Generation game for Blackburnes as little Rose gets her black belt (From Ilkley Gazette)

Generation game for Blackburnes as little Rose gets her black belt

9:51am Thursday 27th January 2011 in Sport

WHEN 11-year-old Rose Blackburne passed her 1st Black Belt last month she became the third generation of black belts in her family.

Grandfather David Blackburne first started karate in 1975, gaining his 1st Dan in Shotokan karate in 1980.

He had started because his son, Giles, then nine-years-old, was finding the training regime heavy going and was on the verge of quitting.

In those days few children practiced karate and Giles had to join the adult class.

With David’s support Giles passed his black belt at the age of 12 in 1978.

This started a life-long interest in martial arts for Giles and over the years he amassed black belts in five different styles, including the two main one of Tae Kwondo and Kendo.

Giles met wife Shirley whilst practicing Taekwondo.

When Giles moved to Addingham five years ago, he started training at Ilkley Karate Club. His main objective was to encourage his own children to benefit from karate.

Daughter Rose, a pupil at Ilkley Grammar School, quickly took to training at the popular club, which practices the traditional form of Shukokai Karate.

Mum, Shirley and little sister Jasmine then also joined. Giles and Shirley passed their Shukokai black belts at the club, but their proudest moment was when daughter Rose passed her black belt too.

Instructor Mark Outterside said: “This is very remarkable, in all my years in karate I have never come across this before, and what’s more is that all of the generations have black belts in three different karate styles from three different associations.”

The Ilkley club is now affiliated to the Shito-ryu Shukokai Karate Associations which is one of the rare karate associations in the UK that has clubs worldwide and a world chief instructor in Japan, Soke Grand Master Yamada.