Waterside Sharks

On Sunday 21 February 2010, Mohammad Ali represented Great Britain at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers Memorial in Kiev!

Mohammad gave an excellent account of himself, winning two matches and losing only to the eventual bronze medallist, congratulations on an excellent performance!

The Gala Awards, supported by Sport NI, were held on Monday 18 January 2010 at Belfast’s Ramada Hotel and honoured 12 top sporting heroes from both the amateur and professional fields.

The NIWA is proud to say that this year’s Sport NI Local Heroes Award was presented to Mohammad Ali, Coach of the Waterside Sharks and Causeway Giants wrestling clubs, who has represented both GB and Northern Ireland on the international stage.

Mohammad Ali has been short listed in the Local Heros category for this year's Magners Irish Cider sponsored Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards. The Awards are also supported by Sport NI and the results will be announced at a Gala dinner in Belfast on Monday 18 January.

Mohammad will be returning from full time training in Salford for the event.

Throughout 2010, Jim Toland (the current Northern Ireland Coach) will be lead the Waterside Sharks judo coaching team.

We are extremely lucky to have a coach with such experience and knowledge to develop the club and undoubtedly we can look forward to an interesting and successful season ahead.  

Mohammad Ali is returning to the international training camp in Vladikavkaz, Alania, Russia on Wednesday 20 January.

He will travel with the National Performance Squad and will train with some of the very best wrestlers in Europe for the next 3 weeks, we know he's ready!

Every freestyle wrestling licence is now due for renewal (since until this year they ran from January to January).

Now you can purchase a British Wrestling Association (BWA) licence on line, please visit www.britishwrestling.org for further details!

Congratulations to Mohammad Ali who has become the first Northern Ireland athlete ever to be accepted onto the World Class Programme and train full time with the National Performance Squad (aka the British Senior Team).

Mohammad will start on Tuesday 5 January 2010 and we wish him well!

You can follow his progress through regular updates right here on this site.

Due to ongoing work on the stage in the main hall at the YMCA our club will resume training in the old Clondermot School, Waterside on the following dates:

Judo - At 6.30 pm on Wednesday 13 January 2010

Freestyle Wrestling - At 7.00 pm on Thursday 14 January 2010

Renovations to the hall are expected to begin on Monday 18 January and go on for approximately 10 weeks!

Well done to the following members of the club who participated in the Christmas Wrestling Tournament in Carrickfergus (some of whom were wrestling in a competive match for the very first time)

Scott and Lewis Kennedy, Lewis and Ben Kitson, Dean and Rees Nutt and Ben Pollin.

A good time was had by all, have a Happy New Year!

Congratulations to the following judoka who placed at the Judo Youth Games at the old Clondermot School on Saturday 13 December 2009 as follows:

Gold - Dean Nutt

Silver - Amy Duncan, Ben Pollin, Bradley McCausland and Matthew McCrossan

Bronze - Megan Cairns, Amber Jones and Andrew McCrossan

Every member of the club that entered the tournament placed, what a result!

Merry Christmas!

The following members of the club have been selected to take part in the Judo Youth Games 2009 (aka RDS Championships) at 9.15 am on Sunday 13 December 2009 in the old Clondermot School, Waterside:

Dean Nutt, Matthew McCrossan, Bradley McCausland, Amy Duncan, Ben Pollin, Chloe Wilson, Megan Cairns, Amber Jones and Andrew McCrossan

Congratulations and Good Luck to all those involved!

Congratulations to Andrew McCrossan and Ben Pollin who represented the club in the event on Saturday 5 December 2009 at the Aileach Youth and Community Centre, Burnfoot, Co. Donegal. The results are as follows:

Bronze - Ben Pollin

Spirit of Judo Award - Andrew McCrossan

Congratulations to the following judoka who participated in the North West Open on Saturday 28 November 2009 at the Longtower Youth Centre:

Gold - Mark Hyndman and Matthew McCrossan

Silver - Chloe Wilson 

Bronze - Megan Cairns and Dean Nutt 

Other excellent performances were registered by Amber Jones and Andrew McCrossan who fought well and gained valuable experience.

SARI - Favourite Sport from Sport Against Racism Ireland on Vimeo.

Congratulations to Alan Ashcroft, Coach of the Causeway Judo Club, who has just passed his Level 1 freestyle wrestling coaching course in Salford.

Alan has been a good friend to the Waterside Sharks over the years and we wish him well has he takes over some to the coaching duties at the Causeway Giants wrestling club, Ballymoney.

Because of work on the hall and the Christmas holidays the club will close on the following dates:

Judo - Wednesday 2 December 2009 (will be the last night before Christmas)

Freestyle Wrestling - Thursday 10 December 2009 (will be the last night before Christmas)

The club will re-open again on the following dates:

Judo - Wednesday 13 January 2010

Freestyle Wrestling - Thursday 14 January 2010   

Happy Birthday!

The Waterside Sharks Takedown Club (Judo Section) was 2 years old on Saturday 7 November 2009, congratulations to everyone that has contributed over the years and made the club a roaring success!

The next event will be the Christmas Tournament in Greenisland, Carrickfergus on Saturday 19 December 2009.

If you intend to go please bring it to the attention of one of the club administrators or coaches so that suitable transport can be arranged. 

The next event will be:

Northwest Open Judo Championships, Long Tower Judo Club, Ann Street, Londonderry on Saturday 28 November 2009

Weigh In - Friday 27 November from 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm (or Saturday 28 November at 8.00 am for Seniors or midday from Juniors)

Start Time - Seniors from 9.00 pm and Juniors (U18) from 2.00 pm

Cost - £20.00 for Seniors and £15.00 for Juniors

Entry forms can be obtined from any of the club coaches

Congratulations to "Val" who placed runner up in the British Greco - Roman Championships in Salford on Saturday 31 October 2009.

This event was being run alongside the freestyle competition and Val travelled with the Sharks to and from the venue.

Val who hails from Moldovia has trained extensively in Bulgaria and he will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset to Northern Ireland wrestling. 

The Senior British Freestyle Wrestling Championships were held at the Academy in Salford on Saturday 31 October 2009 and the Sharks were represented by Mohammad Ali (the defending British Champion at 74 kgs).

Mohammad was in great shape and made light work of the qualifying rounds however disaster struck in the final and he was forced to retire with a nasty knee injury and had to settle for the silver medal.

We wish him a speedy recovery!

Check out the poster here.

Check out the website here.

The NIJF will hold the next grading in Ulidia Integrated College, Carrickfergus on Saturday 31 October 2009.

Weigh In - Kyu and Dan Grades @ 9.00 - 9.30 am and Juniors @ 11.00 am  

Start Times - Kyu and Dan Grades @ 10.00 am and Juniors @ 12 noon

Cost - £10.00 (6 mon upwards) £15.00 (Kyu) £20.00 (Dan)

Closing Date - Wednesday 28 October 2009

Congratulations to Gracious Phillips who was voted as the Young Sports Woman 2009 at the North Antrim Sports Awards on Saturday 10 October 2009 in Lissanore Castle, Loughguile, Co. Antrim.

This is well deserved and a tremendous achievement.

It is also the first time ever that a young person has won such an important award for freestyle wrestling! 

Check out our latest video showing Gracious Phillips in her final at the Irish Open 2009!

Congratulations to the following athletes on their sucess at the Irish Open Championships in Dublin on Saturday 10 October 2009:

Gold - Gracious Phillips, Andrew McCrossan and Ben Pollin

Silver - Scott Kennedy

Bronze - Lewis Kennedy and Matthew McCrossan

A special mention must also go to Nathan Watson who completed and fought well in every bout although he felt extremely poorly.

Congratulations to the following wrestlers from the Waterside Sharks and Causeway team who picked up medals at the Championships: 

Gold (11)

Juniors - Andrew McCrossan, Ben Pollin, Jamie Taylor, Stuart Phillips, Gracious Phillips, Jacob Ashcroft, Cameron Ashcroft and Kurtis Ashcroft 

Seniors - Paddy Doherty, Norman Parkes and Martin McLaughlin

Silver (8)

Juniors - Nathan Watson, Bradley McCausland, Ben Walker, Connor Phillips, Noel Fryer, Dale Taylor, Scott Kennedy

Senior - Jeff Parkhill

Bronze (3)

Juniors - Lewis Kennedy, Matthew McCrossan

Senior - Liam Walker 

Members of the Waterside Sharks along with friends from Cobra MA and the Causeway Judo Club who took part in the Northern Ireland Closed Wrestling Championships 2009 at the old Clondermot School. Waterside. 

