NEW ZEALAND OKINAWA GOJU RYU NEWS IGKA WORLD CUP & International Gasshuku IGKA WORLD CUP & International Gasshuku Chennai, India. 11th-13th July 2008 Thank you all for your support of our Ist WORLD CUP and International Gasshuku in Chennai India. 11th-13th July 2008. Our Chief Instructors in India Shihan Ravi and Shihan Babu are doing a awesome job in organising the event. Please let all you members know of this event , I want you all to fully support it either with our top competitors for the IGKA World Cup or for all members and their families for the Gasshuku and sight-seeing we will be having in India. For the New Zealand members we will be having a stopover in Thailand for two days on the way home. In the beautiful city of Chennai ( right on the coast of southern India ) we will be having arranged sight seeing tours of temples and breathtaking tours of the surrounding areas. We will have trainings each mornings and sight seeing and parties in the evenings. The day prior to the IGKA WORLD CUP will be a International Gasshuku with such teachers as Kyoshi Dennis May 8th Dan Okinawa Goju Ryu Kyokai (Japan) 8th Dan WKF , Shihan Peter Turner 6 Dan , Shihan Rico Ludick 6 Dan, and other international guests. This Gasshuku will include Kata, Bunkai , Hojo Undo and kumite. The Ist IGKA WORLD CUP will take place over 2 days for all ages.WKF Kumite Rules and traditional Okinawa/Japanese Kata Rules for the kata divisions. There will be beautiful Gold Cups (one metre high) for all divisions in the World Cup plus medals. We are expecting over 300 competitors from all over India and 12 other countries. Please pass on this information to all your members and I look forward to seeing you all in India 2008. Kind Regards Dennis May Kyoshi 8th Dan IGKA President South Africans with Shihan May SOUTH AFRICAN VISIT TO AUCKLAND In Jan/Feb 2006, Sensei Rico and 4 other members visited Auckland, New Zealand to train with Sensei Dennis May. While in Auckland, they trained intensively for 2 weeks and on the final day of training, had a Dan Grading. Rico Ludick graded to 6th Dan, Leon Sutton to 5th Dan, Willem Potgieter to 4th Dan, Judy Stassen to 3rd Dan and Jean Pretorius to 2nd Dan. O.G.K.K. Honbu Dojo JUNE 2005 VISIT TO OKINAWA - Honbu Dojo (from left to right) Masuda Sensei, Kinjo Sensei, Hichiya Sensei (Chairman O.G.K.K), Chinen Sensei, Dennis May Sensei. Kikugawa Dojo JUNE 2005 VISIT TO OKINAWA - Kikugawa Dojo Sensei Dennis May and his students, with Kikugawa Sensei (former 10 times Okinawa Kata Champion) and his students after a training session and party at Kikugawa dojo. Kikugawa Sensei and his family, were most gracious hosts and our NZ team had a wonderful evening. One of the few times to relax. JUNE 2005 VISIT TO OKINAWA / TOKYO New Zealand team enjoying a night out in Tokyo after a training session with Aragaki Sensei at the Yoyogi Dojo. NZOGKA Team . Sensei Dennis May, Sensei Peter Turner , Sensei Della Profitt , Sensei Bryan Williams, Sonja Tempelhoff, Karin Tempelhoff, Ashley Old , Helena Moors. N.Z. Open Gold Medallist Helena Moors NEW ZEALAND OPEN 2005 Congratulations to the following people. Helena Moors - Gold Medal in Womans Develop. Kata. Mal Riley - Gold Medal in Veteran Male Kumite 75kg+. Ashley Old - Silver Medal in 16-20 yrs Female Kata (Open). Ashley Old - Silver Medal in Senior Female Premier Kata. Karen Davies - Silver Medal in 30+ Years Female Kumite. Karen Davies - Bronze Medal in Veteran Premier Kata. Marlise Heyns - Bronze Medal in Senior Premier Kumite. Colin Spadoni - Bronze Medal in Veteran Premier Kata. McKenzie Tuala-Pine -Gold Medal 14 yr Female Kumite. McKenzie Tuala-Pine -Gold Medal 14/15yr Fem. Kumite. McKenzie Tuala-Pine -Bronze Medal 14yr Fem. Prem. Kata. Patrick Pene - Gold Medal 14 yr old Male Kumite (Open). Patrick Pene - Silver Medal 14 yr old Male Premier Kata. Ethan Brown - Silver Medal 11 yr old Male Kumite (Open). Jack Jensen - Silver Medal 11 yr old Male Premier Kata. Benjamin Samuels - Silver Medal 12 yr old Male Kumite. David Pene - Bronze Medal 13yr old Male Kumite 53kg-. David Pene - Bronze Medal 12/13yr Male Kumite (Open). Rebecca Cox -Bronze Medal 14yr Female Kumite 60kg-. Rebecca Cox -Bronze Medal 14/15yr Female Develop. Kata. Commonwealth Champion McKenzie Tuala-Pine 2005 COMMONWEALTH KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Congratulations to the following people. McKenzie Tuala-Pine - Commonwealth Champion and Gold Medalist. Kumite Female 14/15yrs +57kg. Ashley Old - Bronze Medal, Kata Cadet Female. Patrick Pene - Bronze Medal, Kumite Male 14/15 yrs +65kg. A group photo in front of Miyazato Sensei's grave. 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE JUNDOKAN Last August 2003 Shihan May and members of our association attended the 50th Anniversary of the Jundokan held in Okinawa, Japan. This event included fantastic demonstrations and seminars. Seminar participants included Shibucho and members from the United States, Austria, England, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Canada, Spain, Italy, Sweden and France. Reiko Kunimatsu. IN MEMORY OF REIKO KUNIMATSU It is with much sadness to inform you of the tragic death of Reiko Kunimatsu early 2003, whom commenced her Goju Ryu Karate training at our Dunedin Branch over 6 years ago when she first came to New Zealand as a student from Japan. As a student here in Dunedin she attended her last year at High School and the Otago Polytechnic. She had completed a fine arts degree, majoring in photography. Her photographic works had been exhibited at galleries in Dunedin. Reiko and her mother who was visiting her from Japan both died when their car they were in collided with a goods train near Oamaru. Reiko was a very dedicated student who trained extremely hard and gave it her very best, she made many friends within the Dojo and will be sadly missed. Our most sincere condolences to her family in Japan.