December Newsletter Hi everyone, we would like to start by wishing everyone a safe and happy holidays to all our students and families from all the staff at SGMA. We have some important information and dates that we need to pass on to you.
November Recap We had a hectic November we attended the Tiger Taekwondo tournament in Edmonton and did very well. Our 6 competitors won a total of 7 medals; 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze. All of our competitors did really well we won 7 matches and lost 4 against very high level competition. We are very proud of the effort they showed. We also did 3 outreach seminars; Bishop Grandin High School, Mother Teresa Elementary School, and a Women’s Self-defense Seminar for the employees of the Hong Kong Bank (HSBC). We also held our own Women’s Self-defense seminar.
Student of the Month For the month of December we actually have 2 winners for the student of the month award again. This time we are acknowledging to young boys. Ivan Asparuhov and Esteban Gardiner excelled at their last testing. They are both 6 years old and tested better than any other children at their same belt levels. Both scored over 93% on their promotion test! Ivan tested for his Yellow Stripe Belt and Esteban for his Blue Stripe Belt. If you happen to see them in the club please wish them congratulations.
Movie & Pizza Night We still have about 4 spots left for our Movie and Pizza night. Our Movie and Pizza Nights have always been our most popular event. To start the evening will we watch Kung Fu Panda 2 and then we play a variety of games for prizes. We also give away several door prizes. The cost is $15.00 per child and includes 3 slices of pizza and 3 juice boxes. The movie will be shown on a 300 inch HD Projector with surround sound. Prizes will include new Black Collar uniforms, Taekwondo gym bags, targets, badges and many more. It is important, when you reserve your spot(s), to please let us know if your children will be eating either Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza. Here are the rest of particulars: Date- December 17th Time- 2:45-6:30 Pick-up Time- No later than 7pm Place- Fishcreek Sports Club, Court 7 and the Studios Group Martial Arts Studio Age- 5-12yrs Next Testing Our next scheduled testing will be on December 21st and 22nd from 6-9pm on both days. Remember in order to test you must book and pay for the testing prior to the test date. Also testing students need all their stripes to be eligible for testing (please refer to the handbook for complete details). Next scheduled testing will be at the end of January 2012.
Year-end Celebration In the new year, the date and location have yet to be finalized, we will be holding a year-end pot-luck party. At this party we will be giving out many awards and certificates to the students and staff and we will also be celebrating Master Thibault’s 30 years in Martial Arts. We are tentatively planning the event for the first weekend in February at a location close to the school. The awards will be for Student of the Year, Instructor of the Year, Black Belt and Color Belt Competitors of the year, and Lil’ Dragon Student of the year. We will also be giving out numerous certificates for students who demonstrated excellent attitudes and/or showed perseverance.
School Closures We will be closed from Friday, December 23rd until Sunday, January 8th. We will re-open on Monday, January 9th.
You can sense the children and adults are getting antsy for the Summer Holidays. In June we are going to finish up with several events. We are preparing for the Black Belt Testing, Weapons Demo, Pot-luck Party, and Color Belt Testing. We are planning our evening Summer Hours, so we would like all the members to please inform us of their Summer plans. our Summer Hours are listed below. Please note, some of the Summer Camps are almost full.
SUMMER HOURS Here are our Summer Hours; please read over them carefully and then let us know what your Summer plans are before June 10 th . We will run All Open Classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Nights from 6-7PM. We will have classes on July 13th, 14th, 16th, 20th, 21st, & 23rd and on August 10th, 11th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 24th, 25th, & 27th. Lil' Dragon families who intend on attending over Summer, please let us know which one of the 3 nights works best for you.