The next tournament for wrestlers of all ages is the NI Closed Freestyle Wrestling Championships @ the old Clondermot High School on Saturday, 26 September 2009.

If you wish to participate, please contact a club coach!

The weigh in is on the morning of the event at the school between 10.00 am - 11.00 am and wrestling commences at 11.30 am.

The cost is £7.50 for those under 18 years and £10.00 for those that are 18 years and above.  

The next NI Judo Squad training (for junior and senior players) will be held at the old Clondermot High School on Sunday, 20 September 2009 from 11.00 am - 3.00 pm.

The cost is £3.00 and those wishing to attend should bring running gear as well.

Congratulations to the following wrestlers after an excellent performance at the 2nd Wigan and Leigh Open Championships on Saturday 5 September 2009:

Gold - Ben Pollin

Silver - Gracious Phillips

Bronze - Stewart Phillips

Check out www.niwrestling.org for photographs of the event!

Look out for the all new BWA website from the first week in September!

You can find a connection in our Links section. 

Mohammad has been selected to represent Great Britain at a freestyle wrestling training camp in Vladikavkaz, Alania, Russia and he's planning to travel via Manchester on Monday 24 September 2009. 

Mohammad will spend a week in Salford at the wrestling Academy preparing for the camp which is expected to last for a further two weeks. 

We wish him all the best and a speedy return for the NI Closed Championships!

Please mark the following events in your notebooks:

Wigan and Leigh Open - Saturday, 5 September 2009

Tryst Open - Saturday, 12 September 2009

Northern Ireland Closed - Saturday, 26 September 2009

Athletes from the club will be competing at all these events and if you're interested please contact a coach or club administrator 

The next NI Judo Squad training will be held at Queens PE Centre, Belfast between 11.00 am - 3.00 pm on Saturday 29 August 2009.

The cost is £3.00 and judoka are expected to bring a Gi and running gear.

The a further training session is scheduled for Sunday 13 September 2009 at the old Clondermot High School, Irish Street, Waterside.

Congratulations to Bradley McCausland who travelled with other judoka from Northern Ireland to to Athlone, Ireland for the national finals of the Community Games on Saturday, 15 August 2009.

Bradley came a very creditable 3rd place at the event. 

The Waterside Sharks made friends this week with the O'Quinns (Brian, Michelle, Emily, Caleb and Wyatt) a wonderful "wrestling" family from South Carolina, United States of America.

We wish them all the best for the future and a safe journey home!

On Saturday 26 September 2009 the Northern Ireland Judo Federation will be hosting a Coach/Examiner Conference to explain the new BJA Technical Promotion Scheme at Queens PE Centre, Belfast.

The cost is £15.00 and registration is at 9.30 am. The event is expected to terminate at 4.00 pm.

The guest coach is David Horton Jones (6th Dan) from the BJA Promotions Commission.

Those wishing to attend should contact a club coach to assist with travel arrangements.

Check out the Gallery for the latest images of the Knockagh Wrestling Camp!

Congratulations to Mohammad who claimed 3rd place at the Spanish Grand Prix tournament in Madrid on 11 July 2009.

This was an extremely high level competition and on this occassion Mohammad was representing Great Britain.  

Congratulations to Mohammad who has also just been selected to represent GB at the Ziolkowski Tournament in Poland from 10 - 12 August 2009!  

Mohammad leaves on Friday morning to meet with the senior British Freestyle Wrestling Team and fly to Spain to compete in the international tournament "Gran Premio de Espana" (the Spanish Grand Prix).

The event commences at 9.00 am on Saturday 11 July 2009 and if sucessful the finals will begin at 10.00 am on Sunday 12 July 2009. 

We all wish him well! 

The Club met up with members of Redhog Wrestling, Lisburn and travelled to the event in Alfreton, England on Friday 3 July 2009.

The actual event took place the next day and it was the first occasion that members from each club had ever participated.

The results were tremendous with the following athletes picking up medals:

Gracious Phillips - Silver

Ben Pollin - Silver

Sammy Tufts (Redhog) - Bronze

Bradley McCausland was also present and put up a great struggle narrowly missing out on a shot at the medals!

Picture courtesy of D Thorburn of Sportshots.co.uk however check out the Gallery for even more pictures of the action!  

Check out our new link to the Scottish Wrestling Association to discover what's going on with our friends across the water!

Congratulations to Chloe Wilson and Bradley McCausland who both won Gold medals at the Ulster Finals of the Community Games in Omagh on Saturday 27 June 2009!

There will be judo classes at the Clondermot Judo Centre (the old Clondermot School), Waterside during the month of August at the following times:

Monday     Juniors 4.00 - 6.00 pm and Seniors 6.00 - 8.00 pm

Thursday    Juniors 4.00 - 6.00 pm and Seniors 6.00 - 8.00 pm

Saturday    Juniors from 11.00 and Seniors 2.00 - 4.00 pm

Cost - £2.00

The Knockagh Wrestling Camp is open to everyone and application forms can be found at www.niwrestling.org

Dates: Thursday 23 July - Saturday 25 July 2009

Location: Methodist College, Belfast

Cost: Juniors (under 16 years) are £40.00 and Seniors are £60.00

Including: Accomodation, mat fees, transport and food

Daily Rate: £5.00 if only available to train for part of the Camp   

Please note that the last nights of training before the summer holidays are on the following dates:

Judo - Wednesday 15 July 2009

Freestyle Wrestling - Thursday 16 July 2009

The Club will then re - open on the following dates:

Judo - Wednesday 9 September 2009

Freestyle Wrestling - Thursday 10 September 2009 

Congratulations to Chloe Wilson and Bradley McCausland who have qualified for the Ulster Finals which take place on:

Saturday 27 June 2009 @ Omagh Leisure Centre

If sucessful at the Ulster Finals the next stage is the National Finals which take place on:

Friday 14 August - Saturday 15 August 2009 @ Athlone  

Please note that the next Judo Squad training session will now be held on Sunday 28 June 2009 at the old Clondermot School.

Times are 11.00 am - 3.00 pm

Cost is £3.00

The next promotional examination for Dan, Kyu and Mon (6th and over) grades will be held at the old Clondermot School, Waterside on Sunday 21 June 2009.

Registration and Weigh In:  Seniors (Dan and Kyu) from 9.00 am - 10.00 am and Juniors 11.00 am

Start Times:  Seniors (Dan and Kyu) 10.00 am and Juniors 12 noon 

The cost will be as follows: Dan - £20.00, Kyu - £15.00 and Juniors £10.00

A £5.00 levy will be charged for those who fail to register with the NIJF before Wednesday 17 June 2009.

Judoka cannot enter unless they have a current NIJF licence. 

Northern Ireland Squad players are invited to participate at the next national squad session arranged as below:

• Date:    Saturday 20^th June 2009 @ old Clondermot School, Waterside
• Time:   10.30 am - 3.00 pm
• Cost:    £3.00

Please bring running gear as well as judo suit.

This session is compulsory for all players, born in the years 1991 – 1994, who wish to be considered for selection to UK School Games, Cardiff  (Thursday 3^rd Sept – Sunday 6^th Sept 2009)

There are also several other major domestic and international events in the coming months (Heart of England, National Age Bands, Welsh and Scottish Open and Junior Commonwealth Championships) and selection for these competitions will be made taking into account attendance at NI Squads and performance at events.

The NI Senior Wrestling Squad will meet for training at the old Clondermot School, Waterside on Sunday 7 June 2009.

First session starts at 10.00 am!

See coaches for further details. 

There will be NI Squad training for judoka from 11.00 am - 3.00 pm on Sunday 31 May 2009 at the Old Clondermot School, Irish Street.

The NI Freestyle Wrestling (junior) Squad are also training this weekend and from 1.00 pm on the Sunday the two squads will train together for the first time. 

