2013 Review

First of all, I would like to thank all my students for their hard work and dedication in training, gradings and competitions! Thank you also to all parents and guardians for your continuous support to the club during 2013. It has been another great year, the school is growing and the standards are improving all the time!

We have had a very successful year again when it comes to all the colour belts gradings and many more students are getting closer to the Black Belt level. I am looking forward to help them getting ready for the next Black Belt gradings in April and October 2014. The Little Tigers also keep on displaying great enthusiasm and continue to improve with every class, with a few of them making a very good transition into the Junior Taekwondo classes.

I would also like to congratulate and encourage all students taking part in tournaments and testing their skills in a competitive environment. All of the young competitors have shown a lot of heart and determination and will benefit from their experiences. Win or lose, they all deserve to be praised for their efforts. The introduction this year of the Inner-Spirit Goodwill tournaments has been very beneficial in order to give our younger students an opportunity to compete from a young age.

In 2013, I had the chance once again to travel the World and take part in some amazing training camps in Switzerland and Thailand and those experiences will stay with me for the rest of my life. I would like to thank again all the fantastic Coaches, Instructors and training partners for sharing their knowledge and time!

The New Year brings some very excited news with the opening of my new Taekwondo School in Porthcawl in January! This is a very exciting time for me and teaching in a new area and train a new generation of young Martial Artists will be, I am sure, a very rewarding experience. I am looking forward to run both the Cowbridge and Porthcawl Taekwondo Schools and this will hopefully help me realising my dream of becoming a full time Instructor!

As I said last year, I would like to encourage my students to set goals and challenges, never give up and be humble. I will in return, try to set a positive example and role model by continuing to set challenges for myself, improve as an Instructor and support all my students reach their goals and potential.

We have an exciting and busy year 2014 ahead of us and a lot to look forward to! Regional, National and International competitions, Taekwondo gradings and graduations for the Little Tigers, a new Taekwondo School opening, seminars, training camps...

I would like to say well done and thank you all once again for your support and dedication, and I’m sure that we will all have an amazing 2014.

Happy New Year!

Neil Gimbel