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The annual Newton Tournament
once again encompassed Kyokushin students and officials in the
Lower Mainland region. A place to test their fighting abilities
was served for over 150 competitors by this local Kyokushin
event, well-known as a "warm-up" tournament for the May's
Canadian Championships.
Eight competitors represented
our club and fought very hard. Kodie from Killarney dojo stepped
onto the mat for the first time and gave his best to the kids
non-contact fighting. In spite of his strong spirit, he was
unfortunately defeated by his opponent. However, Kodie learned
much from the fight and will be ready for the next tournament in
May. Keegan Wong again put on a superb performance in the 13-15
non contact division. His speedy kicks frequently caught the
opponent's head and brought him the Gold Medal.
The ambience of the event
became more intense when the afternoon's contact categories were
conducted.
Although it was his first ever
tournament experience in Kyokushin, Ehssan of the Richmond East
Dojo looked very calm and controlled on the mat. Unfortunately,
he narrowly lost the match when the judges gave it a 3-2 score
in favor of the opponent. But the outcome does not really matter
at this stage. As a tournament beginner, the fact that he made
the difficult decision to enter the event already makes him a
winner. Gerald, also from
Richmond East, fought very well. He had a total of three matches
and gave them everything he had. By the time he faced a brown
belt in the finals, he had little steam left. But Gerald did not
easily back down. He stayed in close to deliver body cuts. In
exchange, Gerald took a lot of Gedan Mawashi and Hiza Geri from
his opponent and lost the tough fought bout. The spirit he
showed was exceptional.
Pasha of the Vancouver West Dojo won two matches and placed 1st
in the 15-16 Heavyweights. He effectively threw Chudan Mawashi
Geri to attack the mid section. If he had used more Hiza Geri in
the close distance, he could have won more easily. The technique
could be his next goal to achieve.
The Women's Lightweights which
Tomomi competed in surprisingly had eight fighters. The number
was considered quite high for this category and Tomomi fought
through three matches in total. The high kick she had repeatedly
practiced at the dojo quite often landed the head, bringing
Tomomi Waza-Ari or a half point. In the finals, she faced off
against Eden from North Richmond Dojo. The seesaw match went
into an extension round and both fighters looked worn out.
Exerting all her strength, Tomomi kept moving forward and
captured the Gold Medal.
Both Tsuguo and Yachi competed
in the Men's Open Lightweights where eight fighters made their
entries. Very unfortunate to Yachi, he was punched in the face
many time during the course of the fights. The face punch he had
in the semi final was so powerful that Yachi was not able to
continue, resulting him with a 3rd place finish. Tsuguo looked
very determined to win and never stopped moving. The quick
combinations he let out one after another pushed back all his
opponents and brought him the Gold Medal. The only thing he
should correct is his habit of pushing with an open hand.
All in all, the event was a
great success. We would like to thank Sensei Tom, Sempai
Dawn-Leah and their team for hosting such a well-organized event
as this one. I am sure that all the participants had positive
experience and learned something new at the tournament. Please
remember that fighting in a tournament is not about winning or
losing to your opponent. It is about winning the fight against
yourself. Osu. Tats
Nakamura
Vancouver Kyokushin Karate
(from left) Tsuguo, Tomomi, Gerald, Yachi, Pasha
and Sempai Michi as coach. The team fighters class of VKK
(Where were you, Ehssan?)
Results
Kodie Eusanio:
3rd Place (71-90lbs Non Contact)
Keegan Wong: 1st Place (13-15 Non Contact)
Pasha Mykhaylov: 1st Place (15&16 Heavyweight)
Gerald Guteirrez: 2nd Place (Men Colored Belt LW)
Ehssan Ghahremani: Lost the 1st match (Men CB LW)
Tomomi Inoue: 1st Place (Women 17 & over LW)
Tsuguo Hada: 1st Place (Men Open Lightweight)
Yasuaki Takeuchi: 3rd Place (Men Open Lightweight)
Coach: Sempai Michi
Nagase
Officials: Sempai Curtis Mason, Sempai Alex Kleschelsky
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Official Results and photos can be
viewed at