taekwondoscotland™
Scottish Representatives in British Team at the European Masters Games
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This month the European Masters Games will take place in Lignano, Italy, with over 4,000 competitors from 61 European countries, all competing in a busy programme that includes 20 different sports. Master David Bailey, Chief instructor of Central TKD Academy, and Stuart Wright, Chief instructor of Cumbrae TKD, have both been selected to represent UK at this high profile event. They are the only two people from Scotland in the British TKD squad. Leaving Scotland on Friday 16 September to join the rest of the British squad, they will arrive at the event a short time before the start of the TKD competition (taking place 18-20 of September). This is the first time TKD will be included in this high profile event and will include Kyorugi (sport TKD) and Poomsae (forms). Master David Bailey, who is also the Head of Team for Scotland’s National Team, has already made history being the only British competitor to hold a British Championship title in Poomsae and Kyorugi in the same year! In fact he will be the only competitor at the European Masters Games to compete in Kyorugi and Poomsae. Master Bailey has a long history of success in high performance TKD having been a player for the British National Team for over ten years. In his come back to Kyorugi competition earlier this year he was reunited with his friend Ben Boss who travelled to Manchester from Holland to coach him once again after 20 years. Master David Bailey stormed his division and won yet another title with a spectacular display of TKD skills. His achievements go to prove he is a true martial artist and a great asset to the TKD family in Scotland. Despite his abilities and success so far he admits that preparing for the Masters games has not been easy. Having to fit Poomsae training and sparring practice in to his already busy schedule has been a great challenge. “For Kyorugi training finding suitable sparring partners is pretty much impossible. I have to make do with being beaten up by guys young enough to be my gran-weins!!” said jokingly the father of three who also commented: “It is fantastic to be representing the UK again. The last time I wore the Team GB tracksuit in Kyorugi was the World Championships in 1993. In Poomsae it was at the European Championship in Portugal in 2009. Going to another major championship at this stage of my career makes me very proud and just goes to show what a fantastic sport Taekwondo is”. Stuart Wright is well known as the lead Coach of Scotland’s cadets National team development squad. As a player he was one of the most exceptional Scotland has ever seen and to this date he is still holding the record for having knocked out more opponents than any other player in Scotland. From a very early stage he made a great impact in sport TKD beating fellow Scots who had been training much longer than him. There were even Scots who spent years training abroad, in a futile attempt to be acknowledged as the best in Stuart’s division, but it was never meant to be for them as they could not overcome his overwhelming attacking power. Stuart’s ambition from his performance at the European Games is to return European Champion; “The best thing I'm looking forward to is competing along side Master Bailey who is my instructor and a big inspiration to me and that is a great motivation” said Stuart, father of two, and concluded: “The fact that I was chosen to represent UK in the Masters games is a great honour and a great achievement and just goes to show that the High Performance development program in Scotland is on the right path; it helps when your training along side somebody who I think is one of the best coaches in the country: Master Nikos Jakubiak.” Whilst the British TKD National Team will not manage to get to Lignano in time for the opening ceremony they will however manage to stay behind to enjoy the closing ceremony. We wish them the best of success and we hope they enjoy the closing ceremony with their well deserved medals around their necks. You can get more information about the European Masters Games at http://www.lignano2011.it/index.php We will endeavour to keep you informed of Master David Bailey’s and Stuart Wright’s progress at the event. Keep checking our facebook page for up dates, http://www.facebook.com/taekwondoscotland All the very best Master Bailey and Stuart from everyone in Scotland’s TKD family. |
 Master Bailey & Ben Boss  Master Bailey. Poomsae Sipjin  Stuart Wright  Stuart Wright Scores with axe kick  Master Bailey coaches Stuart during the Chi Open |
