British title glory is next step up for GMAC stars

Chris Dickson, who revealed that no venue or date has yet been picked for the championships, thinks his students have what it takes to make a considerable mark at the high level.

“The British Championships will be a massive step up for our members,” said Chris (29), who has been affiliated to GMAC Martial Arts for over a decade.

“There will be 600 to 700 competitors there. But I’m confident that if we have a team of 20 there then we’ll bring home between 20 and 25 medals at an elite level.

“I’ll be competing as well and going for medals, although my main goal this year is passing my international exams to become a fourth degree in taekwon-do and kickboxing.”

Chris’s supreme confidence about GMAC competitors’ chances of British Championships success stems from the members’ unbelievable performances at two big taekwon-do events held earlier this month.

Their 14 adult and child competitors won four gold (by Graham Brown, Jamie Burns, Daniel Hedges and Sharon-Louise Shaw), six silver and six bronze medals between them at the Scottish Championships in Motherwell’s Ravenscraig Sports Facility.

And 17 GMAC kids followed that up with 13 golds, seven silvers and 12 bronzes between them at the Livingston Open Championships.

“Our performances at the two championships were absolutely amazing,” Chris added.

“It was great to see.

“We had a lot of first timers at the Scottish Championships that we have been trying to push into doing competitions.

“Every one of them picked up medals, which was great. It shows that their hard work has been paying off.

“And the kids competing in Livingston did brilliantly. They are thinking more when they’re competing. Rather than just kicking an dpunching, they are understanding the philosopy involved.”