Supreme Taekwondo 2014 Sparring and Poomsae Championships

Il Gi Taekwondo had a very successful day at the 2014 Supreme Taekwondo Sparring and Poomsae Championships at Upton Community Centre, Widness on Sunday 11th May. The Team brought home a haul of 15 Gold, 3 silver and 5 Bronze medals with some very impressive performances in all categories.

Connor Bailey won his first fight of the day with what could be the fastest Taekwondo Knockout ever, 1.5 seconds after the match began. In his second fight he out-classed his opponent to win with a final score of 18-0

Full results are as follows:

GOLD: Total 15

• James Newton -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Tom Knox -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Caroline Walford -- Il Gi Blackpool & Moor Park
• Rosie Walford -- Il Gi Blackpool & Moor Park
• Jane Thomas -- Il Gi Moor Park
• Robert Mellor -- Il Gi Moor Park

• Connor Bailey x 2 -- Il Gi Blackpool & Moor Park
• Chris Rodden -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Tom Knox -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Adam Leyland -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Sriharry Sivakanthan -- Il Gi Moor Park
• Rick Binns -- Il Gi Moor Park
• Joe Jenkinson-Cross -- Il Gi Moor Park

• Adam Buzza + Joe Jenkinson-Cross -- Il Gi Moor Park

SILVER: Total 3

• Joe Kehoe -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Adam Buzza -- Il Gi Blackpool

• Jack Cox + Tom Knox -- Il Gi Blackpool

BRONZE: Total 5

• Adam Leyland -- Il Gi Blackpool
• Logan Thomas -- Il Gi Moor Park
• Debbie Chapman -- Il Gi Blackpool & Moor Park

• Emily Mercer-Taylor + Robert Mellor -- Il Gi Blackpool & Moor Park

• Emily Mercer-Taylor -- Il Gi Blackpool & Moor Park

Taekwondo Sisters 'Got Talent'

Taekwondo Sisters Emily (black tag) and Jessica (blue tag) have been training with Il Gi Taekwondo 3 to 4 times a week for just over a year and recently took part in their school's 'Wesham's Got Talent' competition.
When the competition was announced they decided they wanted to show off their Taekwondo skills. The girls auditioned and the judges were very impressed and put them through to the Finals.
On the night they performed their Poomsae to the Kung-Fu Fighting music. They both did very well and left the stage smiling. The results were announced and the 'Little Taekwondo Sisters' were awarded second place.

11th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition

Charity was the biggest winner as the Il Gi Taekwondo team took part in the annual Robert Wright Poomsae Competition at Thornton Sports Centre on 19th May 2013.
The competition, now in its 11th year, was founded by Robert's wife Claire after she sadly lost Robert to cancer and decided to dedicate a competition in his memory.

Il Gi had a very successful day at the competition with it's competitors winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the majority of categories - a total of 26 trophies, including 1st place in ten out of the eleven Poomsae groups!
All Eight Robert Wright Finalists were also from Il Gi with Connor Bailey winning the Grand Final to become the first person to win the Robert Wright Cup for the second time.

Il Gi Poomsae results were as follows:

GROUP 1
1st Place - Adam Leyland (Blackpool)
2nd Place - Paige Binns (Moor Park)
3rd Place - Louie Dixon (Moor Park)

GROUP 2
1st Place - Jack Cox (Blackpool)
2nd Place - Robert Mellor (Moor Park)
3rd Place - Emily Mercer-Taylor (Blackpool)

GROUP 3
1st Place - Adam Buzza (Moor Park)
2nd Place - Thomas Knox (Blackpool)
3rd Place - Chelsey Graham (Moor Park)

GROUP 4
1st Place - Ethan Martin (Moor Park)

GROUP 5
1st Place - Joseph Jenkinson-Cross (Moor Park)

GROUP 7
1st Place - Jane Thomas (Moor Park)
2nd Place - Sandra Jenkinson-Cross (Moor Park)
3rd Place - Kirsty Wheelhouse (Blackpool)

GROUP 8
1st Place - Debbie Chapman (Blackpool)

GROUP 9
1st Place - Ivan Villarino (Blackpool)
3rd Place - Megan Eccles (Blackpool)

GROUP 10
1st Place - Connor Bailey (Blackpool /Moor Park)
2nd Place - Ellie Thurlwell (Blackpool/Lytham)
3rd Place - Matthew McLaughlin (Blackpool/Lytham)

GROUP 11
1st Place - Mark Blydgen (Blackpool)
2nd Place - Caroline Walford (Blackpool)

Five of the team also competed in the One-Step Sparring competition with Jack Cox, Thomas Knox and Caroline Walford winning 1st Place and Robert Mellor collecting 2nd Place.