The Derry and District Sports Council is organising a First Aid Course which will cover the "treatment of sports injuries" and the details are as follows:

Between 10.00 am - 6.00 pm on Saturday 20 June 2009 @ Da Vinci's Hotel, Culmore Road

The fee is £30.00 (including lunch) and the club will pay 50% of the cost for those wishing to attend.

There are only 12 places so a prompt reply is required, speak to any of the club's coaches for further details.

For Seniors and Juniors at 6th mon and above the next grading will be held at the old Clondermot School on Sunday 21 June 2009.

Weigh In for Seniors  09.00 am - 10.00 am

Weigh in for Juniors   11.00 am

The closing date is Wednesday 17 June 2009 and the cost will be £15.00 for Seniors and £10.00 for Junior participants

Congratulations to the following judoka who performed so well at the Community Games on Saturday, 23 May 2009:

Chloe Wilson - Gold

Bradley McCauseland - Gold

Mark Hyndman - Silver

A tremendous achievement!

The Londonderry Finals of the Community Games will be held on Saturday 23 May 2009 at the old Clondermot School, Waterside.

The event will commence with the weigh in at 10.00 am and is designed for young athletes between the ages of 7yrs - 15yrs.

The entry fee is £2.00 

A new video section has been added to the site. More videos will be uploaded in the close future so keep checking back to see more!

For those selected, Northern Ireland Junior Squad training will be held on the weekend of Saturday 30 - Sunday 31 May 2009 at the old Clondermot School, Waterside, Londonderry.

This will be a residential event and the overnight stay, including an evening meal, accommodation and breakfast will be £15.00 per person.

Accommodation will be provided at Londonderry YMCA, Drumahoe, BT47 3XF

Speak to a club coach for further details.

The annual Knockagh Wrestling Camp will be held on Thursday, 23rd

July to Saturday, 25th July 2009 inclusive at:

The Methodist (Volunteer) College

1, Malone Road

BELFAST

BT9 6BY

The cost is £60 for seniors (18 yrs and over) and £40 for juniors inc. of

accommodation and meals.

Clubs and individuals wishing to participate can get further information,

from the camp’s Director:

Tom Hardy

on

07825-220237

This event is being run by the Northern Ireland Wrestling Association

(NIWA)

Visit - www.niwrestling.org

Check out the Gallery section of a selection of snaps from the NI Open 2009 (freestyle wrestling at its best)!

The judo club will be closed on Wednesday 13 May 2009 for one evening only because the main hall is unavailable.

Freestyle wrestling classes are unaffected.

Training with the Irish National Squad

Edmund Rice College, Hightown Road, Glengormley, Belfast, Co. Antrim
 

Development Squad           Under 14yrs

Sunday 10th May 2009    

Registration: 10.30am                Time: 11.00am - 2.00pm

No cost

Next Squad Date for All

• Sunday 31^st May, Clondermott School, Derry
• Registration:    10.30
• Start time        11.am- 3.00pm
• Cost £3.00

From Thursday 30 April 2009 wrestling classes for both seniors and juniors will commence at 7.00pm!

This has been made possible through the introduction of more matting thus allowing 2 x separate training areas to maintain maximum safety. 

Last Saturday at the NI Open 2009 - Gracious Phillips - captured the title and the Waterside Sharks now have their first female wrestling champion!

Well done, Gracious!

Congratulations to all 23 athletes who participated in the Northern Ireland (Freestyle Wrestling) Open 2009 at Carrickfergus on Saturday 25 April 2009.

The Waterside Sharks (and our friends from Causeway) now have four NI Champions amongst their ranks.

The results are as follows:

Gold - Gracious Phillips, Jacob Ashcroft, Cameron Ashcroft and Ben Pollin

Silver - Scott Kennendy, Bradley McCauseland, Connor Quinn, Kurtis Ashcroft, Paddy Doherty and Davy Small

Bronze - Lewis Kennedy, Joe O'Donnell, Sean Carlin, Nathan Watson and Jeff Parkhill

Other great performances were put in by Robbie Duncan, Andrew and Matthew McCrossan, Brandon Smith, Marcus Stewart, Kingsley Hepburn, Chris Gayle and Chris McKendry

The Northern Ireland Judo Federation (NIJF) are holding NI Squad training for all ages (Cadet, Junior, Senior and Masters) at the old Clondermot School on Sunday 26 April 2009.

Practice is from 11.00 am - 3.00 pm and the cost is £3.00 per person.

See any of our coaches for further details.  

Notice to Competitors

Those wanting to participate in the event at Carrickfergus on Saturday 25 April 2009 can register and weigh in at regular club training on Thursday night (23 April 2009).

The Sharks will be travelling to the Championships by minibus early on Saturday morning and the entire cost of the day is estimated at £10.00 for juniors (Under 18yrs) and £15.00 for seniors (18 yrs and over) including entry fee. 

Notice to Parents and Family 

You are very welcome to attend and can travel by minibus at a cost of £5.00 return if there is sufficient room.

If you wish to make your own way there, the venue is:

Downshire School, Downshire Road, Carrickfergus, BT38 7OA

Please ensure that you are there by 9.00 am

Please check out our link to the Murakwai Judo Club - one of Northern Ireland's very best judo clubs!

Did you realize that the Sharks will be 2 years old on Sunday 10 May 2009?

Mohammad Ali has been selected to represent Great Britain (once again) at the following freestyle wrestling competitions:

City of Sassari Tournament, Italy on 30 May 2009

Spanish Grand Prix, Madrid on 11/12 July 2009

This is a fantastic achievement and we wish him all the best as he prepares for these high level events.  

On the administrative side, one of our club coaches (Barry Pollin) also passed his judo referee's assessment at the NI Schools Championships and was awarded the status of "Area Referee"

The Sharks had a fantastic day at the competition in the old Clondermot School on Saturday 11 April 2009 with athletes from the club picking up 6 x Gold, 3 x Silver, 7 x Bronze and Silver in the primary schools team event.

We also had a tremenous display from Charlie McMonagle who just fell outside of the medals in 4th place.

The results are as follows:

NI Schools Champions

Chloe Wilson, Emma Campbell, Andrew McCrossan, Mark Hyndman, Ben Pollin and Cathair Dixon 

Silver

Tyler Allen, Arron Colhoun and Bradley McCauseland

Bronze

Jordan Thomas, Jodie Thomas, Megan Cairns, Daniel McGlinchey, Andrew Campbell, Conor Devlin and Matthew McCrossan

Congratulations to Victoria Colhoun who picked up a Gold medal at the Galway Open on Saturday 4 April 2009. 

The only date that the club will close over the Easter holidays is Wednesday 15 April 2009.

There is freesytle wrestling on Thursday 16 April 2009 since we are in training for the NI Open on Saturday 25 April 2009.

Congratulations to Mohammad Ali and Mark Montgomery on winning Gold medals in the Scottish Open in Glasgow on Saturday 4 April 2009. Both athletes travelled with the Northern Ireland team which also included Matt Campbell (Silver medal) and Glen Elliott (Bronze medal) - a fine performance! 

Congratulations to those who participated in the NIJF grading at the Ulidia College, Carrickfergus on Saturday 28 March 2009.

The results were as follows:

Bradley McCauseland - Green Belt (10th Mon)

Ben Pollin - Green Belt (10th Mon)

Cathair Dixon - Orange Belt

Keith Colhoun - Orange Belt

Gary Gillespie - Green Belt

Mohammad Ali - Brown Belt

A special tribute should also go to Mohammad who was fast tracked on the day of the event and gained promotion from white to brown, an occurrence that is rarely witnessed in these parts!  

There will be a grading at St Columbs Leisure Centre on Friday 27 March 2009 especially for senior white belts.

The examination will be conducted by Jim Toland and candidates are expected to be there for 6.15 pm (please bring your licence books).  

Good luck to all those club members who are taking part in this event at the old Clondermot School, Waterside on Saturday 11 April 2009! 

Weigh in timings are as follows on Friday 10 April 2009

Between 6-8 pm at the old Clondermot School

or at the same venue on Saturday 11 April 2009

8.30 am for those aged 7 to 9 years - 11 am for those aged 10 to 13 years - 1 pm for those aged 14 to 19 years.

