TWO students at St Paul’s College, Raheny, have the honour of being selected as Ireland’s Junior Team in Traditional Sparring for the forthcoming 2017 ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) World Championships.
Their selection builds on their recent success at the 2017 European Championships held in Bulgaria in April.
There, the duo, Michael Flavin and Robert Campion-Kennedy, took home bronze. The discipline in which they will compete is that of ‘Traditional Sparring’, alternatively referred to as ‘Pre-Arranged’. This takes the form of a choreographed routine of unarmed combat which displays the skilled application of a series of attacks and defences involving punches, kicks, blocks and dodges.
The movements are strictly true to the martial art of Taekwon-do with the regulated inclusion of some acrobatic content. The overall effect is of a dynamic free-flowing combative encounter executed with power and precision and is a joy to watch.
The lads devised their routine themselves and honed it for the international competitive platform in conjunction with their instructor, the highly respected Mr Niall Jones, 6th Degree.
Michael and Robert, who are in fifth and sixth year respectively at St Paul’s College, have both trained under Mr Jones, a member of the national team coaching panel, for more than 10 years.
Their Taekwon-do club, North Star Killester, operates out of St Brigid’s Girls’ National School in Killester and has 10 members selected to the 60-strong national squad.
Other clubmates representing their country are Adam Shelley, Ryan Shelley, Colm Carroll, Ellen Ince, Cian Ince, Cathal Seabrook, Rebecca Mooney and Cian Douglas.
There is added excitement surrounding the forthcoming world championships as they will be held on home ground at Citywest Hotel from October 10-15.
Hosted by the ITA (Irish Taekwon-Do Association), some 1,200 competitors from 58 countries will converge on Dublin for this premier event which is held every two years.
Michael and Robert will take to the mats hoping to do Ireland proud.
However, their Taekwon-do talents are not just limited to Traditional Sparring. Their ability and previous successes at international level mean that, between them, they will also be representing their country in Individual Patterns, Team Patterns, Free-Sparring and Special Techniques.