Caroline Walford and Matthew McLaughlin were also awarded 1st Place for their efforts in the Technical Destruction rounds.

Photos from the event can be viewed in our Image Gallery.

Strike Taekwondo 1-2-1 Fight Day and Poomsae Championships

A small team of seven from Il Gi Taekwondo competed in the Strike Taekwondo 1-2-1 Fight Day and Poomsae Championships at Nab Wood Sports Centre, Bingley, West Yorkshire on Sunday 14th April 2013. The team consisted of members from the Blackpool and Moor Park clubs: Connor Bailey, Rosie Walford, Caroline Walford, Debbie Chapman, Tom Knox, Adam Buzza and Robert Mellor.

All seven team members took part in the Poomsae competition with all seven winning in their individual rounds. Caroline, Connor, Robert and Adam went on to win the finals in their individual categories. Tom competed in the final in his group but his nerves got the better of him and a small hesitation cost him the first place trophy. Rosie came up against Connor in the final of their group and took second place. Debbie was up against Caroline in their category final and also took a second place medal.

Connor, Rosie, Tom and Adam also entered the Kyorugi (fighting) 1-2-1 contest with Tom and Connor both gaining victories in their fights. Tom fought very well on the day, beating his opponent by several points. Connor (pictured above fighting in blue) won his fight with quite a spectacular knockout using a reverse roundhouse kick to the head mid-way though the second round - at that point he was already winning the match with a score of 18-10. Adam started well but was just not quick enough and was narrowly beaten by his opponent.

Photos from the event can be viewed in our Image Gallery.

Poomsae & Novice Children's 1-2-1 and Breaking Competition

Il Gi students competed in the Ilyo Taekwondo Poomsae & Novice Children's 1-2-1 and Breaking Competition at Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool on Sunday 27th January 2013. Il Gi was represented by a small team from the Blackpool and Moor Park clubs.

Poomsae entries were as follows: Dan Grades - Rosie Walford, Megan Eccles, Liddy Eccles.
Kup Grades - Thomas Knox, Jack Cox, Debbie Chapman.

Rosie Walford won GOLD for Il Gi in the Junior Dan Grades category with an excellent demonstration of Poomsae Koryo. Megan and Liddy Eccles won joint third place in their group. Thomas claimed a third place medal for the Kup grades following his last minute entry into his category and Debbie Chapman was also awarded third place in the Senior Kup grades group.

Thomas Knox and Isaac Eccles took part in the novice 1-on-1 fight competition. Both of them won their fights comfortably. This was Isaac's first fight.

There were also Flying Side Kick and Speed Breaking events, both of which were won by Thomas Knox. Jack Cox took the third place medal in the Speed Breaking.

Il Gi Taekwondo gained Fourth place overall in the team tables, which is a fair result considering the very small team in attendance.

Wyre Taekwondo 1-on-1 Kyorugi & Poomsae Competition

A report by ILGI fight coach Alison Parkinson...

ILGI TKD had a very successful day at the Wyre Taekwondo 1-on-1 Kyorugi & Poomsae Competition at Stanley Park Sports Centre on Sunday 25th November 2012.

ILGI Blackpool had a total of 10 fighters who, in total had 14 fights. Out of the 14 fights, we won 11 of them. This was an extremely good success rate as the majority of competitors were entering a full contact fight for the first time. I am very proud of each and every fighter and it shows that we are moving in the right direction.

