Tonight, Bartholomew is talking all things kite surfing with British Big Air champion Jeremiasz Kuczma from Lydd-on-Sea. Plus, we hear from one of the coaches fighting to keep Dartford's fire-torn Boxing Stables gym alive.
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00:00 Hello and welcome to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping up all
00:16 of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Friday,
00:21 the 10th of November.
00:24 The biggest fight yet. Longfield Boxing Club left homeless after electrical fire destroys
00:30 gym. Young champion meet Kent's 14-year-old big air kite surfing prodigy.
00:37 And action replay, it's time again to look at pictures and videos sent in by you, the
00:42 KMTV viewers getting active.
00:46 But first, as always, let's start with a round-up of the headlines, where Kent County Cricket
00:50 Club has this week announced the signing of former South Africa U19 international Michael
00:55 Cohen on a two-year deal.
00:59 The left-arm quick bowler from Cape Town who qualifies as a domestic player on residency
01:03 grounds will join our county's side next term until the end of the 2025 season. The 25-year-old
01:11 has taken 68 first-class wickets in 22 career matches and says he's both excited and honoured
01:17 to begin this next chapter with Kent.
01:22 Next and it's set to be a busy period for the Invicta Dynamos with a big opportunity
01:25 as they head into the weekend, fourth in the National Ice Hockey League Division 1. The
01:30 Moes have at least two games in hands over those teams, higher above them in the table,
01:36 with 10 league games left to be played before the end of year break. However, a huge challenge
01:40 lies ahead this weekend as they head to the Chelmsford Chieftains on Saturday before a
01:45 home game against the Solent Devils on Sunday. Head coach Carl Lennon says the upcoming months
01:52 are pivotal, with a busy schedule providing the opportunity to claw back and gain ground
01:57 on those teams above them.
01:59 Now football, and Gillingham's head coach Stephen Clements says that even his children
02:03 are excited ahead of his side's trip to Wrexham this weekend. This of course all coming after
02:09 the Welsh side's celebrity owners have attracted a global audience to the lower leagues of
02:15 English football. However, Clements says his side won't be getting sidetracked on the day
02:20 and doesn't expect his players to either. It will be the head coach's first League 2
02:25 game since he took over in charge of the team.
02:28 I think he want to win every game. That should be the attitude. That's the attitude I want
02:33 them to have. So whoever we come up against, we want to try and win football matches. As
02:38 I say, I know there's a huge spotlight on Wrexham because of who owns the football club
02:43 and what good players they've got as well. They've got a very good squad, they've spent
02:46 quite a bit of money on it. But as I said before, as a player, they should be relishing
02:53 this opportunity and I know they will be.
02:57 Well with that in mind, let's take a look at the rest of the games happening this weekend.
03:00 Gillingham go into theirs against Wrexham, ninth in the League 2 standings, having only
03:05 won once in their last four games. As the National League returns for the Fleet this
03:10 Saturday, it's a trip to Teesside to face Hartlepool. The Fleet have never lost to the
03:14 Pools in their six meetings. Next, and in the National South, Dover are looking to bounce
03:19 back as they head to Yeovil Town, who are looking to go 13 games unbeaten. Dartford
03:24 and Truro have postponed, while St Albans will welcome Tunbridge and Maidstone are at
03:29 Hampton.
03:30 And finally, in the Idsmean League Premier Division, three games for our Kent sides.
03:35 Fourth place Chatham Town will host Whitehawk, both sides meeting for the first time since
03:39 joining hand in hand to be promoted in the division. Margate are at Dulwich, whilst Folkestone
03:45 will welcome Billa Ricci.
03:50 Moving on and next tonight, the fight for survival. Dartford-based youth gym The Boxing
03:55 Stables have been forced to relocate after a devastating fire tore through their home,
04:01 destroying thousands of pounds worth of equipment, including a full-sized boxing ring. Now the
04:06 club is calling for help as it looks to rise once again from the ashes in what they are
04:10 calling the Phoenix Appeal. I went along to meet them.
04:14 Known as the Little Gym in the Longfield Forest, The Boxing Stables has been nurturing the
04:19 boxing careers of young people in Dartford for almost seven years. That was until a devastating
04:25 fire tore through the gym, making it unrecognisable. It's believed that the fire started from an
04:31 electrical fault, but to many of these young fighters, that gym meant everything.
