Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup

Joe Lacey Memorial Cup

Joe Lacey joined the club in 2013 as a quiet 13 year old. At first he was very quiet and just blended into the line, but he always listened and made steady progress through his gradings.

Joe's plaque above the club noticeboard

(kindly made and donated by Paul Sensei from Selby Shotokan Karate Club)

As he grew in both confidence and stature, he started coming down to the club a little early and warmed himself up in the corner of the hall. We soon noticed that he always seemed to be surrounded by the young lady members of the club, deep in conversation, although he always towered above them (and just about everyone else!).

Joe as part of the Haxby Team at the Selby Competition

He also got involved in helping teach the Kids Class, instructing his fellow students in the main class and enjoyed going on courses to Nottingham and also going over to Cleethorpes to take part in Kangeiko (Cold Weather Training) on the beach with our friends at Kiazen No Michi.

Joe at Haxby Carnival

To commemorate Joe’s love of both Karate and the Club his grandparents have kindly commissioned The Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup. This will be awarded in January each year to a member of the club who has impressed the judging panel made up of the club Instructors and Committee. There are no set criteria for its award, but each member of the club will be considered by the judging panel and an agreement reached.

Joe at Kangeiko on the beach in Cleethorpes

Joe died unexpectedly in April 2016, just before his 17th Birthday. His passing is a huge loss for our ‘Karate Family’ and is keenly felt by every member of the club who knew him. We at the club had seen him grow into a courteous, kind and confident young man, and a fine Karate-ka who had huge potential for progression.

Joe and Brenda training hard

Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup Recipients

2020: Lucy joined us around 4 years ago after moving from another club in York, since then she has become a valued and dedicated member to HSKC. Throughout the years it has been fantastic to watch Lucy grow as a Karate-Ka pushing through difficult times both in and out of the dojo but all the while focusing on her progress and her journey to Shodan.

Lucy always works hard in the dojo, she has already developed some of the characteristics of the senior grades, she has built up a large number of “sweat hours” in her training bank and often gets frustrated with her own performance when training – both stood her in good stead as she approached her successful Shodan grading.

Lucy also volunteers to help at the club, she has helped instructing with the Early Class and appears to greatly enjoy throwing Ben around when the club does demonstrations!

While the Committee were discussing who to award the Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup this year Lucy was the clear choice for her sheer determination during the current Covid-19 pandemic still striving for her next grading, but also for pushing through the struggles that have been brought with it as well. Well done Lucy and keep up the drive. Oss

2019: Ben started training with us in memory of his brother Joe. He dealt very well with the numerous occasions that we mistakenly called him Joe, but he soon started to impress us with his own personality and drive to achieve. Ben has made steady progress through the grades, and impressed the instructors with his willingness to learn, dedication and an enthusiasm. That this is matched with a natural talent for karate made his successful Shodan pass an inevitability.

However this is not why the committee decided to award the cup to him this year. Ben is (with the possible exception of Zane!) the first one to arrive at training, he always looks for opportunities to train at other clubs and is more than happy to offer lifts to fellow club members to Selby, Kiazen, or the JKS courses in Nottingham. He has become an essential part of the running of the club, managing the revamp of the website, admin processes, and becoming part of the Instructor team. Ben has become a fundamental part of the club and we are proud recognise this by awarding him the cup for 2020.

Sensei Jim presenting Oliver with the Joe Lacey Cup

2018: When Oliver was suggested as a potential recipient of the Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup everyone realised just what a good nomination it was. We have seen Oliver grown and develop during his time at the club (you might recognise a very young Oliver in the photo of the Haxby Team at the top of this page!), he has always been quiet quite at the club, but brings a determination and commitment that will allow him to fulfil his great potential at karate. Oliver rarely misses a training session and works hard each time he is at the club. We are proud to have him in the club and to award him the Cup for 2019

Oliver with the Joe Lacey Cup and the club around him

2017: This year’s Christmas's winner chosen because, like Joe, they are a quiet modest, yet determined member of the club. Irena started training after watching her son Stanish training in the kids class. We have seen her confidence grow during her time with the club to the point where she is very happy to help out in any way we ask her to – assisting with instruction, helping out at club events and baking for the Haxby carnival Stall. Like Aiden (last year’s winner) Irena was a very shocked, but unanimous, and well deserved winner of the Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup for 2018.

Irena receiving the Joe Lacey Cup from his Grand Parents

Irena with the Club Instructors

Aidan Recieving the Joe Lacey Cup from his Grandparents

2017: The Joseph Lacey Memorial Cup was awarded for the first time on 5th January 2017 by Joe's Grandparents. A very Shocked Aidan was called up to receive it. Aidan was chosen as he rarely misses a training session, trains hard, concentrates, quickly incorporates his instruction into his karate, and is a joy to instruct. He has huge potential at karate, and his quiet determination will take him far, a well deserving winner.

Aidan with the cup and the club around him