Teen Wolf Joann Is Top Young Winner

Article featured in the Isle of Thanet Gazette on Friday 26th March 2010


Award - winning Joann Rolison is off to Korea this year to compete in the world Taekwon-Do championships.
It will be a special trip for the 15-year-old schoolgirl as Korea is the birthplace of her sport.
She’ll be going there with the support of readers of this paper as Joann collected the Young Sports Personality of the Year honour at the Kent Regional News & Media Sports Awards presentation night last Thursday in the luxurious surroundings of Eastwell Manor, near Ashford.
Joann, who goes to Dane Court Grammar School in Broadstairs, saw off the challenge of dozens of other youngsters in a fiercely competitive section of the awards.
She was presented with her trophy by Eastwell Manor owner Turloo Parrett, watched by family, friends and colleagues from Thanet-based Master Wolf’s Taekwon-Do Academies.

Joann began in the martial arts when she was nine, switching from karate to take up Taekwon-Do.
She said:
“I like the sport because it’s an art as well as a discipline. At Master Wolf’s we not only get taught how to fight but learn other things such as integrity and self control.
“And I love how it’s such a wide techniqued sport, so we learn how to box and kick, not just one or the other.
“You need speed, precision, power and a variety of techniques – as well a perseverance so when things get tough you have the ability to dig deeper and keep going.”

Joann has already won world championships and is now hard in training for another attempt at the title this year.
She said: “To fight in a world championship and win is a phenomenal achievement.
“It not only makes you proud but other people are happy for you as well.
“All the hard training and hours we put into it pays off when you’re standing on that podium, which is a brilliant feeling.
“My instructors Master Wolf and Lucy Wolf have not only supported me in my training but the amount they have done not only for me, but for others I train with, is fantastic and very much appreciated.
“My parents have also supported me immensely since I started and have struggled to send me to all these places.
“Any sponsorship I get from a few companies is hugely helpful, as going to these tournaments is not exactly cheap, but any more help would be great.”

BEST moment in sport?
Gaining my black belt was a great achievement and winning a world title and standing on the top of the podium is an amazing experience.

BEST memories:
The time I spent with clubmates at competitions in places like Orlando in the USA, Italy and Austria are memories I will never forget.

YOUR ambition:
To do well in this year’s world championships, but it’s also an ambition of mine to pass my experience and knowledge onto the children I help teach at the club and see them being the best they can be.

THESE are the countries Joann has already competed in:
Germany – Gold in European Taekwon-Do championships in 2006.
Ireland – Double gold in Ireland Celtic Cup in 2007.
England (Birmingham) – Bronze in world Taekwon-Do championships in 2007.
Italy – Gold in kickboxing world cup in 2008.
Italy (Sardinia) – Double gold, double silver and bronze in European Taekwon-Do championships in 2008.
USA (Orlando) Double gold in world kickboxing championship in 2008.
Austria – Double gold in Austrian classic kickboxing in 2009.
Italy (Rimini) – Gold in world kickboxing cup in 2009.
Croatia – Double gold in European championships in 2009.
Spain (Malaga) – Gold, silver and bronze in world championships in 2009.


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