On April 1, Sunshine Coast Shotokan Karate Club attended the annual ISKF B.C. Provincial Tournament in Coquitlam.
The club has been operating in Sechelt for the past six years and participating in its organization’s provincial tournament each year. The club’s students, through hard work and good spirit, have managed to bring back medals each year, and this year is no exception.
Students entered kata, team kata and kumite categories. Kata is a series of pre-arranged moves where the participant is judged on many different points of technique. Kumite is a controlled sparring where technique, distance and spirit are all judged. Team kata is a group of three people who must synchronize their movements while performing a kata.
In the White to Orange belt categories:
Erin Kaatz: Bronze in Individual Kata.
Malek Rakhar: Silver for Kumite.
Atticus Zanini, Erin Kaatz, Malek Rakhar: Gold for Team Kata.
Myles Davis, Carter Lewis, Lewis D. Campbell: Silver for Team Kata.
Shelby Davis, Jasmine Rakhar, Yamin Rakhar: Bronze for Team Kata.
In the Green to Purple belt categories:
Myles Davis: Bronze for Kumite.
Lewis Duncan Campbell: Silver for Kumite, Bronze for Kata.
Carter Lewis: Bronze for Kumite, Silver for Kata.
Margaret Dickie, Joe Wilson, Alex Phillips, Julienne Wiese and Laurent Wiese also competed in the tournament, showing excellent sportsmanship and spirit in their matches.
Learning Shotokan karate increases confidence, self-discipline and fitness, provides tools for self-defence, and can be a great family participation activity.
The club meets at West Sechelt Elementary on Tuesday and Friday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. Anyone interested in joining in the pursuit of learning a martial art can contact verycherrydawn@gmail.com
– Submitted by Sensei CherryDawn Bolognese