Adam Buzza:
Adam is a green tag and this was only his second competition. He had 2 fights, the first was actually the first fight of the day and he fought someone who was quite a bit taller than him. He fought very well against a more experience fighter and did score points, but unfortunately lost the contest.
Adam's 2nd fight was against a black tag. Adam fought brilliantly and had obviously gained a lot of experience from his first fight. He scored some great points with several back kicks and won the fight. I was very pleased with Adam's contribution and I'm sure it will stand him in good stead for future competitions.

Ethan Martin:
This was Ethan's first competition. This was a close fight but Ethan came out on top and scored quite a few points with his bandal chagis. Ethan was very nervous before the fight and after his success you could see the satisfaction of his win with his smile. This again, will give Ethan more confidence for future tournaments.

Thomas Knox:
This was also Thomas' first fight and he fought an experienced fighter from Sport TKD. The first round went to his opponent, but Thomas came out for the second round with a renewed confidence and aggression. Thomas did more than enough in the second round to win the fight and secure victory.

Joshua Peters:
Again, this was Josh's first attempt at a competition and although he fought gallantly, Josh lost the fight. Although disappointed at his loss, Josh gave his absolute all and I was extremely proud of him.

Jack Cox:
Jack fought the same opponent from Sport TKD that Thomas Knox fought. This was a very close match and could have gone either way. Jack was the more aggressive fighter and this is what won him the fight. This was Jack's first fight and, against his more experienced opponent was quite an achievement to come away with the victory.

Niall Stocker:
Niall fought an experienced fighter from Sport TKD and all I can say is that he outclassed his opponent. The fight was stopped in the 2nd round after Niall scored with some powerful bandal chagis and his opponent withdrew from the contest. 2 wins out of 2 for Niall. Well done !!!!!!!!!!!!

Ivan Villarino:
Ivan fought a fighter from Sport TKD. This was an extremely good fight and closely fought in the first round. In the second round, Ivan scored some great points with a couple of back kicks and this secured him the win. Ivan's effort could not be faulted and he can draw on the experience he gained for future events.

Mathew McLoughlin:
Matthew had 2 fights. In the first fight Matthew was very aggressive but sometimes did walk onto attacks from his opponent. However, this does not detract from the comfortable win attained. In Matthew's second fight he fought a german fighter. He drew on advice given to him and held back using the length of his legs to score some great points. A strong head kick scored and his opponent received a standing count. Matthew then scored with another head shot. By this time his opponent had decided enough was enough and did not want to continue with the fight. Another victory for Matthew.

Rosie Walford:
Unfortunately, the fighter who was due to fight Rosie withdrew from the fight which automatically gave Rosie the fight. This was such a shame as she had trained very hard for this competition.

Connor Pickering:
It can only be said that Connor had an off day today. Although the fight lasted the distance, he lost by quite a few points. Lets hope he learns from this experience and has more success next time.

Mathew Watts:
This for me was the best fight of ILGI fighters. Matty fought someone who was same rank as him and set off at a strong pace right from the whistle. Matty scored with at least 4 strong head shots and his bandal chagis proved enough to finish off his opponent. His opponent ended up with a blooded nose and the fight was stopped. This was only Matty's second competition and was a very good victory.

Connor Bailey:
Well, what can I say about this match. Connor won the fight with the biggest score of the day, a 34-3 victory!!!. Connor totally outclassed his opponent - who was floored 4 times - from the start of the fight. Credit has to be given to his opponent who at times, looked out of his depth, but he kept on going and finished the fight.

ILGI also had 12 students entering the poomsae competition. Out of the 12 entries, ILGI gained five 1st places and four 2nd places...

• Dan Grades
  Connor Bailey - 1st Place
  Ellie Thurlwell - 1st Place
  Andy Peters - 1st Place
  Caroline Walford - 2nd Place
  Matthew McLaughlin - 2nd Place
• Kup Grades
  Robert Mellor - 1st Place
  Adam Buzza - 1st Place
  Debbie Chapman - 2nd Place
  Jack Cox - 2nd Place

All fighting and poomsae results show that ILGI TKD is moving in the right direction in all aspects of TKD. I can safely say that I am proud to be a part of it.

Photos from the event can be viewed in our Image Gallery.