Start Times are as follows:

Age 7-9 @ 10.00 am

Age 10-13 @12 midday

Age 14-19 @ 2.00 pm

The cost is £10.00 per individual entry and £15.00 for the team event (that is, 3 persons)

See the coaches for further details.

This is a Closed competition - that means that you must hold a Northern Ireland judo licence to enter! 

The club is travelling to the next Senior Grading (and Grading for juniors that are 6th Mon and over) in Ulidia Integrated College, Carrickfergus on Saturday 28th March 2009.

Start Times:

Senior (Kyu and Dan) - 10.00 am

Junior Mon (6th Mon and over) - 12 noon

The cost to enter is £15.00 for seniors and £10.00 for juniors.

The NIJF have advised us that there will be a penalty of £5.00 extra for those who fail to meet the closing date (that is, enter on the day) on:

Wednesday 25 March 2009 

Contact any of the Club coaches to arrange your lift!

The Waterside Sharks would like to congratulate Sammy Tufts (from the Knockagh "Raiders") on his recent sucess at the K-Kundzins Cup in Riga, Latvia.

Sammy picked up a Bronze medal whilst representing Great Britain at this extremely difficult event!

Schedule for Coaching Weekend 20th and 21st March 2009

The Old Clondermott School will be hosting a coaching weekend from 20 - 21 March. This will consist of a course for coaches and potential coaches who wish to develop their coaching skills and seek improved performance from their wrestlers. There is also junior squad training on the Friday evening and senior squad training on Saturday morning.

However, it should be noted that while this course does not confer a qualification it will undoubtedly assist the individual to gain the relevant experience necessary to attain a full BWA qualification.

Schedule for Squad Weekend 20th and 21st March 2009

The timings for the training sessions with the British Coach, Steve McKeown, are as follows:

Friday 20 March 2009 - Both Juniors and Seniors - 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm at the old Clondermot School

Saturday 21 March 2009 - Senior Squad Session (over 16 yrs) - 9.00 am to 10.30 am at the old Clondermot School

Saturday 21 March 2009 - Coaches and Potential Coaches - 11.00 am - 12.30 pm at the old Clondermot School

The Northern Ireland Wrestling Association (NIWA) are holding Junior Squad training and a coaching weekend in the city from Friday 20 March 2009 - Saturday 21 March 2009 and Steven McKeown, the GB Development Coach, will be in attendance.

This is an exceptional opportunity for us to create the right conditions to allow Steven McKeown to "talent scout" in Northern Ireland.

Further details can be obtained from any of the club's coaches and a letter will be circulated to members.

The cost has been reduced to £2.50 for juniors and £10.00 for coaches and seniors wanting to gain extra experience!

Please keep these dates free, this is ideal practice and training before the NI Open!  

The Sharks and our friends from Causeway entered fourteen juniors into the Eastern Regional Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Greenisland, Carrickfergus on Saturday 7 March 2009 and collected a total of fourteen medals, as follows:

Gold

Jamie Taylor, Curtis Ashcroft, Ben Pollin (x2), Lewis Kennedy

Silver

Matthew McCrossan, Andrew McCrossan, Cameron Ashcroft, Jacob Ashcroft, Scott Hickinson

Bronze

Gavin Ellitson, Ryan McMenamin, Nathan Watson, Joel Hazlett

P.S. Where was Joel when the photo was being taken?

The next competition for Senior judoka is the NI Open at Queens PEC in Belfast:

Saturday 16 May 2009 

That leaves about 8 weeks to prepare!

The next judo competition for juniors is the NI Schools Competition at Lisneal College, Waterside on Good Friday:

Friday 10 April 2009 

At this event, club members will be representing their respective schools and members from the Lisneal College Judo Club will be competing for the very first time.

The next club grading is for judoka under the age of 17 yrs and who currently hold a grade of 5th Mon or less.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

The cost of the examination is £5.00 plus the normal mat fee of £2.00 and judoka must hold a NIJF licence.

Please contact any of the club coaches or officials for additional advice. 

The next grading for juniors that are 6th Mon and above and all Seniors is at Ulidia College, Carrickfergus.

Saturday 28 March 2009

The club will be attending and if you plan on going please discuss arrangements with our coaches.

The club will be participating in a junior (18 yrs and under) freestyle wrestling competition at the Knockagh Wrestling Club in Greenisland, Carrickfergus.

Saturday 7 March 2009

The weigh in for the event is at our own club on Thursday 4 March 2009 and competitors will be matched for age and size on Saturday morning.

The cost of the whole day is £10.00 (including entry fee) and a minibus will take wrestlers to and from Greenisland.

The meeting time is 8.00 am at the YMCA on Saturday. 

Parents and family are very welcome to attend and additional arrangements can be discussed with the club coaches.       

The Northern Ireland Judo Federation (NIJF) are offering training at the old Clondermot High School, all those interested in attending please speak with a club coach.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

The class will be delivered by Russell Brown and a Criminal Records check will be completed on those persons taking part.

With this in mind, it is essential that participants bring along a recent utility bill, a passport or driving licence and details of national insurance numbers.  

This course is compulsory for all coaches who have not already attended!

Mohammad Ali is back from the Kiev, Ukraine having placed 5th in a group of 29 of Europe's top wrestlers. You will have an opportunity to chat with him this week as he resumes normal classes from Wednesday, 25 February.

Congratulations to the following members of the club who performed exceptionally well at the Northern Ireland Trials at the Longtower Youth Club, Brandywell on Sunday 15 February 2009: 

Emma Campbell - Gold

Matthew McCrossan - Silver

Jamie Cooke - Silver

and of course, Andrew McCrossan who fought like a "tiger"

Congratulations to Marty McLaughlin and Alan Ashcroft and who spent a successful weekend in Manchester (with a Sharks "old boy" Mark Montgomery) at the the British Wrestling Academy on their Level 1 coaching course.

Mohammad has been selected for the senior British team to compete in the Ukraine Wrestlers Memorial Tournament in Kiev on 21/22 February 2009.

This is fully deserved and we hope that it's only the beginning of another chapter in the career of the country's top wrestler!

Mohammad will train with the British squad for a few weeks prior to the event and we wish him well as he travels to Manchester.

Check out the all new web site for the "Hogs" on our Links section opposite!

The next event for the Sharks is the Eastern Region Junior Wrestling Championships at the Greenisland Youth Centre (Carrickfergus) on Saturday 7 March 2009.

We are hoping to take all of our juniors to this competition and the weigh in will be held prior to the event at our own club.

A minibus will be provided to take everyone to the venue and details of the cost will be released soon.  

The next event is the Northern Ireland Trails 2009 on Saturday 15 February 2009 at the Longtower Youth Club, Brandywell.

This competition is aimed at the following groups:

Cadets (A) - Under 16 years 

Junior (B) - Under 18 yrs

Senior (C) - Over 18 yrs

Veteran (D) - Over 30 yrs

Attendance for this event will be by selection and club coaches should be consulted by all those who wish to participate.

Members of the club will be selected by the coaches to attend the Northern Ireland Squad training session at the old Clondermot School, Irish Street, Waterside on Saturday 7 February 2009.

If selected the session will cost £5.00 and timings are 11.00 am - 3.00 pm

Details of the new judo programme have just been added to the Events Calendar link opposite - check it out! 

On Wednesday 21 January 2009 this important event was held in the Guilhall, Londonderry and our very own coach and athlete - Mohammad Ali - was nominated for the senior Male Sports Personality Award.

Mohammad came in a very creditable runner up and there is absolutely no doubt that "he will be back"!  

Since all of the coaches from the Sharks are involved with delivering NI Senior Squad training in Belfast on Sunday 25 January 2009 there will be no regular wrestling class that day.

Training resumes next Thursday at 7.00 pm as usual.  

The Waterside Sharks are proud to welcome Alan Ashcroft as an additional judo coach on to the team!

Alan has many years experience as a coach at the highest level in Northern Ireland and is a Black Belt 2nd Dan.

He has trained many excellent seniors and juniors and we are indeed fortunate to have secured his services to make our club even stronger!

From Wednesday 14 January 2009 the judo section of the Waterside Sharks will be running ABC (Absolute Beginners Class) Judo sessions in the YMCA.

