NEWS

2007

December Update 2
The Beach Training on Saturday 20th December was well attended, with a large group of Instructors, students and parents gathered at Semaphore South Beach. Training got underway about 8:30am with the traditional beach run following the bow-in. The students were split into Juniors and Seniors, with serious and fun activities being covered in the two hour session. Kata in the sand is a bit difficult but in waist deep water a bit harder. What was more interesting was several people having to do pushups in the water for poor responses. The traditional relay races into the water and the customary dunking of the Instructors completed the training session. Most people stayed for the post training BBQ and thanks to those people who cooked the snags and served the food and drinks.

The final classes for 2008 are on Sunday 21st of December with Training recommencing on Monday 5th January. January is "Bring a Friend" Month, with cost for the friend to be $10 per session. The first Grading for 2009 will be on Sunday 18th January with a "Back to School Super Seminar" to be held on Saturday 31st January. More information about this seminar will be available when Training recommences in 2009.

December Update 1
The December Grading saw 42 students being assessed for their next grade. It was a good number to see of the year and all students were successful. Jason Page led the group, with his successful attempt at 3rd kyu. There were six students who graded to 4th kyu, Peter O'Toole, Justin Payne, Dori Lebani, Kathleen Halligan, Mark Dixon and David Thornton. The 5th kyu grup included Somali Chen, James Birt, Rebecca Birt, Chris Birt and Ethan Joyce. Well done to everyone who graded and a full list of students can be found in the Region 9 Grading Roll.

Sensei for the Month of November was Craig Spencer (Parafield Gardens and Salisbury East), with Danielle Tuff (Allenby Gardens) taking out the Sempei of the Month. Congratulations to both for their commitment and dedication.

Region 9 members of the Tournament Team were prominent in the recent NAS National Championships on the Gold Coast. Daniel Tregenza placed second in Veteran Forms and third in Veteran Male Sparring, Alan Gillert placed fourth in the Middleweight Black Belt Sparring and made the final of the Male Black Belt Forms event. Daniel and Alan teamed up with Beau Beaumont to take out the Male Advanced Syncronised Forms event, with an impressive win over the NSW GKR Team. Jeremy Thompson performed well in his sparring events, with the highlight being a second round win over Dean Gould who won the Male Open Kumite at the recent GKR National Championship. Full results and photos will be in the main site soon.

Congratulations to Modbury Sensei Seb Nazar who married Natasha Abley on November 29th. Included in the bridal party were Sensei Daniel Tregenza and past student and Sensei, David Attenborough. Seb and Tash honeymooned in Singapore and Phuket.

November Update 3
A big month coming up in December to finish off the year, with the Region Grading on Sunday 14th and the Beach Training on Saturday 20th December at Semaphore South Beach. Father Christmas will be in attendance and there will be a Sausage Sizzle as well. Cost for this training class is only $10 per person, with a Snag and Soft Drink included. Information Packs have been distributed to all the Dojo Sensei, so make sure you get one.

A smaller Grading this month, but a special one for Les White, who at 62 years old has achieved the high rank of 1st kyu. His determination to succeed is an inspiration for all older students. Congratulations Les on a great achievement. Other students to grade to a higher kyu grade were Natalie Milosevic, Alice Haskett, Marcus Volkofsky, Mandy Tuff who all graded to 5th kyu. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

November Update 2
There was only a small Team of 13 South Australians competing at the 2008 GKR Australian Championships, but there were some outstanding results from Region 9 students. Sensei Daniel Tregenza won the Male Veteran Kata and was Runner-up in the Kumite. Kevin Boyd took out second place in male Veteran 6-4th kyu Kata and Daniel McPherson (Paralowie) took out third place in Kumite and fourth in Kata in the 14-15 year 6-4th kyu section. Sensei Jeremy Thompson made the 1/4 finals of the Open Kumite, narrowly losing to the eventual Silver Medalist. Jasmine Harford (R23 - Mt Barker) was the only other medalist, placing second in the 8-9 year 6-4th kyu division. A full report, with plenty of photos will be on the gkrsa.com.au Tournament Revue section soon.

A large team of 38 competitors will be representing South Australia at the 2008 NAS National Championships and we wish them all well.

November Update 1
The Octoberfest program was hugely successful with a high participation rate across the region. The Tour of Duty winner was Tamsin Stanton (Allenby Gardens).

Sensei for the Month of October was Sebastian Nazar, with Jeremy Thompson taking out the Sempei of the Month to complete a double for the Wednesday Class at Modbury. A bit of trivia, which is the only regular class in the entire GKR World which has two Sandans as the Instructor Team - Modbury.

