West Lothian’s first family of martial arts
The West Lothian Courier, 18 November 2010

THE Hutchison’s from Whitburn could be considered as the county’s first family of Taekwondo.

After all, Senior Master Les Hutchison (56) has been practising the sport for almost 40-years and has risen to the prestigious rank of 8 Degree black belt — one of the highest in Europe.

His son Gary (36) is a 4 Degree black belt, eldest daughter Claire (33) has recently been awarded her 2 Degree black belt while youngest daughter Ciara (17) has plans on passing her own black belt grade next year.

Continuing the family trend is grandson Sean (12) and grand daughter Caitlin (10) who have both passed their black belt 1st Dan and youngest grandson, Caiden (4) has just taken up the sport and is already the proud wearer of a white belt.

Senior Master Hutchison admitted his enormous pride in the accomplishments of his family in the sport. He said: “I am very proud that all the family are involved and it keeps us all fit and well.  “I would encourage other families to take up Taekwondo for their own fitness and health too.  “Anyone interested in the sport can get more information by contacting 07818426728 or visit www.masterhutchison.co.uk.”

Senior Master Hutchison has classes available every Monday in the South Church in Whitburn, Forth Church Hall on Tuesday’s and in the Addiewell Community Centre every Wednesday.  Classes are available to both beginner and advanced practitioners and families are always welcome.

Students get instruction from Master

The Ross-shire Journal, 23 October 2009

A BLACK Isle martial arts club hosted a TaeKwon-Do sparring seminar led by a Senior Master from the International TaeKwon-Do Federation.

Students from Claire Crosbie's TaeKwon-Do Schools in North Kessock and Inverness attended the day-long session held under the instruction of Master Les Hutchison, an 8th Dan martial artist based in West Lothian. Hutchison is one of the highest ranked Masters in the UK and currently holds the positions of honorary president of the British Isles TaeKwon-Do Federation and vice-president of Scotland ITF.

The seminar, attended by students aged six to 12 years old, began with warm-ups and stretching before leading to many variations of punching, kicking and jumping techniques. The youngsters were then put through their paces with some sparring drill exercises before performing one-to-one self-defence sparring bouts against each other.

For the young martial artists it was ideal preparation as they look towards competing at the British Championships in Glasgow later in the year.

For the club, established only a year ago, its another chance to add their medal tally after their first venture into the competition arena.  An impressive display saw them take two Scottish Championship titles and collect a further three silver medals at a tournament earlier this year.

School instructor, Claire Crosbie, who reluctantly had to sit out from the days session due to her being in the later stages of pregnancy, was impressed with the hard work and effort put in by her students.  She said, "These types of seminars can really bring out the best of each and every student.  And so it proved today as their work rate all through the seminar was tremendous. They all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day which is the most important thing."

Trophy tops Emma’s promotion success

Martial arts student earns highest-grade mark of the day

The Inverness Courier, 13 October 2009

Martial arts student Emma Tate was in a celebratory mood at a TaeKwon-Do seminar in Inverness after winning promotion.

Emma (9), a student of Claire Crosbie’s TaeKwon-Do School, was promoted to 6th Kup and presented with her new green belt by Senior ITF Master Les Hutchison, 8th Dan.  And to add to her success, she was also presented with a trophy, awarded to the student who achieves the highest-grade mark of the day. 

Previous gradings have seen the Inshes Primary School pupil achieve high ‘A’ pass marks, but she has always narrowly missed out on the award.  But on this occasion she produced a very impressive performance for technique and knowledge of Korean terminology to finally secure top marks.

Emma only took up the sport when 5th Dan instructor Claire Crosbie set up her club at Inshes a year ago.  It was her brother who really wanted to participate and she tagged along with him.  Since then she has been hooked on the sport, training alongside other young people and mixing with the club’s adult students.  Emma is now the highest graded pupil at the club and reaching the coveted Black Belt is now her goal.

Ms Crosbie is delighted with Emma’s success. “Emma serves as a role model for the rest of our students with her dedication and commitment to the sport,” she said.  “The students who attended today all performed very well and I am pleased to see so many achieve their promotions.”

Carnwath lad Luke Foss is First Dan
The Lanark Gazzette, 29 April 2009
 

THREE nights of training a week has paid off big time for Carnwath 12-year-old Luke Foss.  For Luke, of Jeanfield Road, has successfully passed his black belt First Dan in taekwon-do, the Korean art of self defence.

"I'm extremely proud of Luke," his mum Hazel told Gazette Sport. "He has been doing taekwon-do since the age of six and works very hard at it.  His grandad and uncle (both called Brian Thompson) are both taekwon-do blackbelts, so he is following in their footsteps."

