Three members of the Carronshore-based Central Taekwondo Club have been selected to represent Great Britain at the 13th European Poomsae Championships in Greece.
The top event, which will attract over five hundred players from thirty-four countries, takes place on the Greek island of Rhodes 7th& 8thMay.
Poomsae is a taekwondo discipline in which a player precisely demonstrates a number of choreographed offensive and defensive patterns using hands and feet against an imaginary opponent. Top taekwondo players have to master seventeen of the complex patterns.
At the recent GB Poomsae Play Offs held in London, thirteen year old British Champion Natasha Wilson from Stenhousemuir won the right to represent the UK in the Cadet Female category. Natasha has been consistently producing great results at competitions around the UK and abroad and last year competed at the World Poomsae Championships in Peru.
Ciaran Mein, also thirteen and from Camelon, has been selected as Natasha’s partner in the Cadet Pairs category.
Also making her debut for Great Britain will be Claire Spowart, one of Central’s Level 2 qualified coaches. Claire, the current British Champion, has been selected in the Under 50 Female Individuals and in the Senior Female Team division.
There was also a call up for Central’s founder and Chief Instructor, 8th Dan Grandmaster David Bailey, who was recently appointed as a member of the GB Poomsae Coaching Team. Grandmaster Bailey will be attending the European Championships as a National Team Coach.
He said: “It is very satisfying to see our students’ hard work rewarded with their inclusion in the GB Team while I feel very proud to be representing the UK as team coach.
“I’ve attended the Europeans before - in 2009 as a player and in 2011 as an International Referee – but this time it feels really special to be involved as coach. I am determined to help the team achieve their best performance yet.”
The Central team is being supported by “Chauffeur Travel” – they will be travelling to and from the airport in style. Team pictured with Chauffeur Travel Director Nicki Savoury.