Buzz Taekwondo 1-on-1 Fight and Poomsae competition

Il Gi students competed in the Buzz Taekwondo 1-on-1 fight & Poomsae Competition at Bebbington High School, Bebbington, Wirral on Sunday 1st July 2012. It was the first competition for some of the Il Gi students who did extremely well and demonstrated excellent Taekwondo spirit. It was a great day with lots of support from parents and Il Gi students.

Poomsae entries were as follows:

Dan Grades
Connor Bailey, Matthew McLoughlin, Andy Peters, Ellie Thirwell, Caroline Walford, Rosie Walford, Nathan Moorhouse.

Kup Grades
Adam Buzza, Debbie Chapman, Kaine March, Robert Mellor.

All poomsae competitors performed well with several winning their 1-on-1 rounds. In the Kup grades category, Blue tag Robert Mellor age 8, who trains at the Moor Park club, went on to win GOLD in the final beating a much older Black tag.

The following students took part in the 1-on-1 fight competition:

Adam Buzza, Shane Eyres, Kaine March, Matthew McLoughlin, Nathan Moorhouse, Niall Stocker.

Some of these were fighting for the first time in competition and performed admirably. Blue tag Nail Stocker won his fight.

South Korea Visit - 2012 World Mudo Festival

Il Gi Taekwondo attended the 2012 World Mudo Festival & Taekwondo Championships held at Sunmoon University, Chungcheon Namdo, South Korea from July 6th - 12th July.

The event was organised by Grand Master Kim Yong Ho 9th Dan. Grand Master Ki Ok Gwak who is part of the Kukkiwon 8th/9th Dan grading panel was heavily involved. Master Lee Byoung-ho who was former head of the Seoul City Taekwondo demonstration team was also in constant attendance. Il Gi's Master Waddington, Russ Bailey and Connor Bailey plus other members of the UKTDC, attended classes in various Korean Martial arts including Hapkido, Hwalin-bong (3-section short stick), Bonkukgumdo (the oldest sword art in Korea), Kuksunyoga/Kuksundo, Taekwon-bong (short sticks), Meditation with Buddhist Monk Master Kim Sang Te and Taekgyeon (an ancient kicking and throwing art). Taekwondo Poomsae training was given by Master Jae Jin Kang who is a Poomsae instructor from the Kukkiwon. Russ Bailey and Connor Bailey took part in the World Mudo Poomsae Championships, both achieving Gold Medals in their respective individual categories. The competition was attended by the world famous Korean Tigers demonstration team.

Photos and Videos from the visit can be found in our Galleries.

10th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition

Il Gi students competed in the 10th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition in memory of Master Robert Wright on the 26th June 2011. Once again Il Gi gained medals in many of the categories. As always, students from Il Gi demonstrated a high standard of Taekwondo. This year the event raised in excess of Eight Thousand Pounds for local charities.

Overall winner of this year's Robert Wright Cup was Nigel Eastham from Skelmersdale Taekwondo who beat our own Connor Bailey by only 0.1 points in a very close fought final.

Well done to all who competed, Poomsae results were as follows:

Dan Grades
Connor Bailey - 1st Place
Ellie Thurlwell - 1st Place
Justin Rothery - 2nd Place
Mark Blydgen - 3rd Place

Kup Grades
Ian Cartmell - 1st Place
Daisy Cartmell - 1st Place
Angela Rutherford - 1st Place
Tom Priestley - 1st Place
Molly Cartmell - 3rd Place
Severene Farmer - 3rd Place
Kyle Rutherford - 3rd Place

Il Gi also gained first place in the team event with team 'Youngies and Oldies' (Matthew McLaughlin, Ellie thurlwell, Chris Fish and Caroline Walford) putting on an impressive display of Poomsae, Step Sparring and Destruction. In the individual the Step Sparring competition Connor Bailey earned first place and Andy Peters was awarded second place.

Photos from the event can be viewed in our Image Gallery

Blackpool Festival of Taekwondo 2011

The Blackpool Festival of Taekwondo held at Blackpool Stanley Park Sports Centre on 28th/29th May 2011 was a huge success. Visit the Festival Website for a full report.

Il Gi Taekwondo earned medals in the Poomsae, Kyorugi and Flying Side Kick competitions held throughout the weekend. Il Gi fighter coach Alison Parkinson provided the following report on our Fighters...