Another great opportunity for Region 9 students to fine tune their Kata will be on Thursday 27th November when you will have the opportunity to train with the Senior Black Belts at a Kata Seminar. Both the previous two Kata Seminars have been well attended, so don't miss this one. Flyers and additional information are available from your Dojo Sensei.

October Update 2
A huge day for four of the Region's Senior students and Instructors, when Shihan Stacey Karetsian and ZD Sensei Mark Case presided over the second Black Belt Grading for the year. Successfully Grading to Sandan (3rd Dan) were Sebastian Nazar and Jeremy Thompson, with Craig Spencer and Alan Gillert grading to Nidan (2nd dan). Congratulations to Regional Manager Sensei Joe van Strijp who successfully graded to Shodan-ho. It was a great display by all five who did the region proud. A full report and lots of photos appear on gkrsa.com.au.

The October Grading was a very large one, with all 51 students successfully grading to their next level. There was some high standard karate on display and Sensei Joe and sensei Daniel were very pleased with the standard. Higher grade students were Ashleagh Gillert who graded to 2nd kyu, whilst Melissa Gorjan, Caitlin Teakle, Liana Watt, David Boyd all graded to 4th kyu. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

October Update 1
Sensei of the Month for September was David Weir (Ingle Farm) and Sempei of the Month was Chris Ford (Angle Vale).

A big Month ahead with lots of things happening in Region 9 as detailed in the September Update 3 post.

September Update 2
A huge month coming up with Region 9's own Karate "Octoberfest". Details are as follows:

27TH SEPTEMBER-12TH OCTOBER  Bring A Friend is running through the School Holidays. We want you to bring your friends and family to karate, the more the merrier. They can try out out Karate Classes with you for two whole weeks! See your Sensei for a Flyer.

27TH SEPTEMBER -12TH OCTOBER TOUR OF DUTY will take place during the holidays also. This means that you will have the opportunity to train at all the different Dojo's across the Region gaining experience with the other Instructors, who will be hosting their respective Special Classes. A prize of 1 MONTHS UNLIMITED TRAINING FOR FREE will be awarded to the Student that has attended the most Tour of Duty Classes. See your Sensei for a Flyer.

1st-31st October OPEN SENIOR CLASS will be running for the whole month of October. All Orange Belts and above can train with the Instructors and Black belts of Region 9. Normal Training Fee applies, PTF included. This is an awesome chance to train with your Sensei, also to be assessed for your upcoming Grading. Running on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Salisbury East High School (7:30-9:00PM)

SATURDAY 18/10/08  A BLACK BELT GRADING will be held at Enfield High School. Support some of South Australia's best Black Belts, who will be attempting higher Dan Grades. This is an event that only happens a few times a decade. THIS IS AN EVENT YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS.

30/9/08 AND 8/10/08 DEMONSTRATIONS: 4 of our Instructors are putting on Demonstrations at NORTH PARK SHOPPING COMPLEX (30/9) and also at MODBURY TRIANGLE. (8/10) You are encouraged to come down and check it out!

STAY TUNED FOR SOME GREAT CLASSES COMING UP IN THE SUMMER!!! BEACH, FITNESS, SELF DEFENCE, POOL CLASSES ETC!

GKR and NAS State Championships - Some great results from Region 9 students and Instructors at both of these Tournaments. Full results and Photos are available on the gkrsa.com.au website.

September Update 1
Sensei Joe van Strijp recently announced at Senior Class that the Sensei and Sempei for the Month of August was awarded to Sensei Greg Warnest (Modbury) and Sempei Cathy Croci. Congratulations to both on their awards.

A few changes to Dojo Sensei has been advised with the most significant being the return to regular Dojo teaching by Sensei Seb Nazar and Sensei Jeremy Thompson who took over the reins at the Wednesday class at Modbury recently. After several years Sensei Dave Collins is taking a well earned break

August Update 3
The current Sensei Training Program recently finished, with all students satisfactorily completing the course. All Trainees were given their Certificates and Belts at a recent Senior Class, with all returning to their original Classes to assist as required. "On the Job" training will continue over the next few months, allowing them to hone their skills in a class environment. At the end of the Graduation night, they all posed for a group photo. (Click to enlarge) Congratulations to all students. from back left: Daryl Gordon & Lance Carroll, middle row: Darren Travis, Steve Tuff, Kevin Boyd, Kylie Macaitis, Chris Ford, Sensei Joe, Georgina Gordon, Helen Antoniou, Geoffrey Owens, Stuart Logan, front row: Luke Rogers, Randal Webb, Kate Jamieson. Absent: Dean Yon.

Don't forget the Kata Seminar on Saturday 30th - see your Dojo Sensei for a Registration form.

