Students see legend's family

WHEN students from Phoenix Karate Schools and the AMA section of East Coast Karate travelled to London on Sunday for the Seni 08 competition at the Excel, they did not realise how big the event was going to be.

WHEN students from Phoenix Karate Schools and the AMA section of East Coast Karate travelled to London on Sunday for the Seni 08 competition at the Excel, they did not realise how big the event was going to be.

Hundreds of competitors took part in many styles of martial arts over two days with thousands of people attending.

James Allan and Brittany Pipe were entered in the kata sections. James performed a respectable Chung Mu and took third place. Brittany, competing in only her second competition, missed out on a trophy by 0.1 of a point.

Competing in the kumite were James Allan, Dominic Cutter, Philippa Cutter, Frasier Thompson, Latia Suen, Hannah Wheeler-Smith, Charlotte Fisher, Lewis Saunders, Sigourney Nixon and Kallem Howard.

Dominic and Latia were knocked out in the quarter-finals of their individual sections, but teamed up with Frasier and Kallem to take third place in the mixed team event, losing to the eventual winners.

A magnificent day was topped when the wife and daughter of the late and great Bruce Lee arrived to sign autographs and meet the audience. Linda and Shannon Lee spent several hours signing autographs for the enormous crowd that queued patiently to see them.

Among the lucky ones to meet both Linda and Shannon was instructor Vivianne Trorey 2nd Dan who said: “It was a great honour, they are such wonderful people, and they signed a photograph for me and spoke of Bruce with affection.”

Anyone wishing to train with the Phoenix Karate Schools in Martham, Great Yarmouth, Gorleston, Hopton or Lowestoft, can contact instructor Vivianne Trorey on 07895 550168 for details.