04:36 It's a bit sad because we used to come in here every week obviously training hard, doing
04:41 what we enjoy doing, and it's really sad just to see it like in the way it is. It's really
04:47 bad.
04:48 Especially with mito, they say they're autistic and ADHD, and there's been a lot of changes
04:53 and not taking it very well. They've probably been back with their friends and family.
04:58 Moving from gym to gym, trying to get on week by week where we can go to keep them all still
05:03 training. It's keeping us all together and we're going to keep strong. We are strong.
05:07 We've been close and we've stuck by and we will carry on going. It's just our little
05:12 place back now though.
05:14 Now I am told that the building itself is structurally safe to actually come inside
05:18 and take a look. The first few steps you see just how much damage has been caused by the
05:23 fire, especially to some of the woodwork here near the entrance. Looking around to the rest
05:28 of the gym, there's a few pieces of equipment on the ground here, but really the majority
05:33 of the equipment has been taken out, completely destroyed in the fire. Really all that is
05:38 still here is just years and years of memories that have been halted overnight.
05:45 In the past week since the fire, the youngest group here have had to make do with a local
05:49 squash court as their temporary space, but with more than 140 children and adults who
05:54 train here at the stables, it's just far too small to accommodate everyone. But now, despite
06:00 being knocked down, this gym is determined to rise once again from the canvas and keep
06:05 on fighting as it launches the Phoenix Appeal.
06:08 We would ideally like to stay here. We need the whole inside really. The structure seems
06:13 OK at the moment, according to the fire brigade, but the whole inside needs totally revamping.
06:19 I mean, obviously a lot of the stuff we had in here was memorabilia that we can't replace.
06:23 So, you know, representative shirts from different boxes and stuff like that and some autograph
06:29 gloves and stuff. That's all stuff that's just gone. We can't replace that, but we can
06:33 get this gym back up and running, hopefully.
06:36 Bosses here estimate that it could cost up to £25,000 to fully rebuild, but with little
06:41 more than 4,000 donated already, there's still quite a way to go before the boxing stables
06:46 can get back on its feet. Nonetheless, they say that they'll keep fighting on, whatever
06:51 it takes. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Longfield.
06:56 Well joining me now to talk a bit more about this situation is boxing stables coach Tony
07:03 Fanning. Tony, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate you coming on to speak a
07:07 bit more about this club that I know means so much to you and to the other coaches there.
07:12 You were telling me earlier this week that you don't get paid for any of this. This is
07:14 all voluntary. This must be so heartbreaking for the whole group.
07:19 Yeah, totally. I mean, as coaches there, I mean, we're there three, four, sometimes five
07:25 nights a week with our boxers training and the dedication that the young people put into
07:30 that and the parents as well, bringing the kids backwards and forwards to the gym. Yeah.
07:37 So from a coach's point of view, we do it for the love.
07:40 Yeah, of course. I mean, it's been a few days since we spoke. Now, I checked earlier today,
07:46 the fundraising has gone up to just almost at 6,500 now. So that is steadily increasing.
07:52 You have quite a big community behind you as well, don't you?
07:55 Yes. I mean, the likes of Ray Winston's posted it on his social media. We've had donations
08:03 come in from far and wide. But yeah, so it is steadily increasing. Hopefully we can hit
08:11 our target so we can get back in there and start doing the work to get that gym back
08:15 up and running and get these kids back in the game.
08:17 Absolutely. We just saw on the screen there some of the youngsters using a local squash
08:22 court, as I mentioned in my report. Are you still using that court now? I know it wasn't
08:27 kind of suitable for everybody, but what situation are you in this week now?
08:32 Yeah, we're still using the squash courts at the moment. We have gone to another little
08:36 gym with the older boxers, just purely down to room. But again, everything that we're
08:42 doing at the moment is temporary. It's changing from week to week. So as I said to you the
08:46 other day, some of my little boxers, their older brothers and sisters, are starting to
08:51 be involved from one place to another. They're all sticking with it at the moment, which
08:57 is great news. But ideally, we'd like to get one back home or actually find a venue where
09:02 we can all train at the same time.
