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MEARNS COUPLE IN EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS
A FAST-kicking husband and wife duo have their sights set on the World Taekwondo Championships after returning from the European competition.
Ngaire and Mark Boydell, who run martial arts schools in Stonehaven, Inverbervie and Montrose, formed part of the Scottish team which competed in the European Taekwondo Championships in Skovde in Sweden at the start of May.
Mark bagged a bronze medal for the male team patterns event, in which he also acted as captain, while Ngaire returned truly bitten by the international competing bug after narrowing missing out on a medal as part of the female patterns team.
And the couple, alongside Montrose student 14-year-old Greg Spark, have now been asked to be part of the Scottish team heading for the World Championships in New Zealand next year.
Ngaire said: "As a country Scotland did really well - there were 31 countries competing and we came 12th. We took one gold, one silver and seven bronze as a squad.
"We both compete at a Scottish and British level but we've never done European level before. Some of the coaches told us that this was the first time they can remember a husband and wife team competing. We coped with the nerves really well, surprisingly well! At that level though, wee mistakes are all it takes to ruin your chances of a medal."
Mark added: "It is amazing how focused you got when you were doing it. The hardest part is when you come back, you've been so focused for so long and then you're like, there's nothing to do now."
The couple said that some of the European team are backed by government funding and competing is like a job to them.
Mark said: "It is such a huge thing over there - it was shown live on television and things. It is just in this country, if it is not football or rugby then there is very little. All three of us have been asked to put ourselves forward for the World Championships which are taking place in New Zealand in March next year. We want to do it, we cannot wait to do it but financially we do not know if we will be able to - there will be fundraising ahead!"
Ngaire said the previous fundraising coffee morning the couple held in Bervie before they left for Sweden raised over 800, half of which came in from a sponsored chest wax Mark endured.
She said: "We would just like to say thank you to all the parents and students who came along and supported us. We were also sponsored by a couple of companies - Cloud 9, SD Consulting and McPhies from Glenbervie who provided masses of baking for the coffee morning."
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Weather for Stonehaven
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
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