SUMMER CAMPS ARE FILLING UP FAST! Last year our Summer Camps were a huge success with over 60 children taking part! Our full-day camps are jammed packed with activities for the children. The ages range from 6- 14 years of age and from White to Black Belt. Lil Dragon Students and Families Please note: Children who are currently 5 years of age, may attend the Summer Camps. We do Martial Arts in the morning and play a variety of sports and games in the afternoons. We also go to either Lake Sundance or Lake Midnapore at least one (1) afternoon per camp. If any of your childrens' friends have expressed a desire to try Martial Arts, this is a perfect way to get them started. Master Thibault instructs all the camps and has the assistance of at least 2 other Black Belt Instructors. Since we actually do 15 martial arts classes in one week the lower belts often have the opportunity to test at the end of the week. Dates: July Camp 13th -17th , August Camp 10th -14th Location: Fishcreek Sports Club - Times: 9 AM-4PM* Costs: The cost of 1 Summer Camp is $129 + GST. Each additional family member is $89. New members are $169 + GST and $119 for each additional family members. New members receive a new uniform and White Belt. Promotion Test Fees: Are not covered by the Summer Camp Fees. Deposit to secure your spot: 50% deposit is required to hold your spot. *Parents wishing an early drop-off time or a later pick-up time please speak with Master Thibault so other arrangements can be made.
BLACK BELT SUMMER CAMP! We are creating a summer camp just for Black Belts that will run from July 20th -24th . This camp will focus on advanced techniques for Black Belts: weapons, self-defence, kicking, striking, blocking, patterns and sparring. The cost of this camp is the $139 + GST and is open to all Junior Black Belts and Black Stripe Students 8-15 years of age. This camp will focus only on higher level techniques designed to learn the elite level martial arts.
SPARRING CAMP! Last year the Sparring Camp was a great success! Whether you are a current Raptor (our competition team) or you want to try it for the first time this camp is an excellent way to improve your sparring skills. The camp will run in the last week of August (17th -21st ) and will be open to all Raptors and students thinking of joining the Raptors in the Fall. In this camp we focus on sparring and sparring techinques, higher levels of strategies and superior fitness and coordination. We will include video analysis and lots more. The cost of the camp will be $139 + GST. The camp will be open to all Green Stripes and Higher ages 8+.
RAPTORS We wanted to let everyone know that we just finished our last tournament on a high to match the very strong year we had! Our 8 competitors did very well winning 11 out of a possible 13 medals (84%). Bringing our total, for this spring and winter, of 69 medals out of a possible 75 (92%). In Sparring we won 56 out of a possible 57 medals (98%!!) with 28 Gold, 17 Silver, and 11 Bronze Medals. We also won over 78% of our sparring matches. Here are the complete results:
Sparring Winning Percentage of 75% *Did Not Compete **Did Not Place ***First Tournament We are always looking for new students to join our Raptor’s program. Students can join at any time and the Sparring Summer Camp is a great way to start. Training to be a Raptor dramatically increases the student’s techniques, confidence and athleticism. The program is open to all students Yellow Belt and Higher or on Master Thibault’s recommendations. Raptors train to compete in tournaments for Sparring and Patterns.
TESTING Our Next Black Belt Test is scheduled for June 20th . On that day we will have a Testing followed by a Weapons Demo by the Black Belts and a Pot-luck Party. For the Pot-luck Party please bring a dish that feeds a family of 6. We will provide Coffee, Juice Boxes, Plates, Cups, and Utensils. We will also be bringing in our projector to play Wii Sports in the Racquet Ball Court, like we did at our Christmas Party. In June Color Belt testing will take place during classes. Please Note: The Testing will be done DURING Class Times, hence NO Cancellations. Students will be required to have all the necessary stripes to test. Please refer to the website www.sgma.biz for testing requirements. Currently, those requirements can be found in the Student Handbook on the Training Materials Page.
CLOSURES & SCHEDULE CHANGES -We Will be Closed From June 29th until July 12th , We will Re-Open on July 13th with our First Summer Camp and Evening Classes. -We will then be closed from July 25th until August 10th
Hopefully, sunny skies and warmer weather is here to stay! This month is very busy with upcoming events. We are preparing for the Western Canadian Championships, the Kee's Canada Cup, the Black Belt Seminar & Pot-luck Party, and our Color Belt Testing. Also, our Summer Camps are filling up.
