The 15th of December 2012 was a very historic day for the students of The J H kim TaeKwon-Do institute, based in Carrigtwohill, Cork, Ireland.
For the students involved, who had undertaken as many as sixty classes in the previous four months in preparation for what was to be one of the biggest achievements in their lives to date, were understandably experiencing a mix of emotions as their barrels of enthusiasm were delicately balanced with a (to be expected) supply of nerves. They appeared primed and ready for what the next six hours had in store for them. The grading commenced at nine o’clock in the morning with the first group of four students being asked to showcase the basic skills and knowledge of the art which they have acquired over their years of training.
An abundance of skills, both accurate and powerful were on show as they made their way up and down the hall. Any mistakes which may have been present in the anxious few weeks leading up to the big day were blatantly absent as all involved gave a commendable account of themselves in the early going. Patterns and step sparring were performed with precision and flair as the students continued to impress all the other school black belts in attendance.
A first for European taekwondo, the all-round system known as full-range sparring was undertaken with the power, speed and accuracy expected of black belt candidates. The students can be proud of the fact that they gave this system a proper first showing on European soil. The grading was completed when we asked the students to do self defense which had been pre-prepared.
The breaking of the boards was to act as the curtain call for the event as the students battled with the pressure of being watched by both a gathered gallery and the knowledgable gaze of the many black belts present.
The Awards dinner was held in the beautiful Elm Tree where the Belts were handed out to the students one by one as I welcomed them in to the Black Belt ranks .I pointed out the importance of what it meant to be a black belt and what responsibility went with the rank. All involved represented their families, their club and most importantly, themselves admirably and can be incredibly proud of their efforts and achievement in getting to the position of black belt which they hold today.
A very special mention must go to an incredible group of young boys who have, in the past, made the jump from junior black belts to normal coloured belts and now the almighty leap to the position of full black belts. What is unique about this group is that they are all under the age of ten and apart from attending the same dojang, they share the same classroom, making them a very special group altogether.
I am so pleased to say that all candidates performed above and beyond what I expected and I am proud to announce that they are the first ever J H KIM Certified black belts in Europe and will add hugely to our Institute in Ireland.
Mark Healy 1st Degree
Matthew Roche 1st Degree
Scott Mills 1st degree
Dan Irwin 1st degree
James Barry 1st degree
Lorna Maher 1st degree
Adam Gray 1st degree
Ryan Mc Sweeney 1st degree
Darragh Cullinane 1st degree
Cian Murphy 1st degree
Hugh Healy 1st degree
Anna Szymczynska 1st degree
John Twohig 2nd Degree
Aaron Burke 2nd Degree
Daniel Griffin 2nd Degree
Andrew Quinlan 2nd Degree.
For the students involved, who had undertaken as many as sixty classes in the previous four months in preparation for what was to be one of the biggest achievements in their lives to date, were understandably experiencing a mix of emotions as their barrels of enthusiasm were delicately balanced with a (to be expected) supply of nerves. They appeared primed and ready for what the next six hours had in store for them. The grading commenced at nine o’clock in the morning with the first group of four students being asked to showcase the basic skills and knowledge of the art which they have acquired over their years of training.
An abundance of skills, both accurate and powerful were on show as they made their way up and down the hall. Any mistakes which may have been present in the anxious few weeks leading up to the big day were blatantly absent as all involved gave a commendable account of themselves in the early going. Patterns and step sparring were performed with precision and flair as the students continued to impress all the other school black belts in attendance.
A first for European taekwondo, the all-round system known as full-range sparring was undertaken with the power, speed and accuracy expected of black belt candidates. The students can be proud of the fact that they gave this system a proper first showing on European soil. The grading was completed when we asked the students to do self defense which had been pre-prepared.
The breaking of the boards was to act as the curtain call for the event as the students battled with the pressure of being watched by both a gathered gallery and the knowledgable gaze of the many black belts present.
The Awards dinner was held in the beautiful Elm Tree where the Belts were handed out to the students one by one as I welcomed them in to the Black Belt ranks .I pointed out the importance of what it meant to be a black belt and what responsibility went with the rank. All involved represented their families, their club and most importantly, themselves admirably and can be incredibly proud of their efforts and achievement in getting to the position of black belt which they hold today.
A very special mention must go to an incredible group of young boys who have, in the past, made the jump from junior black belts to normal coloured belts and now the almighty leap to the position of full black belts. What is unique about this group is that they are all under the age of ten and apart from attending the same dojang, they share the same classroom, making them a very special group altogether.
I am so pleased to say that all candidates performed above and beyond what I expected and I am proud to announce that they are the first ever J H KIM Certified black belts in Europe and will add hugely to our Institute in Ireland.
Mark Healy 1st Degree
Matthew Roche 1st Degree
Scott Mills 1st degree
Dan Irwin 1st degree
James Barry 1st degree
Lorna Maher 1st degree
Adam Gray 1st degree
Ryan Mc Sweeney 1st degree
Darragh Cullinane 1st degree
Cian Murphy 1st degree
Hugh Healy 1st degree
Anna Szymczynska 1st degree
John Twohig 2nd Degree
Aaron Burke 2nd Degree
Daniel Griffin 2nd Degree
Andrew Quinlan 2nd Degree.
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