Timings: every Wednesday 6.30 pm - 7.45 pm

Our ABC Judo programme is ideal for brand new starts and parents who want to learn more about the sport and train at the same time as their children.

Of course, there's a chance that you will loose weight, tone up, get fit and meet some new friends at the same time!

The cost of each class will be £3.00 

From now on there will be an increase in the mat fees for freestyle wrestling of 50p per class.

The new rates are:

Juniors - £2.50 per class

Seniors - £3.50 per class

This is the first time that mat fees have every increased and it is necessary to cover training costs.

There is however good news for families, that is, if one junior pays then their brothers and/or sisters can all train for FREE that evening.

The new BWA programme for 2009 is now available to view on our site if you check out the Events Calendar opposite.  

The governing body for wrestling in Northern Ireland is now known as the Northern Ireland Wrestling Association (NIWA) and with the change of name comes a new web site.

Check it out at our Links section - especially the Media section - which has great photos of the Knockagh Wrestling Camp 2008! 

There will be NI Junior Squad training for those selected on Sunday 11 January 2009 at 12 midday in the old Clondermot School, Waterside.

The programme is as follows:

Technical - midday to 2.00 pm

Break - 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm

Rules and Wrestling - 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm  

All wrestlers should bring a light packed lunch, warm sports clothing, fluids and a mat fee of £3.00.

Coaching with be provided by John O'Rawe (the NI Coach) and Mohammad Ali (the current British Champion) 

Training begins again on Thursday 8 January 2009 and make no mistake, it will be tough!

Juniors @ 7.00 pm and Seniors @ 8.15 pm

Our next competition is the Regional Championships in Carrickfergus on Saturday 7 March 2009 - "it is just around the corner!" 

Many thanx to the Knockagh Wrestling Club for hosting such a wonderful tournament, we had a great day and everyone left with a smile on their face.

Merry Christmas!

At the Sport NI Youth Games in Omagh on Saturday 13 December 2008 every member of the Waterside Sharks that competed for the North West squad picked up a medal!

As follows:

Gold - Emma Campbell and Andrew McCrossan

Silver - Chloe Wilson, Matthew McCrossan and Ben Pollin

Bronze - Bradley McCauseland and Lee O'Donnell

A fantastic display!

Seven Waterside Sharks have made it onto the North West regional team, as follows:

Emma Campbell

Chloe Wilson

Matthew McCrossan

Andrew McCrossan

Lee O'Donnell

Bradley McCauseland

Ben Pollin

The team was announced on Monday 8 December 2008 at the Longtower Youth Club by Gavin Able (Squads Co-ordinator) and and our judoka will be competing on Saturday 13 December 2008 at the Sport NI Judo Youth Games in Omagh Leisure Centre.

Good luck to all those involved!   

The wrestling section will be closed on the following dates over the Christmas holidays:

Thursday 18 December 2008

Christmas Day

New Years Day

The club returns to normal in January and there will be wrestling on Thursday 8 January 2009  

The junior members of the Waterside Sharks met after training on Wednesday 3 December 2008 and decided that the next club grading should be on Wednesday 21 January 2009 - so brush up on the japanese terminology over the Christmas holidays!

NB. Remember that the judo section closes for the Christmas break after Wednesday 10 December 2008

See below for further details!   

Waterside Sharks are proud to host the Northern Ireland Senior Squad training session at the old Clondermot School, Waterside at midday on Sunday 7 December 2008 - all senior members of the club are expected to attend! 

Check out the brand new media brief in the section opposite and see what the papers have to say about the club.

In addition, we've linked this site to our colleagues at the Wigan and Leigh Wrestling Club - view their new site and catch up with your friends from the Knockagh Wrestling Camp!    

On Sunday 23 November 2008 the club picked up another British champion as Ben Pollin retained the British Novice title at the Y Club in Manchester.

A fantastic display and en route to the final Ben also had the quickest pin of the day, dispatching his first opponent in 6 seconds! 

Congratulations to all those judoka who took part in the North West Open at Longtower Youth Club on Saturday 22 November 2008!

The results show how much progress the club has made in just over a year:

Senior

Gold - Mohammad Ali

Junior

Gold - Emma Campbell

Silver - Chloe Wilson and Bradley McCauseland

Bronze - Megan Cairns (in her very first competition)

(with great performances from Matthew and Andrew McCrossan as well!)

It is remarkable to think that Mohammad Ali was fit to win his weight group (U73 kgs) against strong opposition after only ever receiving one judo class and that was the Wednesday before the event.

In the words of Richard Briggs (President of the NIJF), "Lord help us whenever he actually learns the rules!" 

Check out our new web link to GB Grappling to see what is current in the sport!  

The judo club will be closed on the following dates over the Christmas period:

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Christmas Eve (24 December 2008)

New Years Eve (31 December 2008)

The club will re-open as usual on Wednesday 7 January 2009. 

Please mark your calendars at the following:

Monday 15 December 2008 @ 7.30 pm

On this date the Waterside Sharks will be hosting the AGM of the Northern Ireland Wrestling Association (NIWA) at Londonderry YMCA.

This is the first time that the AGM has been held outside of Carrickfergus and a full turn out of members is expected.

If you want to know what's happening with wrestling, this is the place to be!

A light supper will be provided.

As of Saturday 8 November 2008 the name Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA) no longer exists and the Governing Body for all FILA recognised styles of wrestling in Northern Ireland is now the Northern Ireland Wrestling Association (NIWA).

This development is in keeping with current legislation regarding the use of the word "Olympic" and is symbolic of the organisation's drive towards modernisation.

Watch this space for the new logo!

Just a wee reminder that there will be a grading at the Ulidia Integrated College, Carrickfergus on Saturday 15 November 2008.

The event is open to Seniors and Juniors, 6 Mon and upwards.

Weigh in commences at 9.00 am and if you're interested (and some folk will have no choice) then contact any of the Club coaches for further details.

Don't forget to buy a Club badge before you enter and display it on your gi on the day!

The next event will be the Christmas Friendship Tournament on Saturday 20 December 2008 at the Knockagh Wrestling Club.

Wrestling starts at 10.00 am and the club will arrange suitable transport (details to follow)

Please mark the following dates in your calendars for 2009:

Knockagh Wrestling Camp (KWC) - Thursday 30 July / Saturday 1 August 2009

Northern Ireland Closed - Saturday 26 September 2009

Irish Open - Saturday 10 October 2009

The results of the Senior British Freestyle Wrestling Championships 2008 are now posted on the BWA web site:

Northern Ireland entered a team of three athletes (all of whom listed their club as the Waterside Sharks) with the following outcome:

Gold - Mohammad Ali

Silver - Mark Montgomery

Those are the facts! Congratulations to both athletes!

In addition, we witnessed a great display of wrestling from Marty McLaughlin against a member of the British squad before he picked up an injury which prevented him from continuing.

N.B. If you do the maths, apart from Academy wrestlers, this remarkable achievement means that the Club was the most sucessful at the event, all of the hard work is paying off! 

There will be no freestyle wrestling club on Sunday 2 November 2008 since the coaches will be with the Northern Ireland team at the British Senior Championships in Salford, Manchester.

Congratulations to Mark Montgomery who regularly trains with the Club for attaining the runner up spot at the recent Lisburn Sports Awards.
 
The accolade is fitting recognition for Mark's contribution to judo and wrestling, good luck in the British Freestyle Wrestling Championships!

Everyone at the Waterside Sharks wishes Mohammad, Marty and Mark well as they enter the final stages of their preparations for the British Freestyle Wrestling Championships on 1 November 2008 in Manchester!

The judo club will be closed on Wednesday 29 October 2008 for one week only however there will be wrestling on Thursday 30 October 2008 as usual! 

Congratulations to Emma Campbell and Victoria Colhoun (Causeway Judo Club) who competed at the Championships in Dublin on Sunday 12 October. Emma won a Bronze Medal and Victoria picked up Gold - Well Done!

Details of the Irish Open (Freestyle Wrestling) Championships 2008 are now available in our Results section - please see the menu opposite.

NB. Check out all the photos in the Gallery section!

Congratulations to Darron McMichael and Mohammad Ali who have just recently passed their examinations to become Cat 3 - fully qualified freestyle wrestling referees.

In addition, Barry Pollin has also been promoted to Cat 1 as recognition for a lot of hard work throughout the year.

