The first competition of the season is done and dusted, and what a great start it was. Last Sunday morning we all descended on the prestigious, and spacious WIT Arena in Waterford. Here, six rings were set up in a perfect line to facilitate competitors 246 competitors from 24 clubs. These clubs were belonged to 5 different Taekwon-Do federations from the whole of Ireland.

The tournament started off with black belt patterns and sparring, to free up umpires for the rest of the day. As always this is a delight to watch. Around noon all colour belts lined up opposite the umpires. Master Franks welcomed all in his speech, and introduced the guests of honour: Grand Master O'Toole XI degree, President of the INTA; Master Douglas VIII degree, Vice-President of the INTA; Master Howard VIII degree of the RITA; Master Stobie VII degree, head of the umpire committee; and Mr Carberry, treasurer of the INTA. The most senior officials were also named, and much gratitude was expressed for the attendance of all umpires.

The afternoon kicked off with the overhead kick for all under 12s. Only 1 gold medal per age & height section was rewarded, so the excitement was tangible. In ring 6 the Taekwon-Do Kubz had their own competition; Kubz had to follow a black belt doing a beginner pattern. Their sparring afterwards was aimed at the shoulder, not the body. All Kubz were awarded a gold medal, so they were all winners!
The event continued in the other 5 rings with patterns, followed by sparring. Gold, Silver and two Bronze medals were awarded to the top four in each section. There were disappointments and winning smiles, but overall there was lot of good sportsmanship from old and young. Most rings were finished up by 5 p.m.

We would like to thank and congratulate Master Franks and his team for organising this fantastic friendly tournament. Next years Master Franks Crystal Classic Tournament to be held on 22nd September 2019.