Martial arts enthusiasts from the University of Bath gathered on Saturday for a memorable Karate Club reunion. The event was a chance to reminisce about the early days of the 55-year-old club and enjoy a live demonstration of karate in the Founders’ Sports Hall.
The University Karate Club, established in 1969, is one of the oldest martial arts clubs in Bath. It was founded around the same time as the town-based Bath Karate Club and has inspired multiple generations of students of all belt rankings. Today, the club boasts 65 student members.
Professor Stan Kolaczkowski, an alumnus who was both an undergraduate and postgraduate student at Bath, gave a talk at the reunion. Professor Kolaczkowski was one of the first members of the University Karate Club to be awarded a black belt in Shotokan Karate early in 1976.
Reflecting on the club’s history, Professor Kolaczkowski said: “Over 54 years ago, when I joined in 1970, the highest grade was a green belt in the University club and a purple belt in the town club […] The lack of karate black belts in Bath at that time was not surprising, considering it was only 50 years since the art was no longer kept a secret and only 15 years since it started to be taught more formally in small classes in the UK.”
After working for Esso as a graduate, Stan returned to the University in 1984 as a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering and later became Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. During this time as an academic, he also taught karate.
At the reunion, Professor Kolaczkowski, who remains an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, highlighted the ‘circle of life’ and expressed his delight in seeing that a number of children of Karate alumni had achieved their own black-belt grades, with some also studying or working at the University.
The reunion was supported by current members of the University Karate Club, who put on a live karate demonstration after the formal talk. The club offers a wide range of training activities in karate and related martial arts five times a week. It has a strong reputation for excelling in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sports) annual competitions, often returning with a clutch of medals.
Students past and present attended the reunion.