First fight - Nathan Moorhouse
"This was Nathan's first ever fight and competition. nathan fought woth a lot of heart and determination and was a worthy victor in this contest.
Nathan was able to take advantage of his opponent's tiredness and through both rounds was easily the better fighter."

Second fight - Matthew Watts
"Again this was Matty's first ever competition and once he was able to battle through his nerves during the first round, won his fight by 4 points. Matthew had to suffer a punch to the face and showed great spirit in overcoming this. His kicks became stronger throughout the fight which inevitably won him the match."

Third fight - Connor Pickering
"Connor's opponent was of the same grade and it was a hard fought contest in which Connor came out on top winning his fight by 8 points - a very pleasing performance. Connor was also congradulated by Grandmaster Brenda Sell after his fight."

Fourth fight - Ashley Evans
"I considered this to be the best fight of the day. Ashley fought an experienced fighter from Mark Richardson's group. This was technically a brilliant fight which could have gone either way. However, Ashley's perseverance came through and he won by 4 point 28-24."
 

Poomsae, One Step and Flying Side Kick competition entries and results were as follows:

• Connor Bailey - Junior Dan Grades GOLD
• Rosie Walford - Junior Dan Grades BRONZE
• Caroline Walford - Senior Dan Grades BRONZE
• Andrew Peters - Senior Dan Grades SILVER
• Matthew McLaughlin - Junior Dan Grades BRONZE
• Ellie Thurlwell - Junior Dan Grades
• Ian Cartmell - Senior Kup Grades GOLD
• Jane Cartmell - Senior Kup Grades SILVER
• Daisy Cartmell - Junior Kup Grades SILVER

• Connor Bailey - Junior Dan Grades SILVER
• Andrew Peters - Senior Dan Grades
• Caroline Walford - Senior Dan Grades
• Matthew McLaughlin - Junior Dan Grades
• Amy Caterall - Junior Dan Grades

• Mark Blydgen - Seniors BRONZE
• Nathan Moorhouse - Juniors GOLD

Grand Master Kim Yong Ho Training Seminar

Il Gi Taekwondo were once again honoured to host a seminar conducted by Grand Master Kim Yong Ho, 9th Dan head of the World Chung Do Kwan federation. Master Kim was over from South Korea for a series of seminars and meetings with Taekwondo practitioners in this country and we had the pleasure of hosting one of those seminars.

The event took place at Palatine Leisure Centre on Sunday 27th February 2011 and was very well attended with 100 or so participants from a large number of UK national associations.

Many aspects of Taekwondo were covered during the four hour session including correct breathing methods, philosophy, sport Taekwondo, Poomsae application and self defence.

Thanks to all those in attendance for making the day a huge success.

UKTDC January 2011 Dan promotion

Il Gi students and attended a UKTDC Dan promotion test in Blackpool on Sunday 30th January 2011.

Congratulation to the following successful Il Gi members...

• Promoted to First Dan Black Belt: Scott Burns
• Promoted to First Poom Black Belt: Liddie Eccles
• Promoted to Second Poom: Ivan Villarino, Amy Catterall, Jessica Robinson
• Promoted to Second Dan: Kevin Galle
• Promoted to Third Dan: Bernard Shannagher, Justin Rothery, Matthew McLoughlin, Ellie Thurlwell

BTA Poomsae Championship and 1-2-1 Competition

Il Gi attended the British Taekwondo Alliance Open 1-2-1 Sparring & Poomsae Southern Championships in Bristol on the 23rd January 2011 collecting Medals in both Kyorugi and Poomsae competitions.

Connor Bailey won Gold in his fight winning by 6 points to 2. He also won 1st place in his Poomsae category. Rosie Walford also won Gold in her fight with a 12 points to 8 victory. Rosie came second place in her Poomsae category. Caroline Walford earned joint 1st place in the Senior Females Poomsae category.

9th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition

Il Gi students competed in the 9th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition in memory of Master Robert Wright on the 3rd October 2010. All students performed extremely well and once again Il Gi gained medals in many of the 11 categories. Well done to all who participated, students from Il Gi showed a high standard of Poomsae and this was reflected in the results.