The August Grading was only a small one with 17 students. All were successful in progressing to their next grade. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

August Update 2
Please note there will be not be a Region 9 Grading for the month on September. Due to the NAS tournament on the 14/9 and the State GKR Tournament on the 21/9, the next Grading will be on Sunday October 19th.

Region 9 will hold a 2 hour Kata Super Seminar on Saturday 30th August at Salisbury East High School, commencing at 3pm. Cost is $12.00 per student. See your Dojo Sensei for a Flyer/registration Form.

August Update 1
Mid July saw the Instructor Group hold a Saturday Night Dinner with the aim to provide an opportunity for the group to chat outside Karate. Around 45 people attended the function, with some of the current STP seeing the other side of some of the higher ranked members of the Senior Class. Several people also cut loose on the dance floor, showing moves straight out of a number of Kata.

Jess and Danni, Lisa, Seb and Jess, Please can I Grade

July Grading was only a small one with the highest successful student on the day being Joshua Wykes, who graded to 5th kyu. Congratulations to all who were successful. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

The Kata Seminar was very strongly supported with 57 people training in the first session and 30 in the second. led by Sensei Daniel and Sensei Joe, 12 senior Black Belts assisted in the sessions. The first session concentrated on the first 4 kata, with each group having a minimum of two Black Belts taking the session. The second session catered for all kyu grade kata, with the smaller groups each having their own Black Belt Instructor. Feedback was very positive and Sensei Joe is looking at holding another Seminar later this year.

At the end of the Kata Seminar, Sensei Joe announced the Sensei and Sempai of the Month for June. Rodney Gray (Allenby Gardens) was Sensei of the Month and Pat Cluse (Enfield) was the Sempai of the Month. Each were awarded a Certificate of Achievement.

At the end of the month, many Region 9 students competed in Round 2 of the GKR State Qualification Tournaments. There were some outstanding performances, led by the Open Men. Daniel Tregenza had an outstanding day, wining Kata and Kumite in both Open and Veteran and was also a member of the winning Team Kumite group. Many of the Juniors did well with the Golden Grove Dojo group taking out many medals. Full results and photos will be in the Tournament Revue section soon.

July Update 1
Only a few weeks to go until the next SA GKR Tournament which will be held on Sunday 27th July, at the Marion Fitness and Leisure Centre. Entries close on Tuesday 22nd July. See you Dojo Instructor for details and an Entry Form.

Bring a Friend is back for the holidays and will run for the entire School Holidays (expires 20/7/08) Any enquiries on this please contact your Dojo Sensei or the RM Sensei Joe Van Strijp. Remember it's $10 for the friend that trains and he/she can do so as many times as as long as he has filled out a form and paid the $10 per class, no registration is required.

The Super Seminar (Kata) will be held on Thursday 24th July at Salisbury East High School. There will be two sessions - the first from 06:30 - 07:30pm will focus on the lower grade kata, whilst the second from 07:45 - 08:45 will focus on the higher grade kata (Bassai-dai onwards). However, students of all grades will be catered for at both seminars. Note that only the Senior Black Belt Instructors will take the Seminar. See your Dojo Sensei for further details.

Region 9 members of the GKR Tournament Team were prominent at the recent National All Styles Tournament. Stand out performances came from Alan Gillert (Angle Vale) who won Male Open Kata and Kumite and Sensei Daniel Tregenza won Veteran Kata and Kumite and placed in both in Open Division. Danielle Tuff and Lataelia Mobbs both won Kumite in their Junior Divisions. Several others also placed in their events. Full results, a report and photos will appear on the main site in the next week or so.

June Update 1
The June Grading saw a large group of students attempt to progress to their next grade. Whilst not all were successful, there was a high pass rate which pleased the Senior Instructors. Congratulations to all who were successful. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

May Update 2
With both Enfield and Salisbury East Halls both unavailable, the May Grading was held in the confined spaces of the Activity Room at Salisbury East. However, the Grading goes on, and Sensei Daniel & Sensei Joe put the students through the usual grueling test. The focus on sharpness and quality of technique in kata was well evident with the higher colour belts going through their Kata several times. Sparring was also of a good standard with the higher grade adults acquitting themselves well against the Instructors. Everyone passed this grading and special congratulations to Paul Compton for grading to 1st kyu and Randal Web to 4th kyu. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

May Update 1
The April Grading numbers were down a bit, but the new format proved very successful in reducing the overall time. There will be some fine tuning but all round will be a better experience for all involved. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

With Sensei Peter Thompson taking a break from regular teaching, Sensei Joe Van Strijp has taken the opportunity to rationalise classes by combining the former Golden Grove Class with the Modbury class on a Wednesday night. Sensei Dave Collins will lead the combined class at The Heights School, which takes effect from Wednesday 15th May, with class starting time being 7pm. The Friday night class at Golden Grove will be unchanged. Sensei Alan Gillert is now assisting at Angle Vale on a Friday night.

