A good year for Tebbutts Academy

Tebbutts Mixed Martial Arts Academy ended the year’s activities with their annual prize-giving ceremony, at the Spur, in Lambton, on December 5.

Friends and family members were also present, showing their support and celebrating the club members.

Among those helping to present the awards was shihan Abdullatiff Jogie, a long-time friend of the club’s main coach, kanchu Alex Tebbutt.

“Jogie is a good friend of mine who owns Jogie’s Dojo Fitness and Educational Centre and I am honoured that he flew all the way from Durban to attend our event,” said Tebbutt.

“I commend Tebbutt for ensuring that all students and parents were given the honour and dignity they deserve,” said Jogie.

“He did a sterling job of presenting and ensuring all hearts were captivated.”

Jogie also told the GCN that Tebbutt and his team did a great job of hosting the prize-giving ceremony.

“The event was well organised and facilitated by Tebbutt and his admin team; it is an absolute pleasure for me to come from Durban and to be honoured by him,” he explained.

“Tebbutt is one of the stalwarts of karate and words would fail to explain how committed and dedicated he is to the martial arts.

“The club is in good hands and I took note of that when I attended one of their tournaments, five years ago.

“Since then I have always attended their tournaments and they always do a great job.

“It is no surprise when the club members excel at competitions.

“All the awards received today are well-deserved.”

Tebbutt agreed with Jogie that the members worked hard for the awards.

“All the club members proved themselves; they showed dedication and remained focused throughout the year,” he said.

“I am proud of them; everybody at the club received a trophy.

“I thank the parents for all their help and support throughout the year, their support contributes heavily towards the success of the club.”

The local club’s head coach added that the prize-giving also marked the beginning of the club’s recess.

“We had a tough year, filled with a lot of tournaments and competitions,” he explained.

“We had 24 tournaments, which required a lot of determination from the members.

“However, we will reduce the number of tournaments in which we take part next year, as we don’t want to strain them, as this might have a negative impact on their performance.

“Tough as it was, I must say this was one of the best years we have had.

“We hope to carry on the success to the next year.”

The club will re-open in January, next year.

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