Overall winner of the 2010 Robert Wright Cup was Third Dan Black Belt Russ Bailey. This is the Fourth time Il Gi Taekwondo have won the Grand Final.

Well done to all who competed, Poomsae results as follows:

GROUP 2 - Daisy Cartmell 1st
GROUP 4 - Molly Cartmell 1st
GROUP 6 - Stephanie Robinson 1st, Jamie-Lee Benison 2nd
GROUP 8 - Ian Cartmell 1st, Jayne Cartmell 3rd
GROUP 9 - Connor Bailey 1st
GROUP 10 - Ellie Thurlwell 3rd
GROUP 11 - Russ Bailey 1st, Andy Peters 2nd, Mark Blydgen 3rd

Il Gi also gained several trophies in the team Poomsae categories and in the Step Sparring and Individual destruction sections of the competition.

Grand Master Kim Yong Ho Training Seminar

Il Gi Taekwondo hosted a Training Seminar conducted by 9th Dan Grand Master Kim Yong Ho from South Korea. The 4 hour seminar took place on Sunday 4th July at Palatine Leisure Centre. The seminar was well attended with over 120 Taekwondo practitioners from all over the UK in attendance.

Grand Master Kim Yong Ho, 9th Dan, was the Chairman of the World Taekwondo Federation Technical Committee from 1998 to 2001 and is the founder of the World Taekwon-Mudo Academy.

Born 21/10/1942 in North Korea as it is today, Grand Master Kim Yong Ho's family moved to Seoul in the 1950's during the Korean war and he began his training in martial arts at the age of 11 in a gymnasium affiliated to Chung Do Kwan under Master Lee Seung Kook.

Training for 2 to 3 hours daily, he obtained his 1st provisional Dan (chodan bo) in Tang Soo Do the following year. His rank was confirmed in 1956 in front of Grand Master Uhm Woon Kyu at Chung Do Kwan in Seoul and he became the 61st Black Belt (yoodanja) and a student of Grand Master Uhm Woon Kyu.

As an instructor of Tang Soo Do, Grand Master Kim studied at the Jyung Hee University from 1962 - 1966 and then served as an officer in the Korean Army. He became a 5th Dan in Taekwondo in 1967. It was in this period that Master Kim went to Vietnam initially as an advisor to a Vietnamese General. During his last 6 months in Vietnam, Master Kim trained the bodyguards and other people responsible for the safety of the Vietnamese Prime Minister.

Following this, Master Kim held a post as an instructor in Iran and subsequently in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. At the end of his tour in 1978, Master Kim settled in France and spread Taekwondo to neighbouring countries (England, Morocco, Portugal, Luxembourg, Greece etc.)

Not wanting to see art of Taekwondo become reduced to a sport, Master Kim opened his own schools (Kim Chung Do Kwan) and formed the World Taekwon-Mudo Academy in Darlington (England) which was inaugurated with an International tournament in October 1997.

The following year, the first World championship of Taekwon Mudo was organised in Mexico (November 1998) with the participation of 17 delegations from 10 countries. The third big event was the Taekwon Mudo championship at the World Festival of Taekwondo at the University of Chung Cheong in Cheonju (July 2000).

1st UKTDC National Poomsae Championships

The UKTDC in association with ILGI & Ilyo Kwan hosted the 1st UKTDC National Poomsae championships for Dan grades and Open 1-2-1 Sparring and 1,2,3,4 Poomsae competition at Stanley Park Sports Centre, Blackpool on 14th June 2009.

Il Gi gold medalists and UKTDC National Champions are as follows:

Cadet Male - Connor Bailey, Junior Male - Jack Wills, Junior Female - Ellie Thurlwell, 2nd Senior Male - Justin Rothery, 1st Masters Female - Caroline Walford

Master Ky Tu Dang Poomsae Seminar

Il GI Taekwondo in association with the United Kingdom Taekwondo Development Council hosted a Poomsae seminar conducted by Master Ky Tu Dang, 7th Dan WTF World champion and seven times European champion. The seminar took place on Sunday 26th October 2008 at Blackpool sports centre, Stanley Park.

