{"id":1225,"date":"2020-03-10T09:27:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T09:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/?p=1225"},"modified":"2020-03-10T09:34:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T09:34:11","slug":"2020-city-of-liverpool-sports-awards-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/10\/2020-city-of-liverpool-sports-awards-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 City of Liverpool Sports Awards Winners!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"770\" src=\"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o-1024x770.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"1226\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/?attachment_id=1226#main\" class=\"wp-image-1226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o-1024x770.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o-1x1.jpg 1w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89811243_10157624866447479_1821884638306500608_o.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re absolutely delighted with our club&#8217;s success at the 2020 City of Liverpool Sports &amp; Physical Activity Awards!\u00a0The awards were presented on 9th March in a ceremony held at Liverpool Hope University, hosted by the Liverpool Sports Forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re proud to announce that our club had not one but THREE winners! An amazing achievement considering the high quality of all the shortlisted nominees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Huge congratulations to:<br>\u2b50&nbsp;Connor Murphy &#8211; winner, Young Volunteer of the Year<br>\u2b50&nbsp;Callum Edwards &#8211; winner, Young Athlete Sports Bursary<br>\u2b50&nbsp;Chris Davies &#8211; winner, Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Absolutely brilliant!!!<\/strong>&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"710\" src=\"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o-1024x710.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"1227\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/nwstkd.com\/?attachment_id=1227#main\" class=\"wp-image-1227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o-1024x710.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o-768x532.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o-1536x1064.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o-1x1.jpg 1w, https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/89566117_10157624866787479_4653450825874538496_o.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to give them the credit that they deserve, here are the full details of the nominations that we put forward.  Well done, guys!<br>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Connor Murphy &#8211; Young Volunteer of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connor is a 15-year-old\nstudent and junior coach at North West Spirit Taekwondo Club. He volunteers his\nfree time several evenings per week and at weekends to help teach junior\nstudents and beginners. He is enthusiastic about passing on his knowledge to\nother students and helping them to achieve their own taekwondo goals. He has a\ngreat rapport with students of all ages, and shows a huge amount of patience\nwith the young beginners, who can require a lot of one-on-one instruction. He\nis firm but fair, and always friendly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since taking on the role of\njunior coach, Connor\u2019s confidence has grown noticeably. When he works in a\ngroup with other junior coaches at the club, he can usually be heard taking\ncharge, coordinating the others and giving instructions to the students in a\nclear, authoritative voice. This is a huge change from the shy boy who began\ntraining with us years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connor also assists at the\nclub\u2019s belt examinations: he helps students go through their techniques\nbeforehand; volunteers to be a sparring partner in the exam if needed; and also\nhelps with coordinating the administration side. This helps take the pressure\noff everyone, from examiners to instructors to students, so is very much\nappreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as dedicating his\nfree time to volunteering at the club, Connor also likes to help coach the\nclub\u2019s competitors at various tournaments across the country. He is a regular\ncompetitor himself, so students respect his advice and encouragement. He also\nhelps with running the events, often volunteering to assist with timekeeping\nand officiating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connor\u2019s assistance in coaching at the club is a huge help to the instructors and students. When classes are busy, and especially when some of the senior instructors are on holiday, Connor\u2019s help with coaching is absolutely essential to keeping things running smoothly. He has a hardworking attitude and is always good-humoured. He is a talented, patient coach who is able to work well with students of all ages.  Connor\u2019s commitment to volunteering is all the more remarkable as it has not impacted his dedication to his own taekwondo training. In fact, Connor has worked even harder in 2019, stepping up his training to become a serious competitor in the black belt division. In November, he trained hard for the World Taekwondo Championships in Scotland, earning a hard-fought silver medal in sparring as well as a gold medal in team sparring. Since then, he has set his sights high and started to attend national squad training, where he hopes to improve his fitness and fight skills, as well as having the chance to be selected for the England team. <br>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Callum Edwards &#8211; nominated for Young Athlete of the Year; winner of \u00a3250 Sports Bursary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Callum is a dedicated, 15-year-old taekwondo student at\nNorth West Spirit Taekwondo Club. He trains several times per week and always\nputs 100% effort into every session. As a national squad member, he also\nregularly travels around the country to train with the England team. He loves\nall aspects of taekwondo, and his passion and determination have driven him to\nexcel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Callum is among the top competitors nationally for his\ncategory and in 2019, he took part in 8\ntournaments and won 18 medals, 15 of which were gold. His tournament titles in\nthe last year include North West Champion, English Champion, British Champion,\nUK Champion and World Champion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His impressive sparring skills have become well-known on the\ntournament circuit, and in January 2020 he was awarded two Black Belt\nCompetitor of the Year trophies by Global Taekwondo International, as he had\nbeen ranked first in both patterns and sparring categories for their 2018-19\ntournament season. At his club\u2019s annual Student Awards ceremony, Callum has\nreceived the award for Best Junior Male Competitor for the last eight years running. