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USKK (Europe) 2001 Championships - Athlone, Ireland
 The inaugral 'Annual USKK(E) Tournament' was held in Athlone, Ireland, over the St. Patrick's Day week-end (16-18 March 2001).
Travelling over on the morning of the 16th, six excited English folk wondered if they would even be allowed in to the country, due to the Foot & Mouth crisis but, after a thorough hosing down on arrival at Dublin, they were given the 'all-clear'! Thank heavens, because it was the start of an unforgettable week-end, with a virtual United Nations Welcoming Committee meeting us at the airport. From here on in there would be no stopping the fun.
 Friday evening played host to a series of seminars, starting with Nick Burke (Matsumura Seito), Paul Stouchbury (Shotokan), Patrick Beaumont (Matsubayashi Ryu, Beaumont-ha) and Phillip W Koeppel (Matsumura Seito, Koeppel-ha). Plenty of new training methods and drills were introduced to us, which we have been able to bring back to our own dojo. These included the Goju-Ryu kata 'Tensho', and some associated two-person drills to go along with it. In the true Irish tradition, the evenings training ended with a few drinks and a late night.
On Saturday morning we had another opportunity to train with Koeppel Sensei, re-covering the kata and drill excercises learnt the previous evening. Having the chance to train anywhere with Koeppel Sensei is an opportunity not to be missed, and is thoroughly recommended.
Due to the fact that the tournament was being held the following day, we also had a session with our own Sensei, Patrick Beaumont, to 'talk tactics' and perfect our kata (that was the theory, anyway!!).
Unfortunately, due to the continued threat of the Foot & Mouth disease in Ireland, all of the traditional St. Patrick's Day parades were cancelled but that did not stop the fun and frolics. The afternoon was taken up with a boat trip down the River Shannon, even if it was absolutely blowing a hooley.
The day finished with a Grand Banquet held at the Ballykeeran Lakeside Hotel. This consisted of a 5-course meal, plenty of speeches, awards and momentoes being presented and led on to a school of traditional Irish folk dancers and a comedian to provide the laughs. Once this was over, everyone retreated to the bar where a local band kept us all dancing until (again) the early hours of the morning.
 The day of the tournament itself had arrived and, hangovers aside, it proved to be a complete success. Steve and Sally had their first try at judging, scoring and time-keeping and had great fun in doing so. Both they and their students even managed to brnig home a few trophies. The winners of the various groups included:
- Eugene Talbot (USA) - Kobudo
- Larry Kamerer (USA) - Yudansha Kata & Mens Kumite
- Natasha Gallacher (Ireland) - Womens Kumite
- 'Team England' - Team Kumite
I am sure you can guess how the day ended - about 50 people enjoyed an excellent Chinese meal before retiring back to the Ballykeeran Hotel for yet another late night of chatting and comparing 'techniques'.
Of course, it goes without saying that 'congratulations' are due to each and every person who contributed to making the whole week-end such a great success. On a personal note, Sally & Steve would just like to thank all their friends from Ireland, USA and England who were there and made for such a wonderful time.
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