After another exciting start to the year, Scarlett Woolcock has, for the second year running, been selected to represent Great Britain at the Cadet European Judo Championships. The selection process saw Woolcock, of Newton Abbot, pick up medals in all events, and in doing so has increased her European ranking. At the home selection competitions, the 16-year-old, who attends Torquay Girls' Grammar School, retained her GB number one spot by again taking gold in each event. Recent form abroad has seen Woolcock win silver in the Ukraine A tournament in Kiev, silver at the World Schools' tournament in France and another silver at the Dutch A tournament in Rotterdam. She rounded this off with her second senior gold at the North of England ranking event. In preparation for the European Championships, which will take place in Miskolc, Hungary, from 23-25th June, Woolcock travelled to Poland last weekend with the GB squad to take part in the Polish Cadet Open, followed by a gruelling three-day training camp with the east Europeans. Although only gaining seventh place, it was a good result and highlighted the areas that she will need to work on ready for the Europeans if she is to go better than her fifth place last year. Woolcock said: 'It's been difficult this year fitting in all of my training and competitions with my GCSEs, but selection for the Europeans has made it all worthwhile.' British Judo has announced a strong squad for the European Cadet Championships, It is made up of cadets from the British Judo World Class Start programme aged 15 and 16 years, who have shown long-term potential in the sport, and have also achieved excellent results between October 2005 and April 2006. In Hungary, the Brits will face the best talent from Europe. World Class Start manager Rowena Birch said: 'The Germans are particularly strong at cadet level, and at the World Schools International – a competition of a similar standard to the European Cadet Championships – which they dominated across the board. 'The Eastern Europeans are also strong because of their maturity and physical strength. But we have selected a strong team and several of our competitors have proven their ability to win medals at this level,' she added.' Samantha Wickens, also from Newton Abbot, has been progressing through the GB ranks, but unfortunately has been plagued by injury that led her to withdraw from several of the European selection events. However, the 14-year-old, a student at Coombeshead College, Newton Abbot, worked hard to recover from injury in time for GB selection at the Portuguese Tournament in Lisbon, where some excellent judo saw her pick up the gold after five ippon wins. A training camp followed the event allowing further practice with her European counterparts. Next for Wickens was a bronze medal at the Welsh Open, where she moved up a weight category so she could compete against stronger opposition and develop her techniques. She has a busy few weeks ahead of her as she prepares to compete at the Ven Ray tournament in Holland; the West of England Championships in Bristol, followed by the Kent International, where this year she will fight in both the junior and youth events. Woolcock will forego these competitions as she prepares for the Europeans Championships with the GB squad. Both girls were previously members of WBB Judo Club, Kingsteignton, but as they have progressed in age, size and ability it was agreed that the girls needed a club which offered more personalised coaching and people of a similar level to practice against. Subsequently, they both travel to the Tamar Judo Centre, Saltash, at least twice a week for training.
