Competition: Light up your dojo by scooping a BlazePod bundle

IT’S TIME TO LIGHT UP YOUR DOJO

DETERMINED to put the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic firmly behind us, we’ve teamed up with the bright minds and souls at PLS Solicitors to give Shimbun readers the chance to win a BlazePod bundle for your dojo.

The innovative kit — a veritable black belt in flash reaction light training — is ideal for sharpening reflexes, improving agility and finessing attack-defence transitions.

BlazePod’s supporting app boasts dozens of fun drills to prepare karateka for kumite and,

in addition to bringing some light relief to sessions, will help make students quicker on their feet as they move around the mats.

To be in with a shout of the prize, we want students, sempai and sensei to show off their GKR Karate gi outside of class.

Whether wearing a gi to make a cup of tea or climb a tree, simply share a photo or video with us via email (shimbun@gkrkarate.com) or on one of our social media channels by May 14th, 2021.

The winner will be randomly selected from those entries that bring smiles to faces and brighten days! Good luck.

KARATEKA’S HEART OF GOLD

SHOWS of support for those in the medical profession may have been plentiful throughout 2020, but karateka Brooke Graham’s act of gratitude proved a cut above simply “clapping for carers”. As a thank you for the lifesaving care she received at Birmingham Children’s Hospital as a baby, the now nine-yearold volunteered to raise funds by losing her locks and shaving her head last summer. The GKR Karate student, who trains at the Belgrave dojo in Tamworth, underwent major heart surgery within days of being born — and weighing just 5lb 9oz — after doctors discovered she had a narrowing of the aortic arch, a thin valve and hole between the organ’s bottom two chambers. Brooke spent a week in intensive care — and further six weeks moving between wards — following the complex procedure before finally heading home with relieved parents Jayne and Damien. Demonstrating beyond doubt that doctors had left her with a good heart, it was Brooke who devised the dual plan to donate her ponytail to a child fighting illness and pump funds in the direction of the West Midlands hospital. After discussing the logistics with loved ones, Brooke decided to pledge her hair to The Little Princess Trust — a charity specialising in providing wigs to children and young people affected by cancer — and a JustGiving page was set up to collect sponsorship for her healthcare heroes. Within 24 hours of its launch, the Region 25 karateka had smashed her original target of £300 and her extreme haircut, which was live-streamed on Instagram and Facebook, raised more than £1,400 for the hospital she visits annually for an ultrasound and ECG. “Brooke loves her hair and as a family, we are extremely proud of her for what she has done,” mum Jayne said. “She has always been a thoughtful yet crazy child, but we were still taken back by her generosity.” It’s not too late to show your support for Brooke — donations can be made at justgiving.com/ fundraising/brookesheadshave