SUMMER CAMPS ARE FILLING UP FAST! Last year our Summer Camps were a huge success with over 60 children taking part! Our full-day camps are jammed packed with activities for the children. The ages range from 6- 14 years of age and from White to Black Belt. Please note: Children who are currently 5 years of age and turning 6 this fall and/or entering grade 1 are eligible to attend. We do Martial Arts in the morning and play a variety of sports and games in the afternoons. We also go to either Lake Sundance or Lake Midnapore at least one (1) afternoon per camp. If any of your childrens' friends have expressed a desire to try Martial Arts, this is a perfect way to get them started. Master Thibault instructs all the camps and has the assistance of at least 2 other Black Belt Instructors. Since we actually do 15 martial arts classes in one week the lower belts often have the opportunity to test at the end of the week. Dates: July Camp 13th -17th , August Camp 10th –14th Location: Fishcreek Sports Club Times: 9 AM-4PM* Costs: The cost of 1 Summer Camp is $129 + GST. Each additional family member is $89. New members are $169 + GST and $119 for each additional family members. New members receive a new uniform and White Belt. Promotion Test Fees: Are not covered by the Summer Camp Fees. Deposit to secure your spot: 50% deposit is required to hold your spot. *Parents wishing an early drop-off time or a later pick-up time please speak with Master Thibault so other arrangements can be made.
BLACK BELT SUMMER CAMP! We are creating a summer camp just for Black Belts that will run from July 20 th -24 th . This camp will focus on advanced techniques for Black Belts: weapons, self-defence, kicking, striking, blocking, patterns and sparring. The cost of this camp is the $139 + GST and is open to all Junior Black Belts and Black Stripe Students 8-15 years of age. This camp will focus only on higher level techniques designed to learn the elite level martial arts.
SPARRING CAMP! Last year the Sparring Camp was a great success! Whether you are a current Raptor (our competition team) or you want to try it for the first time this camp is an excellent way to improve your sparring skills. The camp will run in the last week of August (17th -21st ) and will be open to all Raptors and students thinking of joining the Raptors in the Fall. In this camp we focus on sparring and sparring techniques, higher levels of strategies and superior fitness and coordination. We will include video analysis and lots more. The cost of the camp will be $139 + GST. The camp will be open to all Green Stripes and Higher ages 8+.
RAPTORS Master Barry Laporte wins first match but loses to the eventual winner at the Canadian Senior Nationals. Master Laporte did well winning his first fight, but injured his left foot near end of the last round. This reduced his mobility greatly and he was unable to get by his next opponent. He finished in the Top 16, unofficially 9th in Canada! We have 2 tournaments remaining that our team will be competing at; the Western Canadian Tournament of Champions in Calgary on May 30th at the Thorncliff Arena, and at the Kee's Canada Cup in Saskatoon on June 6th & 7th . We are always looking for new students to join our Raptor’s program. Students can join at any time and the Sparring Summer Camp is a great way to start. Training to be a Raptor dramatically increases the student’s techniques, confidence and athleticism. The program is open to all students Yellow Belt and Higher or on Master Thibault’s recommendations. Raptors train to compete in tournaments for Sparring and Patterns.
TESTING Our Next Black Belt Test has been re-scheduled for June 20th . On that day we will have a Testing followed by a Weapons Demo by the Black Belts and a Pot-luck Party. For the Pot-luck Party please bring a dish that feeds a family of 6. We will provide Coffee, Juice Boxes, Plates, Cups, and Utensils. We will also be bringing in our projector to play Wii Sports in the Racquet Ball Court, like we did at our Christmas Party. In May Color Belt testing will take place during classes. Please Note: The Testing will be done DURING Class Times, hence NO Cancellations. Students will be required to have all the necessary stripes to test. Please refer to the website www.sgma.biz for testing requirements. Currently, those requirements can be found in the Student Handbook on the Training Materials Page.
CLOSURES & SCHEDULE CHANGES WE WILL CLOSED MAY 15 th – 18 th IN LIEU OF THE VICTORIA DAY LONG-WEEKEND. RAPTORS PLEASE REFER TO THE MAY 7th EMAIL SENT OF SCHEDULE CHANGES
Spring is finally here! We have a very busy upcoming schedule: We are preparing up for the Canadian Senior Nationals, Kee's Canada Cup, and our Black Belt Seminar & Pot-luck Party.
SUMMER CAMPS-WE ARE ACCEPTING DEPOSIT FOR ALL SUMMER CAMPS! Last year our Summer Camps were a huge success with over 80 children taking part! Our full-day camps are jammed packed with activities for the children. We do Martial Arts in the morning and play a variety of sports and games in the afternoons. We also go to either Lake Sundance or Lake Midnapore at least one (1) afternoon per camp. Master Thibault instructs all the camps and has the assistance of at least 2 other Black Belt Instructors. Since we actually do 15 martial arts classes in one week the lower belts often have the opportunity to test at the end of the week.