Luke, who won gold, silver and bronze at the recent Scottish Championships in Inverness, trains at Master Les Hutchison's Taekwon-do Academy in Forth and Whitburn.

Master class performance from martial arts students as they taste gold at championship
West Lothian Courier, 9 April 2009

SENIOR Master Hutchisons' TaeKwon-Do Academy packed a real punch at the recent ITF Scottish Championships in Inverness.

The West Lothian club won a host of top honours at the prestigious event which took place on March 28 and featured top students from throughout the country.  In the black belt division, European Champion, Stevi-Lee Orr was in brilliant form winning female pattern gold and sparring gold.  In the junior division, Luke Foss also won gold for flying special technique, silver for sparring and bronze for patterns.  Also, in the tall junior division, David Middleton won silver for patterns and bronze for sparring.  In the veterans event, newcomer, yellow belt Steve Magson won an excellent gold for the heavy weight sparring.  Also in the male division, Tommy Walsh won a splendid bronze for the pattern event.

Master Hutchison praised all of the club’s martial artists who took part.  He said: “All competitors came away with great results and experience and look forward to the British Championships later in the year.”

Praise as Students Make Grade
The Inverness Courier, 9 December 2008

An international martial arts master was impressed by the standard of a TaeKwon-Do school at a seminar in Inverness.

International TaeKwon-Do Federation Instructor Senior Master Les Hutchison, an 8th Dan and president of the British Isles TaeKwon-Do Federation, led the all-day session at Raigmore Community Centre and graded 24 students. "It was an enjoyable day. The students worked very hard and have shown a lot of potential," said Hutchison.

Nine students received A grade passes with the highest award going to Kyle Grzesinski (11). Emma Tate (9) came a close second. Six year old Logan McIlroy was the youngest participant and his seven year old sister Rhona collected an A grade pass. Twin brothers Connor and Kieran Kienzler (8) also took top marks.

Tutor Claire Crosbie was delighted with her students. "They all showed they had the confidence to go on to make the grade," she said.

Stevi-Lee Bags European Gold
West Lothian Courier, 17 July 2008
 

WEST Lothian martial arts girl, Stevi-Lee Orr, has been crowned European champion after starring at a tournament in Croatia.  Orr stunned everyone, even her own camp, by taking the individual pattern title in the black belt 3rd degree in May’s event.  Her gold medal was presented by her instructor senior, ITF Master Les Hutchison, 8th degree. Stevi-Lee’s gold-medal performance was tremendous due to her limited time getting back to fitness after having her baby Millie. Her hard work paid off beating, Norway in the final with 29 countries competing.

Master Hutchison admitted he was thrilled to see her pick up another top title. He said: “This is an event that Stevi-Lee has expertise in, having won European Gold for pattern as a junior.”

There was also further success for students of Master Hutchison’s TaeKwon-Do Academy when Claire Crosbie, 27, and Nicola Orr, 40, were both promoted to black belt 5th dan.  Their progress makes them the highest ranking females in the BITF. Claire, won the European gold at last years event while Nicola, who is Stevi-Lee's mum, is keen to be keeping a step ahead of her daughter and she hopes to compete at next year’s European Veterans.

Stevi-Lee would like to thank her work for sponsorship as without this she wouldn't have been able to make the trip. And a special thanks to Master Hutchison for his hard work and inspiration and tuition.

Crosbie Lifts Euro Crown
West Lothian Courier, 8 November 2007

LONGRIDGE martial artist Claire Crosbie triumphantly flew the flag for Scotland and West Lothian recently as she was crowned Taekwon-Do European Champion.  Crosbie was competing at the ITF European Taekwon-Do Championships in Estonia, where she took the gold medal in the senior female patterns category for 4th degree black belts.

It was a successful return to the Scotland team for the Longridge woman, who was determined to improve on her bronze at the 2003 championships in Slovakia. Her achievements were all the more impressive considering she has a full-time job ad can only train part time.  But her hard work and preparation at Master Hutchison’s Taekwon-Do Academy in Whitburn helped her overcome full-time opponents to clinch the title.

A tough battle against Bulgarian Amalia Kuleva was Claire’s first task at the event in Tallinn before she clashed with Russian Ekaterina Kumova, who was a finalist at the 2007 ITF World Championships.  Claire produced a magnificent display of her two pattern techniques against the Russian, earning top marks from four of the five judges to secure a place in the final.

It was a big win for the West Lothian star against one of Europe’s biggest names in Taekwon-do but in the final she met another of the sports top stars, Czech Radka Heyduskova.  The final was a thrilling encounter, with Crosbie doing enough in the end to take the crown and earn Scotland’s only senior gold medal of the championships.