Sensei Sharon Edwards has designed a very good mini-site for her Seaton Class, with News, Gradings, Photo's, etc amongst the inclusions on the site. Check it out by accessing the link on the "R9 Dojo's" page.

April Update 1
From the April Grading, there will be a few changes. Firstly, the grading will be held on the third Sunday of the month to avoid Public Holidays, Mothers' day, etc. Secondly, both sessions will be held at the same time, with a new commencement time of 2.30pm. The April Grading will be a trial of the new format but promises to make for a more exciting experience for all concerned.

March Update 1
Besides being Sensei Matt Sullivan's last grading as RM of Region 9, the March Grading was a big one for Golden Grove students, with 4 students moving up through the "Browns". The Radan family dominated with brothers Isaac and Oliver both grading to 1st kyu, with Mum Cheryl grading to 2nd kyu. Riley Collins, son of Wednesday Sensei Dave Collins, also grading to 2nd kyu. Other higher grades achieved, saw Bradley Williams grade to 4th kyu, with four students, Paul Allen, Joshua Allen, Steve Tyler and Joshua Ellis, achieving 5th kyu. At the end of the grading, Sensei Matt addressed all the students and others present, advising of his pending move to Sydney, thanked everyone for all their support whilst RM and wished everyone the best for the future. Congratulations to all who were successful on the day. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

The new Region Manager in Region 9 is Sensei Joe Van Strijp, who hails from Melbourne. Sensei Joe took over mid March, following Sensei Matt's transfer to Sydney. Sensei Daniel Tregenza, in the role of Senior Instructor for the Region, will be assisting Sensei Joe whilst he concentrates on the administrative side for the time being. Sensei Joe has already visited many classes and introduced himself to many students. He has big ambitions for the region, although converting all the Instructors to Collingwood supporters may be a bit optimistic.

February Update 2
There have been a few changes to Region 9 class times, as well as a shuffle of Sensei. Check out the Dojo location page for these changes.

Sensei Matt Sullivan is back from his overseas trip with Kancho Robert Sullivan. During this 10 day trip, Sensei Matt visited his sister in Toronto, caught up with NHL and NBA games plus took part in seminars and training sessions in GKR Houston. We may have more details and even a few photos soon.

Don't forget to complete your entry forms for the GKR Tournament coming up on Saturday 15th March. Entries must be in by Tuesday 11th March.

February Update 1
It was officially announced at Senior Training last Tuesday night that Sensei Matt Sullivan and his family is moving to Sydney. Sensei Matt will take up the position as RM of a new Region, peeled off from an existing Sydney region. Both Sensei Matt and Kylie's families live in Sydney and this relocation allows them family support and access to doting grandparents as baby-sitters for Alliesha and Brooke. Sensei Matt's last day in Adelaide will be Sunday March 16th. The new RM will be Sensei Joe van Strip, who is from Melbourne. Sensei Joe will relocate to Adelaide in early March for the handover.

An added incentive for all students to enter to GKR Tournament in March is that Southern Zone Director Sensei Mark Case will be in attendance along with Special Guest Kancho Robert Sullivan. Get your entries in soon and form your kata and kumite teams early. The Tournament will be held at the Marion Leisure Centre, Oaklands Park, on Saturday 15th March. Full details and entry forms are available from your dojo Sensei.

The first Grading for the year was held in February and in both the Junior and Senior sections, all students passed. The Senior section saw Chris Ford and Paul Kerrison work very hard to achieve a milestone grading in advancing to 3rd kyu. Brothers Kenji and Rikko Sison successfully graded to 4th kyu as did Dean Yon. Check out the Region 9 Grading Roll for names of all students who graded.

January Update 1
Sensei Matt Sullivan was well pleased with the attendance at the Region 9 Super Class. Many people attended all three sessions and the intensity level was high as Sensei Matt and his attending Dojo Senseis put the students through their paces. First up was Self Defence/Stranger danger, led by Sensei Craig Spencer, and the group exercises were well executed. Several Instructors walked around, assisting with further explanation as necessary. The next Session, Kata, saw the group straight into kata groups, each led by an Instructor. As well as moving through the kata for an impression of where the students were at, the Instructors took time to explain the application or Bunkei of the moves to assist in understanding of the kata. Correction and understanding was the main thrust and the time went quickly. Last was Kata Bunkai (Applications) and Sensei Matt worked the students on the first half of Bassai-dai and its applications. Following this, the students then had the chance to work in groups with the Instructors, practicing the moves and receiving feedback.

Copyright © 2002-2008 by Peter Thompson. All rights reserved. Revised: 28 Dec 2008 21:54:54 +1030