NewsJyoshinmon New Zealand held its first Annual Awards dinner to recognise the achievements by its members during 2017. This special event was held at the Honbu in New Lynn.
[Photo above from left: Shihan David Bennett, Sensei Nozomu Uehara, Sensei Nozomu's wife Joy, Sensei Beaty Bennett]
Sensei Nozomu Uehara was a special guest to present the awards to the winners. Shihan David Bennett learnt Jyoshinmon Shorin-Ryu karate under Sensei Nozomu during the 1970s, and took over as the head of the style for New Zealand in 1987.
[Photo above from left: Sensei Darren Blomfield, Sensei Chris Bennett, Sherwin Stowers, Sensei Jason Ng]
Guest Speaker at the event was former All Black Sevens Sherwin Stowers, who was part of New Zealand team at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 that won gold. With Karate included for the first time in the next Olympic Games, he encouraged our members to do the hard work it takes to always improve and the best of luck in their future endeavours.
[Photo above from left: Sensei Chante Betham (sitting 3rd from right) with family, friends and students from her Onehunga dojo]
We would like to thank all those who volunteered to make this event a success, particularly to Sensei Chante Betham, who has extensive experience with event management for the Steps for Life Foundation.
It was a good opportunity to present all the Instructors and give their background in Jyoshinmon Karate, as most students would only be familiar with their Dojo Sensei.
A performance review of all the members from the 3 Auckland Dojos was undertaken by all the Senseis, and those chosen met the criteria for an award in a specific category. Trophies were made to order, and Sensei Darren Blomfield designed and produced the award certificates.
Here are the winners of the Jyoshinmon NZ Annual Awards for 2017:
| Dojo Awards: | Manurewa: | New lynn: | Onehunga: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karateka of the Year | Ross Sabine | Corey Pargeter | Tyler Betham-Spencer |
| Best New Male Beginner | Khiem Tran | Gabriel Turner | Peter Vink |
| Best New Female Beginner | Samantha Wendt | Sera Williams | Isabel Abbott |
| Most Improved Male | Josh Emmerson | Kai Varekamp | Cooper Te Ratana |
| Most Improved Female | Paige MacDonald | Graciella Del Rosario | Tamsyn Laird |
| Most Improved in Kihon | Mihingarangi Wittington | Alaura Paul | Dylan Gardner |
| Most Improved in Kata | Carla Greyling | Harman Mahey | Abigail Alea |
| Most Improved in Kumite | Ace Nguyen | Daniel Li | Riley Betham |
| Perseverance & Enthusiam | Teuariki Engu & Tim Honey | Julia Del Rosario | Andre Martin-Woods |
| Constant Effort & Etiquette | Arush Garg | Leon Bun | Aryan Nigudkar |
| Sportsmanship | Ma'afu Vaka | Martin Motemasek | Fabian Hamilton |
| Excellent Performance* | Skylar Castillo | Yasmin Ng | Noah Jones |
*The Sensei Award for Excellent Performance for each dojo.
| Overall Club Awards: | Award Winners: |
|---|---|
| Best Male Grader | Noah Jones & Corey Pargeter |
| Best Female Grader | Graciella Del Rosario |
| Senior Male Karateka of the Year | Bruce Sabine |
| Senior Female Karateka of the Year | Sevita Sabine |
| Junior Male Karateka of the Year | Juan Castillo |
| Junior Female Karateka of the Year | Odeci Sane |
| Mexha Sane Spirit Award | Sevita Sabine |
| Outstanding Performance in Competition | Sian Scott - Senior |
| Outstanding Performance in Competition | Odeci Sane - Junior |
| Most Promising Male | Tyler Betham-Spencer |
| Most Promising Female | Sei Ana Hugo |
The dinner included a fundraising raffle with the winning tickets drawn after the awards were presented. Many thanks to those who donated prizes for the raffle!
We look forward to the improvements of our students and what they will achieve in 2018!
Photos of the event are on the Jyoshinmon NZ Facebook page.