No rest for the wicked - IFSC Force at the ITA National Championships!

Hot on the heels of the European Cup was the ITA National Championships, and we took it on with all our strength!

Four of us went down to Limerick for the day, including Shirley who was heartbroken that she had to pull out of the competition due to her recent car accident. This was especially unfortunate given her European Cup success only 2 weeks ago. She was a true team player and chose to coach the competitors on the day.

Sparring went well for everyone, and we saw some great moves from our team.

John earned Silver in sparring in the -85 category. John won his first fight 4:0 and was doing well in the final, with scores equal moments before the end. Unfortunately they flipped to 3:1 in the last seconds, leaving John with silver.

Deirdre got herself another Gold medal at sparring and showed a great performance, winning both her fights 4:0 and scoring a wide range of head shots & punches.

Cathy won Silver at sparring after two tough fights, both with Shirley's clever coaching. She fought very well, winning her first fight 4:0. The final went to extra time where the scores flipped to her opponent.

The ladies also impressed us with their strong patterns. Both Deirdre and Cathy earned Bronze medals, with very sharp performances.

Last but not least, Deirdre also competed in the Special Techniques sections and earned a Gold medal in blue / red techniques! It looked like only sky was the limit for our Deirdre and she remains unbeaten in Special technique competitions.