STARS: Skylar Stafford, 12, Wairoa Stafford, 8, Zarli Rendall, 10 and Harpa Rendall, 12, after a successful showing at a tournament in Hamilton. PHOTO SUPPLIED
FOUR junior King Country fighters excelled at a weeklong jiu jitsu competition in Hamilton earlier this month. Skylar Stafford, 12, Wairoa Stafford, 8, Zarli Rendall, 10, and Harpa Rendall, 12, fought in the tournament put on by Full Force Fight Co and Core MMA, bringing home 19 medals in total, seven gold, 10 silver and two bronze. Coach Jaz Stafford said he was incredibly proud of the group and their performances at what was a big tournament. “They did superbly. There were a lot of fighters and to do as well as we did for our small group was great. They’re a good bunch of kids and they love to get on the mats and fight. “Bringing home that many medals between the four of them is an awesome achievement. For all of them to medal as well was incredibly pleasing. “There were heaps of fighters from like Bay of Plenty and Whakatāne and it was great to see events have large numbers again.” Currently it was just the four of them taking part in fights and tournaments with Stafford looking to put a real onus on attracting some new people. “All the kids are doing super well. It’s great seeing them enjoy themselves in the ring.” Skylar and Zarli are new to the sport having not fought for that long, however Wairoa and Harpa have plenty of mileage behind them. “They did incredibly well. I am super proud of them. They’ve been training really hard and to do as well as they did is awesome. “We’d love to see some more kids come and give the sport ago. It’s been great for the four doing it and we’ve managed to get to a few different tournaments. Now Covid-19 restrictions have lifted we’re able to travel to more events.” Stafford said they had plenty coming up and they’ve just joined a boxing gym that is being run by former professional boxer Robbie ‘the Butcher’ Berridge. “He will be great for the kids to learn off and experience some new coaching. It’s really going to help them going forward. “They are picking things up fast and the future is exciting. We’re looking at possibly going to Hamilton every week as well to train over there and help get the kids more exposure.”