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2019, Callum trained hard\nfor the World Taekwondo Championships, held in Scotland in November. He was in\na division of skilled young fighters, but his determined and skilful sparring\nmade him stand out above them all, and he was awarded the World title. Despite\nbeing exhausted, he went on to compete in the team sparring event, where he\npushed himself to battle through several more rounds, eventually earning yet\nanother gold medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although he can be a fearsome opponent in the ring, Callum\nis also known for his sportsmanship and self-control. He can be a fierce\nfighter when he needs to be, but he can also be controlled and respectful when\nhe knows his opponent requires a gentler approach (such as when he\u2019s against\nless experienced or less confident fighters).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as being dedicated to his own training, Callum also\nvolunteers as a junior coach at his taekwondo club for several hours per week.\nHis fellow students (both young and old) look up to him, and he often helps to\nteach the younger, more inexperienced students and helps them to gain\nconfidence in their techniques. He also gives up his time to volunteer at local\nbelt gradings and national tournaments to assist with running the events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In June 2019, Callum took part in a sponsored taekwondo\ncharity event, the \u2018100 Rounds of Sparring,\u2019 where he and his teammates completed\n100 back-to-back rounds of sparring to raise \u00a3625 for Alder Hey Children\u2019s\nHospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Callum is a dedicated student, whose talent and attitude is much admired by his fellow students, coaches and the wider taekwondo community.<br>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Chris Davies &#8211; Coach of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris is the Chief Instructor\nat Liverpool\u2019s North West Spirit Taekwondo Club. The club turned 12 years old\nin 2019, and enjoyed one its most successful years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2019, Chris coached many\nstudents to success at both belt gradings and tournaments. His students\nachieved 139 trophies and medals at local, national and international\ntournaments. The biggest of these was the World Taekwondo Championships in\nScotland in November, where every one of his students won a medal, including\neleven World titles \u2013 ten of which were won by students aged under 16 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the World\nChampionships, Chris organised fundraising events, including a raffle and a sponsored\ntaekwondo \u2018kick-a-thon\u2019, which raised money to help each student with entry\nfees, travel and accommodation. In June 2019, he took part in a sponsored\ntaekwondo charity event, the \u2018100 Rounds of Sparring,\u2019 where he and his\nstudents completed 100 back-to-back rounds of sparring and raised \u00a3625 for\nAlder Hey Children\u2019s Hospital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris encourages all his\nstudents to attend national squad training, where they can improve their\nfitness and fight skills, and potentially be selected to represent their\ncountry at international competitions. He has already had eight students\nselected over the years, and in 2019 he added another student to the list,\nselected to represent England at just nine years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris has continued to run\nthe club\u2019s Junior Coach programme in 2019, giving a few trusted students extra\nresponsibility and the title of \u2018Junior Coach\u2019 in return for free training.\nThis gives the students a confidence boost and helps them to develop their\ncoaching skills under Chris\u2019s guidance, as well as providing more coaching\nstaff for the students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris is always looking for\nnew ideas and he researches drills and techniques on YouTube and Instagram to\nkeep his classes fun, interesting and challenging. In 2019, he attended a\nTaekwondo Instructor\u2019s Day, where instructors from around the country trained\ntogether and learned from one another, benefiting from new ideas to take back\nto their students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris regularly travels\nacross the country to support his fighters at various events throughout the\nyear. Chris enjoys coaching, as well as volunteering to referee at national\ntournaments. He helped to run a Referees Course in 2019, passing on his\nknowledge to other taekwondo practitioners and encouraging them to get\ninvolved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris is passionate about\nkeeping taekwondo affordable and inclusive, so class fees have been kept at the\nsame low price since his club opened in 2007. This, plus a free trial lesson\nfor beginners, continues to encourage participation, and keeps classes\naffordable for those with low incomes and for families with several members taking\npart. \n\n\n\nChris enjoys teaching both junior and senior students,\nmixing high standards of performance with discipline, love of the sport and a\nfun attitude. He has a great rapport with students of all ages and loves\nhelping students improve and reach their potential.&nbsp; He takes huge satisfaction from seeing his\nstudents\u2019 confidence grow, and by helping them persevere to achieve their\ngoals.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re absolutely delighted with our club&#8217;s success at the 2020 City of Liverpool Sports &amp; Physical Activity Awards!\u00a0The awards were presented on 9th March in a ceremony held at Liverpool [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1225"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1242,"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1225\/revisions\/1242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwstkd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}