Keogh sisters in the medals at Irish Open Taekwon-Do championship
The Galway Taekwon-Do School held a special presentation night last week to mark the achievements of two of its junior members at the recent Irish Open, which was held in Dublin.
Roscahill sisters Maebh and Eilis Keogh were recognised for their achievements in the national championship, which saw Maebh take a bronze medal in sparring, while sister Eilis won gold in patterns and special technique.
Eilis also took home the Overall Junior trophy for the entire competition beating off some very strong competition from all around the country – the girls are the youngest of six family members who train together in the School every week at the Renmore Community Centre.
A presentation was also made on the night to Eabha Kelly from Oranmore for Most Improved (flexibility) – Eabha is one of the School’s newest members, only taking up the discipline in September.
The trio are part of Galway Taekwon-Do School’s Tigers and Dragons Programme, a unique approach to teaching Taekwon-Do to junior students which has been running in the Galway School for the past six years.
The programme was devised by Master Robert Howard (7thDan), who is also a Physics lecturer in DIT and co-founder of GTS and is being taught in several schools around the country.
The emphasis is on gradually building the skills, co-ordination and technical proficiency to achieve the highest possible standard. Gradings are less frequent, giving children a chance to build the skills, co-ordination and athletic ability required to achieve excellence in the art.
The School’s classes are currently full but it operates a waiting list for those interested in enrolling, with the next intake of students planned for September. Classes are held in Renmore Community Centre Centre on Wednesdays. The programme is also running in The District Health and Fitness Centre in Athenry, and Total Fitness Solutions in Tuam.
For more information, log on to www.galwaytkd.ie.