This year, Swansea University Karate Club has had some wonderful achievements. Just before the Christmas break, the club had their first grading for the new academic year and everyone passed the first time around! They are delighted to boast a 100% pass rate for grading, and it was also great for everyone to see the newbies, some of whom had never taken part in martial arts before October, going in for their grading and coming out as red belts.
In November, three members took part in a competition in Weston-Super-Mare. Megan Warren-Davies, Ben Thomas and Feri Torabi, all of whom achieved bronze medals, very much enjoyed the event. This was a particularly proud moment for the trio, especially considering all of the obstacles against them, including a stomach bug and the changing of the class categories at the last minute.
The Karate Club has 11 members who have entered for competition in BUCS, which involves a lot of high-intensity training. They are currently training for a major competition where they will be up against their biggest rivals: Cardiff and Bath.
The club enters competitions all year round and are hoping to be as successful in all of them as they were at Weston-Super-Mare.
However, it’s not all about competitions: there is also a social side to the club and members often get together for social and fundraising events. They recently raised £98 for Movember, a charity focused around men’s health and wellbeing. Club members Ebony and Matt came up with a great pub quiz to bring people together, and everyone had a great time and even learned a few new things… Did you know, for instance, that the pig shares most of its DNA with the hippopotamus?
The club hosts a lot of all-inclusive socials, with one of the most memorable events being laser tag – it turns out they are pretty good at aiming! Their fitness training on Sunday mornings definitely paid off.
When it comes to socials, they often come together with the other martial arts clubs at the university. There are six martial arts clubs at the university, so this means that socials are always well attended and packed full of fun!
It is always fun to try something new, and Karate has just the right balance of training and fun. If you would like to join the club, email karate@swansea-sports.co.uk.