Did you know that on Friday 7 November 2008 the judo section will be exactly one year old?

The coaches of the Waterside Sharks would like to thank all of the parents who stayed behind after training on Wednesday 8 October 2008 for a meeting with Lesley Nicholl from Londonderry YMCA.

The meeting was very productive and a number of parents have volunteered to assist with the administration of the judo section.

This will free up coaches to deliver the class and hopefully make it an even more rewarding experience for the students.

Mohammad Ali in action against a wrestler from Dublin at the NI Closed 2008

The date has just been released for the Northern Ireland Open 2009 and the details are as follows:

Saturday 25 April 2009 at Downshire High School, Carrickfergus

Regional Development Squad sessions will be held on the following dates at the following locations:

Monday 20 October 2008 - Longtower Youth Club, Brandywell (6.45 pm)

Sunday 9 November 2008 - old Clondermot High School, Irish Street

Sunday 16 November 2008 - Longtower Youth Club, Brandywell

These sessions are suitable for experienced judoka between the ages of 9 - 16 years and our club coaches will identify those suitable to participate.

Times have yet to be confirmed.

For an excellent account of the wrestling life and times of our club President - follow the Links section to the NIOWA and click on the Library.

This will take place on Saturday 15 November 2008 at the Ulidia School in Carrickfergus - follow our Links section to the Northern Ireland Judo Federation (NIJF) for further details.

The next event that the club is attending is a FUNdamental competition in Dublin on Saturday 25 October 2008.

It is estimated that the cost of the trip including entry fee and travel by coach will be £30.00 (judo entry fees tend to be slightly more expensive)

This does not include the cost of food and all athletes are asked to bring a packed lunch with them.

This event is suitable for young judoka with at least 6 months experience. For further detail please contact any of the club coaches.

The next event that the club will attend is the Irish Open at Larkin College Community Centre, Dublin on Saturday 11 October 2008.

Transport will be available and the cost of the trip is likely to be in or around £20.00 (including the 10 Euro entry fee)

Further details will be provided at the club on Thursday evening.

Parents are very welcome to come along and make a day out of it, however, one thing is for sure it will be an early start since wrestling begins at 10.30 am that morning!

Check out the Results section opposite for the final positions from Saturday's competition.  

Our friends at the Valley Cobras Takedown Club have informed us that for the foreseeable future there will be no training on Monday evenings at the Tullyally and District Resource Center whilst they search for new premises.

The club is in negoiations with Cobra MA (based at the old Clondermot School, Waterside) about a possible merger so watch this space for further details.

In the meantime, members of the club have been invited to attend our sessions every Thursday and we look forward to spending time with them!

On Friday 26 September the Sharks hosted the UK's top referee, Dave Sudron, who delivered a course designed to test budding referees.

Two members of the club rose to the occasion and by all accounts did very well.

We wish Darron McMichael and senior coach, Mohammad Ali, all the best as they await their results!

All the photos from the Knockagh Wrestling Camp are now available to view on the NIOWA web site.

Just click on the Links section opposite to reach web site and search for the Gallery section.

Just a little reminder that the Waterside Sharks Judo Club will re - open after the summer holidays on Wednesday 10 September at the usual time of 6.30 pm

The club is available to both Senior and Junior judoka.

See you there!

The Waterside Sharks enjoyed a very pleasant trip to the Wigan and Leigh Open and returned with a few medals as well:

Gold - Bradley McCauseland and Ben Pollin

Bronze - Connor Quinn

With good performances from Declan Dillon and Simon Kerr who met top class opposition.

Many thanx to our friends at the Wigan and Leigh Club who looked after us extremely well!

The next judo grading for the younger members of the club will be held on Wednesday 27 August at the old Clondermot School, Waterside.

Judoka are reminded to bring their licences and the examination will be conducted by Jim Toland, the current Northern Ireland coach.   

Check out the new section opposite to view the Waterside Sharks in action (including Mohammad Ali against world class opposition)!

The following are already booked to travel to the Wigan and Leigh Open on Saturday 6 September 2008, if you want to join them please contact any of the wrestling coaches ASAP:

Barry Pollin

Darron McMicheal 

Declan Dillon

Simon Kerr

Bradley McCauseland

Connor Quinn

Ben Pollin

NB. The trip will cost you around £40.00 for the return flight via Liverpool + your entry fee. Transfers and accomodation will be catered for by the club!

There will be no club on Thursday 31 July and Sunday 3 August since most of the members will be participating in the Knockagh Wrestling Camp.

Training resumes on Thursday 7 August at the usual times.

For those wishing to travel to the Knockagh Wrestling Camp, transport will be provided free of charge from Londonderry YMCA to the Knockagh Youth Club in Greenisland, Carrickfergus and back after the event.

 i.e. leaving Thursday 31 July 2008 and returning in the early evening of Saturday 2 August 2008.

A bus will lift passengers from Londonderry YMCA at 7.00 am on Thursday morning and stops are planned at the Valley Cobras Club and Maghera en route.

Further details can be obtained by visiting www.niowa.org and selecting the Camp page.

Accomodation is provided inside the Knockagh Youth Club and is fully supervised by appropriate adults, in addition, all meals are included in the original fee and a professional cook has been engaged to prepare the food.

Any special food requirements should be flagged up to one of the coaches.

Check List

Younger members should consider bringing the following items:

Sleeping Bag and Pillow (a camp bed will be provided); washing kit and towels, 6 x clean T shirts (inc. club T shirts), 3 x pairs of shorts, lots of underwear and socks; training and wrestling shoes, wrestling singlets and swimming shorts, pocket money, light jacket and a change of clothing for the evening activities which might include bowling or a trip to Carrick Castle.

Your favourite "teddy bear" and wrestling licence are not required.

Use of cameras, electronic equipment (eg, GameBoys and Ipods) and mobile phones will be resticted and the owner will be responsible for their safe keeping.

Please note a change of date for the second wrestling and judo summer school.

This event will now take place between the following dates:

Monday 28 July - Friday 1 August  

The venue remains the same - the old Clondermott School, Waterside.

The first session begins at 9.00am on Monday and training will be taken by:

Jim Toland - the NI Senior Judo Coach

John O'Rawe - the NI Senior Wrestling Coach

Everyone is welcome, especially beginners, just bring your training kit!   

A new date has been set for the British Senior Wrestling Championships and they will now be held on:

Saturday 1 November 2008

The venue is the Wrestling Academy in Salford, England.

The next freestyle competition for the "Sharks" is the following:

Wigan and Leigh Open

@ Rose Bridge High School, Ince, Wigan on Saturday 6 September 2008

The event is available to every member of the club (young, old and family members) however it is important that those wishing to travel give a firm committment to do so at an early stage!

Speak to any club coach if you are interested in this one

Further details regarding price etc. will be published on this site in the near future!

To date the Sponsored Walk has raised £502.50 for the Knockagh Wrestling Camp, a tremendous effort!

However, if you still have monies outstanding please collect them (and pass them to a club coach) as we'll be transferring the final amount to the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association in the very near future. 

Extra judo classes are available every Wednesday evening at the old Clondermott School, Waterside.

The instruction will be delivered by Jim Toland. Training times are from 6.30pm - 8.00pm and the cost is £2.00

The classes are designed for both seniors and juniors and all are welcome!

N.B. The only date when there is no class available is Wednesday 16 July 2008

Our friends at the Valley Cobras Takedown Club have informed us that they will not be training over the summer (apart from the Knockagh Wrestling Camp) and will resume training on Monday 15 September 2008.

All of those taking part in the sponsored walk should meet at 8.00 am on Wednesday 2 July 2008 at the YMCA.

Free transport will be provided to Tollymore Forest Park and the bottom of Slieve Donard - where the fun begins!

(Be sure to bring a strong pair of boots, a rain coat and a packed lunch)

On Saturday 28 June 2008 Mark Montgomery of Hazama Judo Club took a bronze medal at the World Judo Masters in Brussels, Belgium.

Fantastic!

Congratulations to Mark who also represents the Sharks at freestyle wrestling! 

The Waterside Sharks Takedown Club is happy to support one of our athletes, Marty McLaughlin, as he makes the final preparations for the first ever grappling seminar to be held at Londonderry YMCA.

