On Sunday 3rd March, team SDMA took part in the LTSI South East Opens, in Hatfield. This was the first big competition for a lot of the team, so was an exciting, new experience. In total, out of 7 competitors we came away with 3 bronzes and one silver!

Daisy was up first, as the youngest of our team it was tough being first but she did amazing! It was a big category, which made it difficult but she did beat her first opponent! Despite not placing on the podium she came away with her head held high and always showed respect to her fellow competitors, so all in all, a great start to her competition journey.

Up next was Alistair and this was also his first competition. He took part in patterns first, did very well but unfortunately missed out on a podium place. However, he won it back with his sparring – a difficult match, especially being new to sparring. But Alistair came away with a bronze medal!

Mikey competed in patterns, a very respectful competitor, as another new team member he did very well by coming away with a bronze! It was another tough category, but his pattern was very strong so earned him a well deserved spot on the podium.

Chris was the last of SDMA’s new competitiors and carried on the amazing work too! He took part in patterns first, which unfortunately didn’t result in a medal, despite doing very well. However, from his sparring match he got a bronze medal! Chris showed great determination and carried on until the last bell, so gave a great performance.

Mr Donohoo was up next, with his grading on the horizon, this was his last competition as a 5th degree - he did very well and gave a strong performance, coming away with a sliver!

Miss Pitt showed a great performance in patterns, but unfortunately missed out on a medal.

Mr Green was the last to compete, with a huge category it was a very tough competition with lots of amazing patterns. Unfortunately he didn’t come away with a medal despite putting up a good fight, but gained a lot of experience from such a wide range of fellow competitors.

Overall, the weekend was a great experience for all, with lots of new things to work on and many more to be proud of. Everyone showed great sportsmanship and were always there to encourage each other. All of the team that went should be very proud of themselves and also represented SDMA well.