Record wins for Rochdale Dojo

Martial artists from Rochdale’s DOJO Karate Centre have to fight their way through their trophy cabinets, after a record win at the WTKA World Karate Championships in Italy.

Over 3000 people from around the world competed in the multi-disciplinary tournament, with Rochdale’s team travelling from the 27 October to the 1 November.

Jack Jolliffe, Nathan Chan, Kieren Roberts and Jamie Ellis competed. Jack Jolliffe won four golds, two silvers and three bronzes. Nathan Chan came in with three golds, three silvers and one bronze. Kieren got one gold, one silver and one bronze, while Jamie came away with three bronze medals.

“Our squad members have a yearning to be successful that is brought about by the strong mental mindset we instil in them,” sensei Ansari said. “This was particularly evident when coaches and officials of other countries came to me and said to me ‘Your squad members are very good.’”

“It was the mental approach of our squad that made them stand out above others,” he added.

Lee Jolliffe, Jack’s father, said 11-year-old Jack has been doing Karate for almost seven years.

“I’m over the moon; I’ve not got enough words to describe it. It was pure determination and hard work for all the kids. A lot of the time he was doing nine events a day,” Mr Jolliffe said. “I was nervous; one opponent was as big as me. He was about 5ft 6in and he had a moustache.”

But his son was less fazed. “I wasn’t nervous,” Jack said. “Ok, maybe a little bit.”

“Jack just gets on with it,” Mr Jolliffe added. “He does what the sensei tells him to do. They’ve all got great respect for him.”

The centre, on Castlemere Street, had to fund its own trip, with donations from local businesses being gratefully received by the club.

Club sensei Irfan Ansari would like to thank businesses around the Milkstone Road area who contributed, as well as main contributors the Haji Superstore and Virgo Travel.

Sensei Ansari also provided free training sessions and provided equipment for the squad to get in top shape.

No other martial arts club in the Rochdale area has produced as many World Champions nor won as many external competition trophies as The DOJO Karate Centre.

“I’ve been to a lot of clubs and this is second to none,” Mr Jolliffe said.

Nathan Chan’s mother Judy Chan also expressed her pride in her son. “I’m very happy with what he’s achieved so far,” she said. “He’s won local and national competitions and he’s exceptionally good with his Kata.” Sensei Ansari agreed, noting that the examiners applauded along with the audience when he’d finished.

11-year-old Nathan has a lot of respect for his sensei, she said. “He’s very good with children. We wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

“Nathan trained so hard for this and I’m delighted at his success,” she said.

But their trip to Italy was not without its problems. “They were all very long days,” she said. “We got to the arena at 8.30am every morning and there was a lot of waiting around until late in the evening. There were so many people attending. We didn’t get any chance to do anything touristy. Every day we ate pizza and chips.”