring systems and everyone who helped in making this a successful championships.
We would also like to thank all the parents, supporters and athletes who stayed until everyone of our fighters had finished this is something that all the other clubs and their instructors have noticed and one of the things that they have admired about us. So for some of you that forget, next time stay till the end).
Enjoy some of the pictures.
(Kristy & Paul ready to coach both their students from Albany who both made it to the finals. Well, at least it will be gold & silver in this division)
(Sharon giving one of her chargers some advise)
(Allan and Owen after a tough fight)
(A happy Alavina receiving his trophy from Brian)
(Brad awarding a smiling Shane with his trophy)
(Dennis and Aidan with the champion trophy after two well fought matches)
(Haley and Sharon after they win)
(A happy Mr Rawlins with two of of young champions, Alyssa and Maddy)
|| Back to the top ||
© 2007-2009 Charles Rawlins Martial Arts and Taekwondo Centres