“I was really pleased with my own performance, having put in so much work throughout the year to perfect the techniques needed for an international competition,” said Claire.  “It was an emotional moment when the result was announced, having trained so long and hard to reach this position. “I’d like to thank my instructor, senior master Les Hutchison, who worked tirelessly with me in training and provided the much-needed support and encouragement to see me through to the finals.”

Kids Do Master Proud
West Lothian Courier, 22 June 2007

MASTER Hutchison’s TaeKwon-Do Academy from Whitburn recently competed in the Welsh Championships held at Cardiff University on Saturday June 2.   All competitors competed excellently, with George Ralston winning silver in the final of the over 75kg yellow belt sparring.

Claire Crosbie, in the black belt division won a bronze medal, albeit against the males in the pattern division and on bronze in the under 57kg sparring.

Brandon Meldrum won bronze in the green belt junior sparring and Ellie Fordyce won bronze for the junior blue belt pattern. Tommy Walsh and Eve Fordyce competed equally well, winning through the heats but weren't in the medals.

Master Hutchison was pleased with the overall performance of all the competitors. It showed that all the hard work put in has paid off.  He would like to specially thank Mrs Orr and Mrs Dorward for their valuable time and effort, and also the parents and friends who travelled and supported.

Master Class as Young Ones Collect Honours

West Lothian Courier, 16 February 2007

Junior Taekwon-Do martial artists from Master Hutchison’s Taekwon-Do Academy were in action at the weekend. The event proved to be particularly successful for one Whitburn youngster.  Ellie Fordyce, a 12-year-old Blue Belt, picked up two gold medals at the event, one for patterns, which she performed as series of offensive and defensive moves against an imaginary opponent, and the other for sparring in a knockout competition. There were also gold medals for youngsters Rachel Byrne in the Yellow Belt patterns section, Brandon Meldrum for special technique and for Caitlin Hutchison (6) in the “Pee Wees” sparring event.
 

Master Hutchison, Instructor and President for the British Isles Taekwon-Do Federation, said: “The event produced a high standard of competition and the youngsters performed really well. “I’d also like to pay thanks to my Black Belt instructors: Miss Crosbie, Mrs Dorward, Miss Orr, Miss Dorward and Miss White.”

Master Hutchison’s Academy has several junior classes throughout the West Lothian area, although spaces are limited. For information on the nearest class contact Master Hutchison on 01698 381753.

Full results from the event were:

Yellow Belt Patterns; Gold - Rachel Byrne, Silver - Demi Borsbey, Bronze - Melissa Byrne.
Green/Blue/Red Patterns; Gold - Ellie Fordyce, Silver - Caitlin Hutchison and Tammy Lee Keenan.
Sparring; Gold - Ellie Fordyce, Silver - Sean Hutchison, Bronze - Paige Borsbey and Jamie Allison.
“Pee Wees” Sparring; Gold - Caitlin Hutchison, Silver - Hannah Bain, Bronze - Sean Young.
Special Technique; Gold - Brandon Meldrum.

Academy Students Learn Medals Lesson
West Lothian Courier, 6 November 2003
 

A west Lothian martial arts academy was celebrating success recently.

Students at Whitburn-based Master Hutchison's TaeKwon-Do Academy travelled to Downham Market in Norfolk for the first British Isles TaeKwon-Do Federation (BITF) English Championships.

After a difficult journey, the competitors were soon smiling, with Claire Crosbie from Bathgate and East Whitburn's Nicky Orr, the World bronze team medallists, sharing the gold and silver respectively for black belt patterns. Coming third for bronze was the academy's Karen McIntyre from Glasgow.

Claire Crosbie won gold for individual power, then before she could get her breath back, she was up against team mate, Nicky Orr in the free sparring winning silver. Nicky claimed the well earned gold, with Karen McIntyre winning bronze.  Also, in the black belt division, Dechmont's Scott Martin, won the gold for male middle weight sparring and silver for the patterns.

In the female adult division, Whitburn's Astrid McKirdy won a fantastic gold for heavy weight sparring and bronze for patterns.  Also, in the female, yellow belt division, Christine McMinigal won silver for pattern event.

In the junior division, Jenna Nelson won an excellent gold for patterns with 50 people in her wake behind her.  Just behind her was Louise McAnna, winning silver for patterns and bronze for sparring.

Dylan McKirdy from Whitburn in the junior Pee Wee event won a superb bronze for pattern and just missed being placed in the medals for sparring.

International Success for Women
West Lothian Courier, 3 July 2003

Four West Lothian TaeKwon-Do players were part of the Scottish female team that captured bronze at the 13th ITF World championships of the Korean martial art.  The championships were held in Greece last month and the Scottish performance throughout the major event was superb.

Mother and daughter Nicky and Stevi-Lee Orr who come from Whitburn, Bathgate's Claire Crosbie and Fiona Hardie from Broxburn were all part of the women's team that took the third place position at the ITF TaeKwon-Do championships in Thessaloniki.