09:06 Yeah, absolutely. Sorry, no, no. The signal was slightly cutting out there, but I think
09:09 we got the gist of it in terms of that home was everything to the group. And I was obviously
09:15 speaking to some of the youngsters themselves the other day when I came down to the gym.
09:19 And although they would all love to be back in there, of course, I think the camaraderie
09:25 kind of shone through when I spoke to them. They were all just so happy to be with each
09:28 other, obviously on the backdrop of such an awful situation. How do you go about fostering
09:33 that type of spirit with all of the people that come to the club?
09:37 Well, it starts from the coaches and the way we talk and the way we teach the kids how
09:43 to box. It's not just about boxing. It's all aspects. It's getting on with each other.
09:47 They all have to help each other out. As I said to you earlier, I get little kids come
09:51 in that can't skip. Another one of my boxers will literally take that person to the end
09:55 of the room and show them. And it's not things that we tell the kids to do. They naturally
10:01 do that. And that stems from the coaches all the way down. And the way we behave influences
10:08 the kids' lives. We get kids coming in there with all sorts of AGHC, etc., etc. And we
10:17 turn them around. And that is the saddest part, is when you see a kid come in who's
10:22 suffering with one of these illnesses, and then you see how the dedication and they turn
10:27 in day in, day out, not just for them, their parents bring them week in, week out, but
10:30 the kids want to be there. Us as coaches want to be there, and we're there to help them.
10:34 And then you get the benefits of seeing them develop as kids.
10:38 And of course, the benefits as well of some of the successes that you've had down there
10:41 at the club. You've taken boxers across the country and even into the continent, into
10:46 Europe as well. Just quickly before we go, are you still looking forward to some of those
10:52 events later in the year, or has that been put on pause as well?
10:55 No, our boxers will still be fighting in the Southern Area at the National Championship.
11:00 So again, that's dedication, getting them from A to B. Nothing's just around the corner,
11:06 they're all over the UK. We've got no plans to go back out to Portugal, where we took
11:11 eight boxers and six of them won gold medals out there. We've got no plans to do that
11:15 at the moment. Our main focus is getting the club up and running. But we still operate
11:19 with getting our boxers out onto shows, fighting for the National Championships and Southern
11:24 Area Championships. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for joining
11:28 us today, Tony. I wish you and the club all the best and hopefully we'll speak to you
11:32 again in a better situation in the future. Thank you very much.
11:34 Now we've reached half time, which means it is time for a break, but coming up after
11:39 the break, we'll be talking all things kite surfing. See you in a moment.
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15:14 Hello and welcome back. Now, you might know the Kent coast for its picturesque sites
15:19 and iconic imagery. Well, for those in the surfing and sailing community, well, they'll
15:24 have quite the different connection to our shores and none quite as much as our next
15:28 guest this evening, Jeremiah Kuchmik from Lid On Sea, who has recently become the British
15:33 champion in big air kite surfing. And with a variation of the sport set to debut in the
15:38 2024 Olympics, the 14 year old is hoping that with global recognition, kite surfing will
15:44 be shared with as many people as possible. I spoke to him earlier, but just before we
15:48 hear from him, let's hear a bit of a recap.
15:50 Catching waves, getting some big air and nailing some neat tricks. When it comes to water sports,
15:58 the Kent coast is well versed in welcoming people from across the globe to come along
16:03 and participate in some fast paced action. And one of those sports is kite surfing. Picture
16:10 this fearless athletes harnessing the power of the wind with a massive kite, pulling them
16:15 along the surface of the water before flying high into the sky. When done competitively,
16:21 kite surfing judges will evaluate performances on a number of factors, including the style
16:27 and execution of tricks, creativity and maneuvering the kite. And of course, the all important
16:32 smoothness of landing. But the sport does come with some risks. One wrong move could
16:39 prove dangerous and even lead to injury. That's no problem, however, for British junior kite
16:44 surfing champion Jeremias Kutzma from Lyd-on-Sea, who has been training for years. And quite
16:50 rightly so, because he's just become the third seeded junior in the world, with his
16:55 jump of a whopping 22 metres at the recent championships in Portland. He says that whilst
17:01 kite surfing remains his life's passion, he wants to inspire more young people to take
17:05 up the sport. And no better time than the present, as kite surfing is set to debut in
17:11 the Olympics for the first time in Paris 2024. So who knows, perhaps it's not just catching
17:17 waves on the cards for Jeremias in the future, but perhaps a spot in Team GB could also be
17:22 up for grabs. And I'm joined now by Jeremias here in the studio, well virtually, he's actually
17:28 here in the Canary Islands at the moment, getting some more kite surfing under your
17:33 belt. Really good to speak with you nonetheless. Now, Jeremias, I'm looking at the pictures
17:38 of you and the videos of you doing this, and I don't have to ask why you've taken up this
17:42 sport, because it just looks so exciting. But tell me about how you first got into it.
