The Karate Kids

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 31, 22 January 1985, Page 16

The Karate Kids

T wo youngsters who train with the Ohakune Karate Club achieved black belt status at the recent grading session held in Ohakune. The grading session was for members of the Whanaake Rangataua, Ohakune, National Park, Porirua, Newlands and Petone clubs. A group of twelve members — seven seniors and five juniors — were put through their paces for their black-belt gradings. • Five of the seniors were from the Porirua Club, the other two train with the Petone and Newlands Clubs. Three juniors were from the Porirua Club and the other two — Richard Mareikura and Valanique Wilson — train with the Ohakune Club. Heavy emphasis was placed on fitness, technique, patterns and many other aspects of the karate assessment programme. Written and oral tests as well a basic and advanced Katas (patterns) were all carried out prior to the actual grading day. As well as the above fundamentals each member was required to fulfil a specific number of training hours for each belt. All members trying to improve their grading gained passes. As each member advances into higher grades the tests get progressively more demanding. The recent sessions began at 11.00am and finally ended at 6.00pm. Richard Mareikura and Valanique Wilson took up

karate in 1979 and worked their way steadily through the grades over the past six years. Local karate instructor Charles Mareikura has trained only one other person to Black Belt apart from Richard and Valanique, in his fourteen years of karate. To find anyone, let alone young people, to totally dedicate themselves to the incessant training of karate is very rare, he said. The following people in the Ohakune and National Park Clubs gained the following passes:— (Ohakune): Richard Mareikura (Black Belt), Corban Tumataroa (Orange Belt), Rihari Akapita (Orange Belt), Frank Taylor(Yellow Belt), RobertTaylor (Yellow Belt), Desmond Chung (White Belt three red tabs),

Emerson Rewi (White Belt three red tabs), Hare Rewi (White Belt two red tabs), Carl Ram (White Belt one red tab), Aaron Ram (White Belt one red tab, Terry Taumata (White Belt and Che Wilson (White Belt). The above members are all juniors. Aroha Mareikura, a senior, also gained a Yellow Belt. (National Park): Peter Murcott (White Belt three red tabs), Francis Taituma (White Belt three red tabs), Tahn Brown (White Belt two red tabs) and Dwayne Jacobs (White Belt with one red tab). The above members are juniors. The following National Park seniors were also graded: — Alex Holes (Green Belt), Kevin Lind (Orange Belt), and Dianne Legge (Yellow Belt).