The team took on TaeKwon-Do players from 77 other countries around the world, emerging with a bronze after going out to the eventual winners of the competition, Korea.

It was a tremendous achievement from the Scots and their manager Master Les Hutchison said: "The ladies were fantastic and it is an amazing feather in our cap."
 

The Scottish team that participated in Greece was (Top, L to R): Andy Adam, Mark Harkess, Jim O'Sullivan, Ross Bollan, Nathan McIntosh.  (Bottom, L to R): Nicky Orr, Kerry Gillon, Stevi-Lee Orr, Claire Crosbie, Marion Sherlock, Fiona Hardie.

TaeKwon-Do Master's Tribute To His Mentor
West Lothian Courier, 13 February 2003

Martial arts instructor reflects on trip of a lifetime to North Korea

West Lothian Tae Kwon-Do Master Les Hutchison reflected on the trip of a lifetime after he completed a mammoth journey to North Korea to honour the founder of the martial art, General Choi Hong Hi.

The Whitburn-based Tae Kwon-Do instructor went to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on a pilgrimage to pay his respects to the founder of the popular art of self-defence, who died in June last year.

Les looked upon the General as his mentor in the sport and last September he embarked on the poignant expedition to the Far East in what was to be an eye-opening and highly memorable experience.

And Les was to take a note of everything that he did on the trip and what follows is his own account of the North Korean odyssey:

"My trip started in Edinburgh and then onto London and Peking, China and then the mystery started. I had to go to the North Korean Embassy and obtain a visa, which was granted after 7 hours and 30 minutes of questions. Two flights were especially charted for our arrival, many of whom on board were paying tribute to our founder.

"In the lounge before take off, we could see someone of importance was going to North Korea as well and it turned out to be the Prime Minister of Japan, who was going over for talks on communications between the two countries.

"The flight to Pyongyang took around 90 minutes and we landed at the airport, which was deserted and only full of military planes. The plane landed about 300 yards from the terminal building and we were escorted from the tarmac inside.

"Everyone was searched and their mobile phones and passports removed from their possession. We then boarded two coaches to take us to our hotel, where the shower barely dripped water and the only food served was just adequate and cold.

"The next day we were to visit General Choi's graveside and pay our respects. Before this though we were given a VIP visit to Kim Il Sung, who died about nine years ago and was lying in the state palace in Pyongyang.

"The palace was situated in 100 acres of land with a moat, 40 metres wide around it. We were all searched prior to entering the palace's great doors, which were solid oak, two feet thick. There must have been at least 10,000 people waiting in a queue to view and pay their respects to Kim Il Sung.

"We were escorted past all these poor people - who looked malnourished and had gaunt looks on their faces. They didn't make eye contact, or smile in our direction.

"We then went on an escalator which took us all the way to the vault where the Korean's former leader lay in state - it took a full 45 minutes underground to get to his vault. On entering the vault we were blasted with air to remove any dust particles from our clothing and there was Kim Il Sung in a coffin for all to see.

"We were made to bow in all four corners of the room, which was the size of a football pitch and then ushered to another large room to sign the visitors book for VIPs. None of us made any comment when we eventually got outside - we just remained silent, not believing what we had just seen.

"We then boarded buses that passed many hundreds of soldiers who were guarding the palace to go to the highest point in Pyongyang. From there we could see a tower-like statue in the distance, which was of Kim Il Sung. It was bronze and at least 300 feet tall with one hand pointing to South Korea. At the foot of this huge metal sculpture were life-size statues of soldiers and many local people in a state of shock. It was an unbelievable sight of absolutely amazing architecture.

"Our guides gave a speech, after which we bowed and then boarded a coach for our visit to pay our respects to the founder, General Choi Hong Hi, Grand Master, 9th Dan.

"It was a beautiful day with the sun splitting the skies when we arrived at General Choi's final resting place. Over 120 people had travelled from afar to pay their respects to the man who made TaeKwon-Do the finest of the martial arts, at the Yulsa Nang, graveyard.

"This graveyard was made especially for those who fought against the Japanese in the Korean peninsula and it is also called the North Korean 'Hero Cemetery'.

"The General was born on November 9, 1918 and died on June, 15, 2002 and the 100th day memorial service was held to commemorate his death. A North Korean band played inspirational and uplifting music at the service and in a moving tribute, all the TaeKwon-Do Grand Masters who attended took a bow of respect and then kneeled at his grave to say a prayer.

"Everyone laid a special flower to mark the 100th day and I waited until the end to be alone to bid farewell to a man who had become a hero in my eyes. I shall remember the gift he passed on to me and I'll try to promote TaeKwon-Do in General Choi's way."