17:46 Well, I say got into it because of my parents, and they just like, were doing it for like
17:54 two years or three years before I started doing it. And then they tried to get me into
18:00 it for like a while, but I never really wanted to do it. But then one day it just clicked,
18:07 and then I just loved it since. And I was like eight, I think. So it was like six years
18:15 ago now. So yeah, it was just like, it clicked, wasn't it?
18:21 I mean, it just does look incredible. I could not do it myself, and I don't even know where
18:25 I would start. But I suppose that's kind of part of what you're kind of aiming towards.
18:30 You've said in the past that you want to encourage younger people to take up the sport. What
18:34 is it that you think is so exciting that more people should be doing it?
18:38 I reckon it's just good because young people should be doing it. It's just you get so much
18:49 adrenaline from it. And when you start young, you can get so good at it. When you get older,
18:55 you can get league and win trophies and everything. And you can just go really high and just get
19:04 adrenaline from it. It's just what I love.
19:08 Absolutely. And you also do it competitively, of course. We know that you just won the British
19:14 Kite Surfing Big Air Championships in your category. Tell me, what was that all like?
19:19 And what does that kind of involve? We know that the scoring takes, you know, it's not
19:23 just about how high you're jumping. It's about the skill as well and your kind of landing.
19:27 What went into that competition?
19:28 In my first season, I was just trying my best to get through to the final. It's just about
19:42 impressing the judges and getting as close as you can so they can see the most technical
19:49 details of what you do. And that's just what gets you the most points. And yeah, I'm really
19:58 stoked about what my results were in that competition.
20:03 And I wanted to ask as well, so the championships took place in Portland here in the UK. And we're
20:08 looking at the screen now. I believe this is actually here in Kent. I've driven past this
20:12 place in Sandwich a few times, noticed it. And obviously, it's great to have these facilities
20:17 here in the county. But does it change your approach in any way when you go to somewhere
20:22 like you are now in Canary Islands where it's much warmer, whereas here in the UK, it tends
20:26 to be a bit colder when we have the kind of big waves?
20:29 Oh yeah, it does help because I get more training at different spots. Here in Canary Islands,
20:39 it's pretty wavy and there's like even bigger waves than in the UK. And it just gives me a
20:45 better idea of what other spots will be like in competitions.
20:49 Now as well, it does come with its dangers. So you've got to kind of be on the ball all
20:54 the time. I'm wondering, how do you prepare yourself, you know, actually physically going
20:58 into a competition? Maybe it's a bit warmer one day, a bit more sun bearing down? Because
21:04 it's not just about kind of if you crash, I would imagine. It's about kind of making
21:08 sure the entire way through you're keeping yourself safe.
21:13 Well, yeah, if you crash, it's just in competitions, it's mostly more of like
21:19 doing tricks you already know. And you just need to get them on point before the competition.
21:27 And hopefully you won't be crashing them as much. But when you do, you need to watch out
21:32 for other people, like doing their tricks, but like upwind of you and for them not to
21:37 land on you. But mostly when you get the hang of it, it's just before competitions, you
21:44 get the tricks down and then you just do them first try.
21:49 No, absolutely. And I mean, looking at, I mean, I don't want to say it looks easy because
21:55 it absolutely doesn't. But I think when you kind of see these, you're looking from the
21:59 shore, you see you up in the distance, just the speed that you have. I don't think really
22:03 people realise how much, how big the kite is, for one thing. I mean, we're looking at
22:07 it on the screen now. I mean, what's the kind of relationship you have with your kite? Because
22:11 I suppose when you're out there, it's just you, your kite and the elements.
