SECUNDA – Victory Taekwondo Club held their year-end function and prize giving on Wednesday, 11 December and awarded their students for their hard work through the year.
Cornelia Bosch got a prize for the student of the year among the seniors as well as a prize for the best trainee instructor of the year.
Joy Snyman also got a prize for being trainee instructor of the year.
Brian Marais got a prize for the best colour belt of the year and Jaydee Freeman and Veruscka du Plessis got prizes for the best black belts of the year.
Savarna Singh and Dominique Freeman go prizes for being the best performers of the year and Wandile maphanga and Paul van der Walt got prizes for being the most improved students of the year.
The special awards went to JP Vorster for being instructor of the year and Rohan Verwey for getting a national award of the year.
The winnes in the junior category are Jarryd Ratcliff, he got a prize for being student of the year.
Richard van der Walt, Liam Nunn and Thapelo Maphisa got prizes for being the best colour belts of the year and Yudhi Singh, Danie van den Berg and Alexander van der Merwe got prizes for the best black belts of the year.
Navan van Aswegen, Ethan Joseph and Prajit Gopal got prizes for being the best performers of the year and Henry Steyn, Alexander Pilkington, Shivadh Puran and Nico Nel got prizes for being the most promising students of the year.
The owner of Victory Taekwondo Club, sensei Johann Beukes, paid a tribute to Nelson Mandela and said: “Like the late grand master of Taekwondo, Hu Lee and Nelson Mandela, we are fighters and peacemakers.
Their theme for the prize giving awards was Madiba and to have respect for yourself and for others and to be thankful.
“We want to promote sport among everyone.”
Beukes had a tough year as he fought Gullian-Barre syndrome that paralyses the whole body.
He was diagnosed last year December and was paralysed for four months.
“It was a very tough time, but I fought and I practised and I prayed.
“I had a good support system which helped a lot and my mindset was good and positive, I said to myself I am going forward,” said Beukes.
Fighters of this club will begin practising again on 6 January and they will prepare for a masters camp in April in Pretoria and they are looking forward to the South African Taekwondo Championships that will be held in Secunda in October.
For more information or to join Victory Taekwondo Club, contact Ms Cathy Beukes at 082 459 7671.
