George Cook is fifteen years old, lives in Rye Harbour and is certainly making waves in the world of martial arts. He began at the Sean Kinsella School of Martial Arts when he was five. His father, Robert, explains: “George had very poor co-ordination as a young child and ball games were just not his thing. He found his niche in martial arts and it was obvious from the start that he was going to flourish. As he improved and gained confidence he was entered into both national and international competitions.”
When does he train?
George trains on Mondays at Tilling Green Community Centre and on Fridays at Playden WI Hall. He also helps to teach the younger students, including Chase and Seb. He believes as a senior student that he should pass his experience onto the next generation and to help the club grow which also teaches him some of the responsibilities of leadership and helps the youngsters to improve. Outside training with Sean, George will be seen regularly training hard at Rye Bay Fitness, using the bag and working on his cardio to maintain the stamina required compete at such a high level.
What is your background in martial arts?
I trained in ITF Taekwondo from about thirteen to my early twenties. I competed in semi- to full-contact fights, but nothing as prestigious as the level George is at: to be honest, being able to coach George alongside Sean is an honour and privilege.
How many medals and trophies has George won to date?
George has been really successful in his fight career so far. He has over thirty medals and trophies, and currently holds titles in English, British and European Championships, qualifying to compete overseas, as far as Australia.
What was his latest competition and how did he do?
Last weekend – May 17 and 18 – he took part in the WKO European Championships in Barnsley at which he was crowned WKO European Kickboxing Champion, and K1 champion – fighting up a weight class from his own. George also came away with three silver medals from some tough categories, one of which he has minimal experience in. He also used this opportunity to coach the younger and less experienced members of his team, giving encouragement and support throughout the day – an amazing achievement for a youngster as young as fifteen. SKMA (Sean Kinsella Martial Arts) came away with two gold, four silver and three bronze medals, as well as a wealth of knowledge and new friends, which is what it is all about for George.
Is it true that he has gained a place in the GB squad to go to Australia?
Yes, alongside Chase and three other students he qualified to represent GB in the ISKA World Championships in Australia this October. There is currently a ‘Go-fund me’ page set up to support these extremely talented individuals in competing in these prestigious competitions.
George is very grateful for all the time and effort given to him by Sean and would like to congratulate everyone for their efforts over this weekend both at Barnsley and in the Gala Competition in Suffolk.
Chase Skinner
Chase Skinner aged eleven, began her journey in martial arts at the age of four. She had been doing tap and ballet but although she enjoyed it there was something missing. When she saw children going into the old scout hut in their gi (pronounced ghee) – the correct name for the karate uniform – she asked to go to the lessons. She took to it straight away, showing a natural ability, picking up the moves really quickly and progressing up the grades in record time. She moved on to Sean Kinsella’s school, incorporating kick-boxing into her classes as well. She has the makings of a true champion and is dedicated and focussed. She has, alongside George and Luca, qualified to take part in the ISKA World Championships in Australia.
She recently competed in the WKO European Championships in Barnsley, where she came away with yet another medal to add to her growing collection. She has eleven medals, two trophies and one title belt An amazing collection for someone so young.
Sean said of Chase: “Training and attending tournaments at national and international level takes a strong mindset and hard-work ethic, both of which Chase has: we look forward to her future successes in tournaments.”
How can you help ?
These youngsters’ families have to self-fund the travel and accommodation for the competitions and this is costly. Their parents have set up a funding page.
Please support them generously as these are the stars of the future and they need your donations to flourish.
Image Credits: SMKA , Robert Cook , Sherry Skinner .