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Out of all the tournaments that I have
participated in, the U.S. Weight Category Championships was the
toughest so far. During the week leading up to the tournament I
have been asked by all my training partners, "So Keegan, are you
nervous?", and my response was always the same. "Of course". I
really didn't like that question; all it does is make me even
more nervous. On the day of the tournament Sempai Michi,
Tomomi, Mark, and Shasha all asked me if I was nervous, but I
didn't need to answer because my pale face gave it away.
Everyone was trying to cheer me up and gave me advice to stay
calm, but it wasn't working. I was three times as nervous as
compared to my previous tournaments in Canada. I had no idea of
what the level of competition was, or what the venue looked
like. It was so stressful that I couldn't eat breakfast that
morning.
As I preformed my Kata (Kanku) on the stage,
lights were shining in my eyes from every direction. I
couldn't see the audience, which was probably a good thing, but
I was trying not to let it affect my performance. My main
focus was to perform my Kata without a mistake. In the end I
managed to do that and placed third in the Youth Kata Advanced
Division.
Everyone did a great job. Sempai Michi
placed second in Mens Middleweight, Mark placed second in Mens
Superheavyweight and Tomomi had a good fight, but unfortunately
she didn't make it past the first round. Overall this
tournament has shown me that what we do in Vancouver is just a
portion of what's out there, and that I have a lot more to
learn. It was fun, interesting, and the experience has given me
a wider understanding of how other tournaments work and the
types of fighting styles shown by other countries. I'd like to
thank Sempai Michi and the rest of the team
for guiding me through such an experience. I'd also like
to thank IKO and the LA Kyokushin Karate for organizing a great
event such as this. I will go back to compete
again someday.
Osu,
Keegan Wong
Vancouver Kyokushin Karate |
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Awards
Ceremony
Kata Youth Advance: Keegan
placed 3rd.
Keegan competed outside BC for the first time.
He overcame the pressure and did a great job.
Men's Middleweight: Sempai
Michi took 2nd.
Many improvements were seen
but some shortcomings placed him 2nd.
He will keep training hard for the next stop at Montreal.
Men's Super Heavyweight:
Mark placed 2nd.
Although this was his first time international event,
Mark fought exceptionally well. A job well done!
'
Group Photo
The official results
and more info at the following web sites:
Kyokushin LA |