22:15 Well, yeah, you have like different sized kites. So it can range from like, I think
22:23 it's from like training kites, what are like a metre and a half to like 17 metre kites.
22:31 So it can be a big range of kite but it's mostly just for me at least from like a seven
22:40 metre kite to like a 14 if it's really light. But mostly it's just, it is literally just
22:49 you and your kite practically and you just go out and with the conditions you have and
22:57 then just do what you can. And I just wanted to finish off by asking
23:00 you about the Olympics. So Paris 2024 is going to see kiteboarding included for the first
23:06 time. I believe it was in the Youth Olympics or Junior Olympics in previous years, but
23:10 it's going to be in there for the first time at the Paris Games. What does that mean for
23:14 you as somebody who's coming up through the sport, seeing it get this kind of international
23:18 recognition? Well, it's really good because obviously
23:24 it gives you like a lot of motivation to get into the Olympics, but it's not a discipline
23:32 that I'm doing kite surfing because it's like racing and I do do some of it, like I do try
23:40 to do it, but it's not something I enjoy. But hopefully soon they will get like kite
23:46 surfing, like big air or something like freestyle into like the Olympics and hopefully then
23:53 I will be able to compete in the Olympics. Absolutely. And hopefully it does, you know,
23:57 kite surfing gets picked up as well then. Just finally then, I mean, the only way that's
24:02 going to happen is if more people pick up the sport. So what's your advice to somebody
24:06 that's just starting out? If you're young and you're just starting out,
24:11 I reckon just go through as many sports as you can, push your sport as much as you can,
24:17 like the good like pros are doing it. And yeah, just push your sport as much as you
24:26 can. And so more people could see what you're doing. So people can get into the Olympics
24:34 and maybe the people who organise the Olympics can like get kite surfing into it.
24:42 Absolutely. And hopefully we'll see you up there in Team GB one day. Jeremias,
24:47 thank you so much for joining us. Really good to speak with you today.
24:49 Fantastic stuff there. Really good to speak with Jeremias earlier. Now, before we go,
24:57 it's time to look at Action Replay. It's the segment where we take a look at videos
25:00 and pictures sent in by you, the KMTV viewers, getting active in Kent. Let's take a look.
25:06 Hello and welcome to this week's Action Replay. First, we'll be heading to the Squared Circle,
25:10 which is hosting an upcoming wrestling event based in Thanet. Since moving from Ramsgate into
25:14 their own space, Thanet Pro Wrestling allows unlimited opportunities for their wrestlers of
25:18 the future to partake in one-on-one sessions with some of the most talented wrestlers in the county,
25:23 including Jordan Brakes. So far, TPW have already held two events, such as the Herne Bay Baytastic
25:28 Festival in July this year, and more recently their one-year anniversary in Minster Village
25:33 Hall. Next, we'll be travelling to Maidstone, where the community has come together to provide
25:37 young people the chance to take part in a fishing competition called Fish Fest. PCSO Kirstie Greaves
25:42 of the Maidstone Community Safety Unit put together the project in order to reduce antisocial
25:46 behaviour amongst teenagers and young adults in the area. Local angling businesses, Ashford Angling
25:51 Direct and Maidstone Angling Shop have generously provided prizes for the competition and also
25:56 vouchers for the anglers to buy fishing equipment with. A huge well done to Kirstie for organising
26:00 this. And finally, we have the truly inspirational story of Helen Hanlon, who was diagnosed with
26:05 having a brain tumour earlier this year. After being diagnosed, she has decided to live her life
26:09 to the fullest by signing up for the Brain Tumour Research Charity's 100-a-Day Your Way Challenge.
26:14 Throughout the whole of November, Helen will be taking part in a variety of different exercises,
26:19 including 100 reps of squats, star jumps, sit-ups or a plank in order to raise awareness and money
26:24 in support of people suffering from brain tumours. Helen is a true inspiration to us all and we
26:28 really wish her the best of luck with the rest of this month's challenges. Well, that's it for
26:32 today's action replay and don't forget, if you are from Kent and take part in sporting any way,
26:37 make sure to send in your pictures and videos for a chance to feature on next week's episode.
26:41 Brilliant stuff. Well, that's it for today's show. I'll be back on Monday with another episode.
26:46 Goodbye.
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