The Tribune

PULSE Boys and Girls Club - a community-based programme in the Farm Road Community as a Salem Union Baptist Church outreach programme - took a team to compete in the Tong Doo Soo Karate Challenge in Orlando earlier this month.

The team was made up of the following with their performances listed:

Danel Jean Jules - 1st place

in fighting, 2nd place in kata

Davidson Normilien - 2nd

place in fighting and

3rd place in kata

Micheal Pritchard -

2nd Place in kata

Joshua Woodside -

4th place in fighting

“I am very impressed with our team’s performance. These children have worked hard and it paid off,” said sensei Elnathan Rolle, the programme director.

“It was their first time leaving the Bahamas and competing internationally, so the exposure is very important to their overall development.

“That’s one of the things we have always kept in mind about this programme, we drill into our students the importance of education, being respectful, and putting God first and providing the opportunity for them to travel.”

Rolle said they have seen a lot of success with their programme at Salem Union Baptist Church over the past three years and that’s what has kept them motivated to continue to reach out to inner-city youth.

“As we use karate as a discipline while providing the opportunity for them to develop and be mentored,” he said. “This trip would not have been possible without our sponsors such as Butler’s Bargain Mart, Sonic Express and Specialise Dentistry.”