33rd TTA Individual Championships, Nov 2016

The 33rd TTA Individual Championships were held on the 6th November in Glasgow. 23 members of TTA London travelled to Glasgow the day before for a team dinner to chat about upcoming competition, have fun and get our best team’s spirit!TTA London returned successfully, achieving the best result ever by winning 19 medals/trophies (4 Golds, 7 Silvers, 8 Bronze). Results and competitors experiences are summarised below. Congratulations all competitors and thanks to all organisers and coaches for another successful event!

Results

Poomsae medals

Myrna von Hoyningen Huene: GoldJamal Wallace: SilverSarah Garrett: BronzeDayo Ajibade: BronzeThomas Groarke: Bronze

Kyorugi medals

Sarah Garrett: GoldRomuald Kouassi: GoldPaul Vorobyev: GoldAnnecy Crescini: SilverMyrna von Hoyningen Huene: SilverAnthony Cornwell: SilverCori Williams: SilverJonathan Liang: SilverBre Lewis: BronzeHelene Dongois: BronzeJamal Wallace: BronzeKexin Li: BronzeThomas Groarke: BronzeVictor Barzey: Silver

Referees/Officials

Mr BenderJemima KingsleyEsi EshunDayo AjibadeTricia EkokobeSeth CampbellPatrick CallaghanLouise MayorJenn SmallDavid Anderson

Competitor Experiences

“Competing for the first time can be somewhat daunting. The wait can be agonising, and suddenly it's your turn and nothing could quite prepare you for it.But I made it through thanks to all the cheering I could hear in the background. Somehow, I was not alone on that ring: the fantastic spirit of the London team was pushing me beyond my own limits. The shouts and screams kept me going when I started to doubt. The calm feedback from Mr Bender as coach gave me comfort for the following rounds. I might not have won that match, but I closed the score and I am confident I achieved a great deal: I conquered my fear of fighting. And I know what to strive for next: kick with my right leg more and shift out of the way faster! Oh and some back kicks could be good too...All in all, it's an experience I will not forget and certainly recommend it to all who want to improve their skills!”

Helene Dongois

“Coming to the competition for the first time it was almost impossible to have expectations. Talking strategies, sharing stories, and asking questions the night before at the team dinner was a great chance to ease any pre-competition jitters and to get to know fellow club members better and attempt to construct some sort of expectation.Walking into the hall it was overwhelming to see so maybe people in the same dobok: T. T. A. / T. K. LOH. It provided insight into the actual size of the association beyond the familiar walls that team London trains in weekly. It was a welcoming atmosphere.The actual competition was a learning experience all around. The poomsae was much like it would be in grading and seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, and just like that we began to get kitted up and warmed up to spar. My weight category had me beginning in the quarter finals, meaning the potential to have three total fights. The first fight was good for calming nerves and understanding the atmosphere, while by the second fight I felt like I was trying to be more tactical and listen to my coaches advice and try to incorporate combinations learned in training. Each fight was physically exhausting but both adrenaline and your fellow teammates cheering made it possible to get through each round. By the third fight I was a bruised and exhausted from a long day and going up against black belt it was again a different mental strategy going into the fight. Each fight was unique and you had to quickly adapt to your opponent and read how they were fighting. I am grateful that I experienced three very different fights that day which helped me to highlight what I need to work on in future training. I think going to a competition a great experience to really understand and incorporate weekly training. You go 100% in the ring, and no matter who you are fighting against it really is a personal test. It was great to have that experience and to share it with everyone else from the club that joined. It really was a great learning experience and one that can't be recreated in our weekly training.”

Cori Williams