The Instructor for the event will be Sabastian Torres and his credentials are listed as follows:

BJJ - Brown Belt

Judo - Black Belt

Former Under 21 Brazilian International (Judo) and the current NI Champion (Judo)

Former World Championship - Bronze Medalist (Judo)

Current Irish Grappling Champion

The class will be held on Sunday 29 June 2008 between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm

The plans for the judo section over the summer months are as follows:

Wednesday - 2 July 2008 - Club Closed (athletes involved in a sponsored walk)

The judo section will not train again at the YMCA until Wednesday 10 September 2008.

However, judo classes will be available at the old Clondermott School as part of the Summer School programme.

(See below for details)

Congratulations to Lee O'Donnell and Ben Pollin both of whom picked up a silver medal in the Ulster Finals of the Community Games at the Longtower Youth Club on Sunday 22 June 2008! 

On Thursday 19 June 2008 a reporter from the Sunday Journal (Andrew Quinn) spent the evening with the freestyle wrestling section and interviewed a number of members.

Andrew prepared a two page article about the club that appeared in this weeks' paper.

If you're lucky you can still catch a copy!

The Waterside Sharks were represented at the Welsh Open 2008 in Wrexham by the following team:

Tommy Hardy - Team Manager

Simon Kerr - Under 74 kg (Cadets)

Mark Montgomery - Under 120 kgs (Senior)

Darron McMichael - Under 80 kgs (Vets)

Barry Pollin - Under 90 kgs (Vets)

In addition, they were joined by Andrew Pursell a young athlete from the Knockagh Raiders.

Whilst everyone fought hard the most notable sucesses were a Gold medal to Mark Montgomery and a Silver medal to Darron McMichael in their first ever freestyle tournament on the mainland.

A stunning achievement!

For further details check out the Wrestling Results section.

The first member of the Waterside Sharks has been added to the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association - Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to Mohammad Ali!

For more detail follow our Links to the NIOWA web site and call up the Hall of Fame page (then check out the Roll of Honour)

The date of the next judo promotional examination has been moved to Sunday 22 June 2008 but the venue remains the Long Tower Youth Club, Brandywell.

The event is open to both Seniors and Juniors and the details are as follows:

Weigh In           Kyu and Dan  9.00 am - 10.00 am

                        Juniors           12 noon

Start Times       Kyu and Dan  10.00 am

                        Juniors            12 noon

The cost for Juniors will be £5.00 (1 to 5 Mon - theory only) and £7.00 (6 Mon and over). Senior Kyu will pay £10.00 and Senior Dan £15.00.

A penalty of an additional £5.00 will be charged to players who fail to pre-register so please obtain an entry form from one of the club coaches ASAP!

Bring your NIJF licence on the day of the Examination!

Check out our Links and the connection to the new web site for the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council (NICGC).

Lookin' good!

The date for the sponsored walk in support of the Knockagh Wrestling Camp (KWC) has been set for Wednesday 2 July 2008 and the location is in Newcastle, Co. Down.

Using Greenhill YMCA as a base, participants will be spilt into two groups, that is, 15 years and younger and those over 15 years.

The older group will then attempt to scale Slieve Donard whilst the younger ones will go for an adventure ramble through Tollymore Forest Park.

Both groups will be supervised by qualified personnel.

Parents are very welcome to attend and free transport will be laid on from Londonderry YMCA.

Times are cannot be exact but at the moment we aim to leave Drumahoe at 8.00am and return at approximately 8.00pm.

The Waterside Sharks Takedown Club is proud to announce that it will host the next NI Squad training sessions at the Londonderry YMCA complex (Drumahoe) on Sunday 22 June 2008 at the following times:

Schoolboy Squad (15yrs and younger) - 10.00am to 12.00 midday

Cadet/Junior/Senior Squad                  - 12.00 midday to 2.00pm    

This is the first occassion that the NI Squads have ever trained in the North West and it presents a golden opportunity for local athletes to see exactly what is required to progress to this level.

Sessions will be lead by the Northern Ireland coaches John O'Rawe and Stuart Baker.

The winners of the Presidents Cup 2008 were announced at the AGM on Thursday 29 May 2008 and the details are as follows:

Senior Award - Marty McLaughlin

Junior Award - Ben Pollin

These names were selected after consultation between the coaches and although richly deserved the Cups must pass to new athletes at the next AGM.

The Waterside Sharks are pleased to announce that two of our young judoka have qualified for the Ulster Finals of the Community Games:

Lee O'Donnell and Ben Pollin

The event will be held at the Longtower Youth Centre on Sunday 22 June 2008 and noisey spectators are very welcome!

NB. We also wish good luck to another young athlete - Victoria Colhoun (from the Bushmill Judo Club) - who often trains at the dojo

On Tuesday 27 May 2008 Londonderry Mayor Drew Thompson launched the freestyle wrestling and judo summer school programme. The venue will be the old Clondermott School in Waterside and the dates are as follows:

Monday  7 July - Friday 11 July

Monday 11 August - Friday 15 August

Monday 18 August - Friday 22 August

Activities will include wrestling and judo fundamentals, football, tag rugby, obstacle courses, zip lines, rope climbing, strenght and conditioning development for children.

The activity times are 9.00am - 3.00pm each day and the cost will be £25.00 per child per week (the second and third child etc. from the same family will be £20.00 each)

The events are partly sponsored by Derry City Council's Community Relations Department and the points of contact for further information are any of the club coaches including Jim Toland c/o Derry City Council Judo Sports Development Dept.

jim.toland@derrycity.gov.uk or telephone 07976591573

These summer schools are from ages 6 - 16yrs and are open to both male and female.

Judo suits are not necessary but if you have one bring it!   

Follow the Links and check out the new stock of freestyle wrestling products available on this site - for information - members of the club have used this particular company on many occasions without a problem.

This is a big date for the senior section of the club since the freestyle wrestlers will be attending the Welsh Open in Wrexham and our judoka will be fighting in a senior grading at the Longtower Youth Centre, Brandywell.

Those travelling to Wales include Tommy Hardy, Mark Montgomery, Darron McMichael and Simon Kerr whilst Gary Gillespie and Mark Pollin will attend the grading.

Good luck to all those involved!

The KWC will soon be upon us and full details of the event can be found by following the Links section to the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA) web site and selecting the page entitled Camp.

To book your place a deposit of £15.00 will be required before the end of May.

Please see one of our freestyle wrestling coaches for further details.

For more information about freestyle wrestling go to our Links section and click on Sport Northern Ireland. You will find a box on the right hand side of the screen entitled SportsZone, click on it and the latest magazine will open.

Inside you will find an article about John O'Rawe the Northern Ireland coach and an interview with Sammy Tufts, one of the country's brightest new prospects!

Following a recent question on this issue, the following clarification should help:

The age categories as directed by FILA (International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles) are:

Schoolboys/Schoolgirls   - 15yrs and under

Cadets                           - 16/17yrs

Juniors                           - 18/20yrs

Seniors                          - 20yrs and older

Veterans                        - older than 35yrs

The AGM of the Waterside Sharks Takedown Club will be held at Londonderry YMCA Complex, Drumahoe at 7.00pm on Thursday 29 May 2008.

All members are invited to attend and an evening meal will be held afterwards at a venue T.B.A. 

The cat is now well and truely out of the bag and althetes have been informed if they have qualified for the NI Freestyle Wrestling Squads.

The North West is well represented with half of the Schoolboy Squad (15 yrs and under) training at the "Home of the Sharks"

The following are now members of the Schoolboy Squad and will be expected to attend the first training session at the Knockagh Youth Club, Greenisland, Carrickfergus at 9 o'clock on Saturday 31 May 2008:

Ben Pollin, Bradley McCauseland, Joel Hazlett, Dale Taylor, Jamie Taylor, Connor Quinn and Tiernan Flanagan

The Senior Squad will also be training at the same venue on the same day and members of the club who have made the Squad are:

Mohammad Ali, Marty McLaughlin, Mark Montgomery and Simon Kerr (from the Cadet section).

Congratulations to each and every one of you!

On Sunday 11 May 2008 Ciaran Tracey from the BBC brought a camera man (Alistair) to the dojo to record an item for Newsline.