Dates: July Camp 13th -17th, August Camp 10th -14th Location: Fishcreek Sports Club Times: 9 AM-4PM -Parents wishing an early drop-off time or a later pick-up time please speak with Master Thibault so other arrangements can be made. Costs: The cost of 1 Summer Camp is $129 + GST. Each additional family member is $89. New members are $169 + GST and $119 for each additional family members. New members receive a new uniform and White Belt Ages & Ranks: 6-14 years of age all belt levels. Promotion Test Fees: Are not covered by the Summer Camp Fees. Deposit to secure your spot: 50% deposit is required to hold your spot.
BLACK BELT SUMMER CAMP! We are creating a summer camp just for Black Belts that will run from July 20th-24th. This camp will focus on advanced techniques for Black Belts: weapons, self-defence, kicking, striking, blocking, patterns and sparring. The cost of this camp is the same as the regular camp and is open to all Junior Black Belts and Black Stripe Students 8-15 years of age. This camp will focus only on higher level techniques designed to learn the elite level martial arts. The cost of the camp will be $139 + GST. The camp will be open to all Junior Black Belts.
SPARRING CAMP! Last year the Sparring Camp was a great success. Whether you are a current Competitor or you want to try it for the first time this camp is an excellent way to improve your sparring skills. The camp will run in the last week of August (17th-21st) and will be open to all Raptors and students thinking of joining the Raptors in the Fall. In this camp we focus on sparring and sparring techinques, higher levels of strategies and superior fitness and coordination. We will include video analysis and lots more. The cost of the camp will be $139 + GST. The camp will be open to all Green Stripe and Higher ages 8+.
RAPTORS At the Provincials, held March 28th in Calgary, our competitors continued to do extremely well winning medals. They won 95% of the medals they were eligible to win. Our team won 20 out of a possible 21 medals. 4 Gold, 12 Silver, and 4 Bronze. This was very impressive medalling considering only had 5 returning students from last year's provincials. Here are the Results:
20 out of a possible 21 medals - 4 Gold, 12 Silver, 4 Bronze W Withdrew due to injury, *Did Not Place ,** Did Not Compete This month we will not be attending any tournaments. In May Master Barry Laporte will be competing at Senior Nationals in Vancouver and Master Thibault will be coaching him. After that our team will be competing at the Western Canadian Tournament of Champions in Calgary in late May, and the Kee's Canada Cup in Saskatoon in the first week of June. We are always looking for new students to join our Raptor’s program. Training to be a Raptor dramatically increases the student’s techniques, confidence and athleticism. The program is open to all students Yellow Belt and Higher or on Master Thibault’s recommendations. Raptors train to compete in tournaments for Sparring and Patterns.
TESTING In April Color Belt testing will take place during classes. Please Note: The Testing will be done DURING Class Times, hence NO Cancellations. Last month we had 3 students test for their new Black Belts. First, Master Barry Laporte received his 4th Dan, Callesta Lazaruk received her 2nd Poom, and Shervin Khatami received his 1st Poom. Our Next Black Belt Test is scheduled for May 9th. On that day we will have a Testing followed by a Weapons Demo by the Black Belts and a Pot-luck Party. For the Pot-luck Party please bring a dish that feeds a family of 6. We will provide Coffee, Juice Boxes, Plates, Cups, and Utensils. We will also be bringing in our projector to play Wii Sports in the Racquet Ball Court, like we did at our Christmas Party. Students will be required to have all the necessary stripes to test. Please refer to the website www.sgma.biz for testing requirements. Currently, those requirements can be found in the Student Handbook on the Training Materials Page.
MOVIE & PIZZA NIGHT! We are had our first ever Movie & Pizza Night in the beginning of March. This was a fun filled event where we will watched a Movie (Kung-Fu Panda), eat Pizza, and then competed in events for prizes and SGMA Bucks. The event went over so well we will have another one in very near future.
CLOSURES & SCHEDULE CHANGES APRIL 1st Will Be Our Last Wednesday Classes until September
WE WILL CLOSED APRIL 10th – 13th IN LIEU OF THE EASTER BREAK.