South Coast tae kwon do stars flex muscle at State Championships

ALBION Park Rail-based South Coast Tae Kwon Do Centre (SCTC) cemented its position as one of the best clubs in New South Wales at the recent NSW Championships at Homebush.

“I am really proud of the team, they produced some very classy performances, it is a credit to their level of training and improvements in the first competition for the year,” SCTC coach Robert Cooley said.

The black belts led the way, with Elicia Tjong losing to an Australian team member on her way to a bronze medal.

Caitlin Staneff won her first head contact match with a win in golden point, after scoring in the final second of regular time to tie the scores.

Kate McAdam performed well but some fundamental mistakes consigned her to third place.

The trio are preparing for a competition in Korea in July with the National High Performance Program.

Caitlin’s sister, Courtney Staneff won a silver medal after being narrowly defeated in the final by a girl a head taller than her.

Brade Walder and Sheridan Brown also finished second.

SCTC’s 2007 Kim Dalton scholarship holder 2007 Ben Nolan finished third.

Mitchell Brisbane maintained his unbeaten record since transferring to SCTC.

The red belt overcame a ten-day layoff before the tournament due to injury and will be groomed for black belt competition in Korea.

The results are not surprising given SCTC is one of 14 National High Performance Centres across Australia.

“We have the resources, results and know-how, so the National Sport Committee allocated an accreditation to us,” Cooley said.

“There are only three centres in NSW with that honour. You need to be a High Performance club or centre with the experience to make it in our sport.”