The article was centred around the performance of Mohammad Ali now one of Northern Ireland's top athletes.

The coaches from the club would like to thank all of our friends who came along to support the venture which was shown shortly after 6.30pm on Monday 19 May 2008. 

Did you know that on the 10 May 2008 the Waterside Sharks Takedown Club was officially one year old?

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun!

The club will be closed (for two nights only) on the following dates because the hall is being used for a public meeting concerning a local road development:

Wednesday 28 May 2008

Thursday 29 May 2008

The Waterside Sharks Takedown Club badge (suitable for attaching to your Gi) is now available to purchase at a cost of £4.00 from any of the club coaches.

The coaches of the Waterside Sharks Takedown Club would like to congratulate all of the athletes who participated in the NI Open 2008 at Carrickfergus. Details can be found on our Wrestling Results page and the overall picture can be found on the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA) website - Updates page.

Photographs of the event are also available on the NIOWA website.

Follow our Links section (opposite).

In a recent development Mike Gallagher, President of the Waterside Sharks, has presented 2 x Cups to the club which will be awarded to the deserving athletes in and around the first anniversary of the formation of the club in May of this year.

The inscription on each trophy reads as follows:

• Michael Shannon - Most Improved Senior - Perpetual Cup
• Michael Shannon - Most Improved Junior - Perpetual Cup

The decision as to who will receive the awards will be made by the coaching staff operating from both sections of the club and the President. 

These awards are open to freestyle wrestlers and judoka alike.

The Championships (12 April 2008) are virtually upon us and now is the time to check that you have purchased a British Wrestling Association (BWA) licence and a Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA) membership, you cannot compete without them!

If you do not have these documents please contact any of the club's officials for advice!

Check out the Links section for the new connection to Koka Kids - a web site developed by the British Judo Association (BJA) - with junior judoka in mind.

This event was held at the Longtower Youth Club on Friday 21 March 2008 and judoka from the club represented primary schools at Eglinton and Mullabuoy.

The coaches from the Waterside Sharks Takedown Club would like to congratulate all those athletes that took part and the final medal haul consisted of 1 x gold, 3 x silver and 4 x bronze (details to follow on the Judo Results page). This was particulary impressive since some members were competing for the very first time.

After a few false alarms the outside broadcasting unit from the BBC finally called with the club on Wednesday 12 March 2008. The purpose of the visit was to interview club coach Jim Toland and captures his thoughts on a year as Northern Ireland's "High Performance and Overall Coach of the Year 2007".

Jim said, " The Coach of the Year Awards process from nominations, through to short listing and the gala ceremony was a fantastic platform for my sport (judo) to gain exposure; and the clubs I work with saw an increase in people wanting to take part. It's a great honour for all coaches who are nominated to be recognised and appreciated for something they enjoy doing".

With regard to this years process a judging panel which includes Stephen Watson of the BBC (Northern Ireland) will announce the names of the shortlisted coaches in June.

Waterside Sharks will be holding a grading for it's junior members on Wednesday 19 March 2008 during the regular session at Londonderry YMCA. This is an opportunity for all students to improve their belts and everyone is reminded that they must bring their licenses. The session will begin at 6.30pm as usual and will cost £5.00 in total (£2 for and £3 for the grading). Assessment will be carried out by Northern Ireland Coach Jim Toland.

Please remember licenses. You cannot grade without it!

Waterside Sharks are pleased to report that they have hosted their first senior judo grading. Assessment was carried out by Northern Ireland Coach Jim Toland and took place at YMCA Drumahoe on Wednesday 27 February 2008. There was a 'theory' element to the examination and students were then asked to compete for their belt. Of those who graded, Darron McMichael, Gary Gillespe, Simon Kerr and Keith Colhoun all recieved Orange Belts, while Cathar Dixon (a relative newcomer to the sport) earned a well-deserved yellow. This means that most of the seniors have now graded and reflects the hard work and commitment that they have shown since the club started.

In a recent development the NI Closed (Freestyle Wrestling) Championships 2008 have been awarded to the Waterside Sharks by the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA) and will be held in Londonderry for the very first time.

A date of Saturday 27 September 2008 has been set for the event and large numbers of wrestlers are expected to complete from throughout the province.

The Tournament will be available to both Seniors and Juniors and further details will be posted as and when they are known.

On Monday 28 January 2008 the North West saw the successful launch of another freestyle wrestling club at the Tullyally Resource Centre in the Glendermott Valley Business Park, Londonderry. The club will be known as the Valley Cobras Takedown Club and initially coaching staff from the Waterside Sharks Takedown Club will provide the necessary tuition.

The venture is supported by the Tullyally and District Development Group (TDDG) and our local freestyle wrestling coaches were impressed with the industry and drive of Rachel Lynch, their new youth development worker, who originally spotted the opportunity and helped bring the project to fruition.

Such is the commitment of TDDG to freestyle wrestling that they have purchased a brand new wrestling mat with a 6m x 6m cover. Additional mats (tatami) are being provided by the Waterside Sharks and are considered necessary since in excess of 20 junior wrestlers turned out on the first evening and demand is growing.

The TDDG have also committed themselves to the development of senior athletes and have slashed rates at the Valley Fitness Centre (a fully equipped gym) by more than 50% for those persons who can produce a valid NIOWA membership card for 2008.

The Valley Cobras are a welcome addition to the growing number of freestyle wrestling clubs and it is envisaged that the new club will blend with their neighbours at the Waterside Sharks thus providing a strong partnership and an opportunity for an extra training night.

The Valley Cobras can be contacted at the following E mail address:

valleycobras@hotmail.co.uk

On Sunday 20^th January 2008, Mohammad and Sara commenced the long journey back to their home city of Shiraz in southern Iran. Upon arrival, they will spend time with family and friends and we can expect their return to Northern Ireland at the end of February. We wish them a safe journey and a swift return.

Waterside Sharks are sending a contingent of wrestlers to compete in the Northern Ireland Open Wrestling Championship on Saturday 12 April 2008. This competition will be held in Downshire High School in Carrickfergus. For further details, and information on how to enter, please do not hesitate to contact any of the coaches or committee.

Three senior members of the Waterside Sharks travelled to Manchester recently to receive assessment for their Level 2 Coaching Qualification. Mohammad-Ali, Darron McMichael and Mark Pollin have all passed and are now fully qualified. Their success now means that the North-West have four fully qualified Level 2 Coaches and leaves the sport of wrestling nicely poised to expand into new clubs in new venues. The appointments will also strengthen the pool of coaches Northern Ireland and will facilitate the development of the sport as a whole in this country. The course was held in the British Wrestling Academy in Salford, Manchester. Assessment was carried out by Nikolai Kornieiev, the National Coach of Great Britain.

The dates have been set for the Knockagh Wrestling Camp 2008. The popular three day event will begin on 31 July and will run until 2 August 2008. We are expecting a huge turnout this year and participants will be able to benefit from the excellent coaching of Northern Ireland Coach John O'Rawe as well as the Waterside Sharks coaching staff. For further details please get in touch with any of the coaches or e-mail us at: watersidesharks@hotmail.com 

The Waterside Sharks launched a judo club on Wednesday 7 October 2007. This new club was lauched by NI Judo Coach Jim Toland (5th Dan) and several membrs of Derry's highly-successful Longtower and Pilots Row Judo Clubs. It will meet every Wednesday and full details can be found here.

The Waterside Sharks sent a squad of wrestlers to observe the Irish Open Wrestling Competition on 29 September 2007 in Dublin. Waterside Sharks entered two competitors and both of them recieved medals. Ben Pollin and Connor Quinn recieved silver medals for their well deserved efforts.

The Northern Ireland group proved to be particularly successful on the day with a haul of 18 medals in total (5 gold, 8 silver and 5 bronze). In fact, only one wrestler from Northern Ireland did not recieve a medal after losing a bout due to a very contentious decision.

Members of Waterside Sharks Takedown club recently took part in a Training Camp for Wrestling. The camp was organised by the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association and participants were treated to three days of intense training from Northern Ireland Coach John O'Rawe. It took place from 9 - 11 August 2007 and there were two training sessions per day. The camp was not all work, however, and each night students relaxed by taking part in organised excursions to go bowling and swimming.