Loughborough Students TKD by Jennie Simmonite
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Saturday, June 05, 2004
As the 2003-04 university year draws to a close, LSU Taekwon-Do have many success stories to reflect on, not least the recent honour of being crowned Loughborough University Athletics Union “Club of the Year”. An amazing achievement in the grand scheme of things, given the number of clubs within the union (56 if you were wondering) and the high calibre of competition that is inevitably expected at such an acclaimed sporting institution like Loughborough.
This achievement has arrived as we are nearing the end of another successful year that has seen its members strengthen both collectively and individually, with over ten members promoted to black belt. Club members have witnessed these achievements through the year and this undeniably makes them all the more proud to be a part of the club. Membership has reached it’s maximum threshold of 120 students for it’s second progressive year, highlighting the growing contemporary appeal of the martial art to a wider audience, also recognised in the increased female membership. This was undoubtedly helped by the impressive demonstrations at the Freshers’ Bazaar and the Second Intake.
The club has demonstrated a well-rounded persona within the Athletics Union as a whole, aiding commercial outlets such as the campus magazine Label and radio station, LCR with articles and interviews. More recently, they have been undertaken the redesign the GTUK website and in April produced an inspiring video for the Master Choi seminar, which was watched and cheered by several hundreds of people.
LSU TKD presents a polished image, which is most notably exemplified in the demonstrations occurring throughout the year. The martial arts display at last year’s Graduation Ball no doubt made the night all the more special for those leaving university and would have encapsulated everything that Loughborough Sport has to be proud of, as well as enhancing the oriental theme of the evening.
TKD’s record of competition success is enviable, with a notable highpoint being reached when five black belt members qualified for the ITF championships to be held in
Loughborough members currently make up a quarter of the entire GTUK squad (including juniors) in all disciplines demonstrating the depth and ability within the club. Last October in Manchester, the Black Tag men’s team retained their title of team champions and the Black and Green belt ladies obtained silver in their respective challenges. We can also add to this the “University Championships”, hosted and won by Loughborough in November of last year. This included beating long-standing rivals Liverpool by a considerable 35 point advantage.
I’m sure on the night of the Athletics Union awards everyone experienced an element of surprise, not that our club was actually capable of winning but because in an institution such as Loughborough all the other clubs achieve so much as well, from the commercially prominent football and rugby to the highflying Gliding (sorry about the pun) and Ultimate Frisbee clubs. This fierce competition makes the award - a shiny silver plate if you didn’t know- all the more rewarding and it’s satisfying to know that the award is given to the clubs who deserve it and yes, every once in a while it is nice to be recognised for everything that has been achieved.
by Jennie Simmonite