PETTYCUR LEISURE COMPLEX HOSTS PRESTIGIOUS TAEKWON-DO UMPIRES COURSE
Having established a strong relationship with the British, and indeed, international Taekwon-Do family, over the past few years, The Bay Hotel & Pettycur Leisure Complex in Kinghorn has just hosted a prestigious Umpires course for the British Isles Taekwon-Do Federation, (the BITF).
The complex was honoured that Grandmaster Hutchison, the UK’s homegrown Grandmaster who holds at IX degree, conducted the course, along with another famous Grandmaster, Michael Prewett, (IX degree), President of the EITF and the Umpire Committee.
Around seventy 1st Degree Black belts and Grandmasters from throughout Europe and the rest of the world attended the event, with over forty from the UK alone. Professor Ri Yong Son, the ITF president, also attended, visiting the UK for the very first time.
There were both practical and classroom based sessions during the weekend on umpiring combined with a Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening.
The Bay Hotel regularly hosts special Seminar & Grading weekends for Senior Black Belts from 1st Kup to 6th degree black belts.
“It was fantastic for us to host this Umpires Event, a real first for us. We enjoyed looking after President Ri Yong Son on his very first trip to the UK. It was the icing on the cake for everyone attending that he accepted our invitation,” said Alan Wallace of the complex. “We have a long history with this sport in our family, and now through the business too. Several family members practice the sport, including myself for thirty years, my daughter Laura, who has been training for her 1st Degree, and my brother Tommy, who has recently returned to practice, having in the past, competed alongside me in the Scotland team.”
“We’ve now looked after many of the leading aficionados of the sport in the UK during grading weekends which are held here, around every two months,” said Alan.
“Last year saw 50 years of Taekwon-Do in the UK, and it’s growing in popularity all the time. We want to do all we can to promote it here in the UK and Scotland,” said Tommy Wallace.
The BITF has produced many champions at National, European and World level, including Claire Crosbie, Elaine O’Toole, Nicky Orr, Stevi-Lee Orr and Gary Hutchison to name but a few. Alan Wallace, himself, was a member of previous Scottish teams and was a previous winner on the individual Gold Medal winner at the European Championship in Russia.
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