On the lead up to Switzerland everybody worked extremely hard and put a lot of effort in to improve their aikido as much as they could.

When we arrived in Switzerland I was a little worried about working with people from different countries because I didn’t know how friendly they would be. When we actually began the seminar though, I found that everybody was really nice and was happy to train with
you. It was a great way to start the competition because everybody had a chance to get to know each other before we started competing.

The competition itself was also amazing and the atmosphere was great with everybody cheering and supporting the West Yorkshire team – it definitely encouraged you to keep going and every time you got off the mat there would be a hug or high five awaiting you.

The West Yorkshire team was very successful at the competition and we actually ended up winning the most events. It was an amazing experience and I have come away with some brilliant memories, some friends from all over Europe and I feel much closer to all of the members of the West Yorkshire team. I am very proud to have been part of such a great team and competition and can’t wait until
the next one!

Ellie Gander