Over 100 Taekwondo practitioners from all over Britain attended the event which was hailed a huge success. Master Ky Tu Dang is very much sought after on the world Taekwondo circuit.

UKTDC Liverpool Capital of Culture Championship 2008

Team Il Gi had a very successful day at the Liverpool Capital of Culture Championship on 28th September 2008. Clubs in attendance at the event Included North west TKD Academy, Il Gi TKD, Quest, Baekho, Liverpool, Burnley, Edgewood, Strike TKD, Ilyo Kwan, Wigan academy, Eccleston TKD, Free Spirit, BTA, Preston, St Annes and Fairhaven.

Il Gi Winners in the Kyorugi section were:

Kenny Venning, Jordan Robins, Connor Stanhope, Andrew Fish, Stephanie Robinson, Arron Williams, Rosie Walford, Dave Raggozino, Jack Wills, Samantha Nash, Connor Bailey, Ivan Villarino and Richard Wareing. Andrew Fish of Il Gi Blackpool also won the award for 'Best Male Fighter' of the day.

Poomsae competition results were as follows:

Connor Bailey - GOLD, Ellie Thurlwell - GOLD, Mark Blydgen - GOLD, Jessica Robinson - GOLD, Caroline Walford - GOLD Stephanie Robinson - SILVER, Thomas Murphy - SILVER, Andrew Boulden - SILVER, Megan Eccles - SILVER Liddy Eccles - BRONZE, Emily Maguire - BRONZE, Ivan Villarino - BRONZE, Katie Barratt - BRONZE, Chris Fish - BRONZE, Jordan Robbins - BRONZE, Kenny Venning - BRONZE

Il Gi Taekwondo also won first place in the Team rankings, results were as follows: 1st Il Gi, 2nd Baekho, 3rd Strike, 4th Edgewood, 5th Liverpool.

1st UKTDC Dan Promotion

Il Gi students and instructors attended the 1st UKTDC Dan promotion test on Sunday 15th June 2008 at the North West Taekwondo Academy in Skelmersdale. The events was well attended by participants from several full member clubs within the UKTDC. The standard was extremely high and the pass rate reflected this.

Congratulation to the following successful Il Gi members...

• Promoted to First Dan Black Belt: Katie Barratt (Blackpool), Olivia Blydgen (Blackpool), Zach Thompson (Blackpool), Daniel O'Connell (St. Annes), Betsy Hindle (St. Annes), Molly Hindle (St. Annes), Robert Hawes (St. Annes)
• Promoted to Second Dan: Matthew McLaughlin (Fairhaven), Ellie Thurlwell (Fairhaven), Joe Bannister (Fairhaven), Niel Young (Fairhaven)

All candidates were given feedback and an opportunity to discuss their particular grading with the Kukkiwon registered examiners - Master Craig Waddington 7th Dan, Master Chris Davies 6th Dan, and Master Nigel Hudson 5th Dan.

8th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition

Il Gi students competed in the 8th Annual Robert Wright Poomsae competition on the 18th May 2008. All students showed great spirit and Il Gi swept the board with 16 medals out of 11 categories. Well done to all who participated, students from Il Gi showed a high standard of Poomsae and this was reflected in the results.

Overall winner of the 2008 Robert Wright Cup was First Dan Black Belt Mark Blydgen. The competition itself was in memory of Master Robert Wright and all proceeds were donated to Blackpool Victoria Hospital Oncology Day Care Unit, Trinity Hospice and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust with 4,600 pounds being raised.

Well done to all who competed, results as follows:

GROUP 1 - Cameron Cregg 1st, Yirong Nicholson 2nd, Jessica Robinson 3rd
GROUP 2 - Celine Matibag 3rd
GROUP 3 - Emily Maguire 2nd
GROUP 4 - Rosie Walford 1st, Tyler Roberts 2nd, Ivan Villarino 3rd
GROUP 5 - Stephanie Robinson 1st
GROUP 6 - Katie Barratt 1st, Andrew Fish 3rd
GROUP 8 - Peter Cregg 1st, Caroline Walford 2nd
GROUP 9 - Ellie Thurlwell 1st
GROUP 10 - Mark Blydgen 1st
GROUP 11 - Chris Fish 2nd