Local primary students gathered at Treviglas Community College in Newquay last week for some fun-filled combat at the college’s second annual primary school martial arts festival.

Treviglas partnered up with Cornwall’s Byrne Black Belt Academy to host nearby St. Columb Minor Academy as well as Bishops, Cubert, Newquay Junior and Trevisker primary schools for a friendly (and heavily padded) combat competition. Students from years 3,4,5 and 6 filled the college’s sports dome to create a flurry of swift moves and tactics.

The event’s organizer, Treviglas Sports teacher Sean Wells, said the day was mainly about introducing new games and alternative sports to young people.

“We are finding that today’s students are exploring more non-traditional games and are looking at more individual sports, such as martial arts, for their leisure activities,” Wells said. “At Treviglas, we try and move with the times and give them a chance to try some of these new activities.”

James Fallow, Sports Learning Co-ordinator for Treviglas added,” This also provides an opportunity for our sports leaders to have practical experience of supporting the younger students and develop their leadership skills in the process”

For the matches, students were paired up by height and ability, adorned with pads from head-to-toe, and squared off against each other with soft batons. Winners were determined by the first fighter to score three blows. The school with the most wins took the overall prize. The final results saw St. Columb Minor Academy in first place with Newquay Junior School coming in at a close second.

Instructors from the Byrne Black Belt Academy served as referees for the matches. Ed Byrne, owner of the Byrne Black Belt Academy, said the event provided a great learning experience for all involved.

“Events like this not only promote fitness and friendly competition but they’re a fantastic way of bringing new sports, such as marital arts, to students,” Byrne said. “Whether they’re black belts or first-timers, it’s just about each person doing the best they can. That’s what events like this are all about.”

Treviglas students from Years 10 and 11 were also on hand as sports leaders to help the day run smoothly.

“Days like these are a great idea because they let primary school students be competitive in a friendly environment and socialise with kids from other schools,” said Loren Carr, a Year 10 sports leader. “It’s great to see so many of them out here having fun and trying something new.”

The Multiskills Sports Festivals are hosted by Treviglas Community College on several occasions throughout the year and are open to local primary schools as a personal development learning day. The events are part of the Newquay Sports Partnership, a co-operative learning initiative between local secondary and primary schools.

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