Last Friday Empower Martial Arts Academy held their 2023 Awards Night to celebrate those who we feel went above and beyond in terms of their training in 2023. Competition was stiff and the instructors all had numerous names they wished to put forward for each category but there could be only one winner for each award!
Family of the Year – Jamieson Smith, Liam Palmer, Eliza Smith, Chelsea Moore
This award is very special to us as we love the family feel at Empower and our families that train together are a huge and integral part of our community! Jamieson, Liam, Eliza and Chelsea always put in a fantastic effort in class, go above and beyond in sessions and we look forward to seeing Jamieson and Liam stepping into the ring in 2024! A big well done to the whole family and a thank you for sharing Empower with us.
True Grit Award – Jay Kew
The True Grit Award is for those who work hard consistently and put in the extra effort to achieve their goals. Jay came to us with the goal of learning martial arts and improving his fitness. Not only has he achieved both these, he is now working towards his next goal of stepping in to the ring to compete in 2024 and therefore further improve his fitness. He hits the gym outside of the academy, goes on runs, and is often the first one to arrive and last to leave sessions. Big well done to Jay and we can’t wait to see him smash it in the ring.
MittMaster Award for Pad Feeding – Liam Palmer
Pad Feeding is an integral part of training your power, accuracy and movement in martial arts. Therefore being a good pad feeder is just as important as getting the technique right when you’re delivering your strikes. Our MittMaster Award for pad feeding goes to Liam Palmer this year who really stood out to us in terms of his technique and intensity when working with the pads. Through being a great pad feeder, he elevates his partner’s level and so is an example of how to pad feed correctly!
Kali Student of the Year – Jensen Mannion
Jensen is one of our junior students and has been training Kali with us for quite a while now! Despite being one of the only kids in the session, he gets stuck in every class and is developing some serious stick skills! Big well done Jensen and we look forward to seeing your progression in 2024 and beyond!
JKD Student of the Year – Anna Jones
Anna is the definition of hard worker! Despite some injuries and limitations, she shows up and her passion and fondness for JKD especially shines! She attends JKD seminars at the academy such as when we host Guro Bob Breen as well as regular sessions. Plus she trains privately from time to time and invests her own time and money in learning more outside the academy! It’s a pleasure to teach you Anna, thank you!
Kickboxing Student of the Year – Indus Bowker
Indus is one of our super fit teenagers with incredible stamina and great technique that really shines through in his Kickboxing sessions. Our Kickboxing coach David Titch Marshall singled out Indus for his fitness and technique and we feel this is a really well deserved award for a student who improves every session and always works hard!
Most Improved Adult – Dale Charge
This is one of the most important awards for us as we’re all about improvement and constant learning. Dale stepped into the ring twice in 2023 and his first fight was stopped. Instead of getting down on himself, he trained hard and set the goal to then step into the ring again. He took all the coaches advice, worked his technique and footwork and showed a vast improvement in his 2nd boxing match. A big well done Dale!
Most Improved Junior – Darcy Kaberry
Another really important award! Darcy has improved no end in 2023 with us. His techniques are sharper, his fitness has improved, and his general attitude on the mat is great! He’s a pleasure to coach and seeing him improve week to week and month to month is great for us as coaches! He’ll make a fantastic future black belt with us here at Empower.
Adult Newcomer of the Year – Dan Parker
Starting a new martial art can be difficult as an adult, especially when you already have previous experience and Dan came to us with black belts in other arts! He’s taken to our training like a duck to water and shows real enthusiasm and openness when learning how we do things at Empower! He’s even got his dad training too! Big thanks Dan and well done for being our Adult Newcomer of the Year.
Junior Newcomer of the Year – Archie Freeman
Archie is a great addition to our junior sessions! Always hard working with a smile on his face, it’s great to see his technique, fitness and confidence grow each week he is with us! We can’t wait to see him level up and progress even more in 2024 and beyond!
Mini Ninja of the Year – Mia Lyon
The start of the journey with us is always the Mini Ninjas class for those aged 4-6! Focusing on fitness, fun, and self confidence, Mia always has a smile on her face and it’s great to see her confidence grow with every month she trains with us! She’s taken her first gradings, knows the basics well and so we look forward to seeing her step up into the juniors when she’s ready! Well done MIA!
Junior of the Year – Alejandro Maurtua
Alejandro is an absolute pleasure to teach! Enthusiastic, passionate, and with great technique and natural ability! He was the obvious choice for our Junior of the Year and will make a fantastic future black belt with us!
Adult of the Year – Aidan Barrett
Another obvious choice for us – Aidan is an integral part of our Empower community! His son trains with us and he is regularly involved in the social side of our academy, as well as training and progressing in our curriculum and kickboxing sessions. His technique has really stood out to us in 2023 and his power, fitness and overall development has been great to see! Well done Aidan and thank you!
Well done everyone and thank you!