The competitors
participated in four different categories for medals: individual Kumite (point
fighting) and Kata (forms) as well as team Kumite and team Kata. The American team was successful in all four
divisions, bringing home gold in two different categories and silver and bronze
medals in most other categories.
The American
team consisted of students as young as 12 as well as competitors in their
50s. Nicole Bressaw, from Fords/Edison
dojos 23, recently graduated from Georgetown University, spent the last six
months dedicated to preparing for this tournament, won gold in women’s kata,
bronze for Kumite and womens team kumite.
She is the first adult to win gold in kata since 1981 when the world
tournaments began.
In Veteran’s (over
40) division Michael Moles, 52, a fifth degree black-belt and a contender in
the veterans division, won a gold medal for his efforts. This is his sixth gold medal in 12 years. Moles is Chief Instructor at River Dell
Karate School in Oradell, New Jersey.
Our own Christian Madama of the Fords Dojo took bronze medal in Kata,
fantastic since this is his first World Tournament.
Team
Divisions: David Szucs, assistant sensei
in Edison/Fords, brought the mens kata team consisting of himself, Morgan Jones
(Edison) and Malcolm Dell (Pearl River, NY) into the silver medal spot. Again, this is a first for Mens Kata team and
boys 15-17 from Pearl River also took a silver medal in Kata.. Our womens kumite team consisting of Jessica
Campos (Fords Dojo), Nicole Bressaw (Fords/Edison Dojo) and Susan Klausner
(Tenafly Dojo) took a bronze medal.
Brian Purvis for Boys Heavyweight Kumite age 18-20;
Joseph Howard for Boys Kumite Age 16 -17 and Aiden Anselmi for Boys Kumite Age
12 -13, all from Sensei Mac Albus’s dojo in Pearl River.
In the Men’s Team Kata division, another United States
Team also earned a silver medal: Malcolm Dell, who also studies with Mr. Albus
7th degree black belt in Pearl River, teamed with David Szucs and
Morgan Jones, who train with Mr. Bressaw, to earn second place in this very
competitive division.
Bronze
Medals:
Jessica Campos bronze medal for
Women's Individual Kata . (Turn over for more details), Nicole Bressaw
Bronze medal for Women’s middle weight Kumite.
Other
bronze medal winners from the United States Team included Doug Paul, from
Stephenson, Michigan, a student of Jason Niemi at Michigan Shukokai Karate,
returned home with a bronze medal in Kata: he is currently studying towards a
degree in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement; Talin Tuestad, of Westwood, New
Jersey, for Girls Kumite: she attends Pascack Valley High School and studies
karate with Gavin Armstrong, a Sixth Degree Black Belt and Chief Sensei of
Tenafly Shukokai Karate; Claudia
Muniz of Fords Dojo for Girls Kumite age 16 – 17 and Christian Madama, also of
Fords Shukokai Karate School, for Men’s Individual Kata. Also attending the Tournament were students
who train under 7th degree Sensei Alex Couto, Chief Instructor at
Kimura Shukokai Karate of Saddle Brook, New Jersey; Justin DeSalvo, who
recently opened a dojo in Montclair, and Norman Ensil, who recently settled in
Vancouver after running a dojo in California for many years.
The American Shukokai Karate Union is to host the next
Kimura Shukokai International Karate Tournament in 2012. Plans are already underway for this major
event: each country is expected to send not only a team of competitors, but a
cadre of referees and coaches as well as other volunteers to make the
tournament a success. The United States’
team alone was joined by 46 other family members and tournament assistants in
Portugal. The coordination of such a
large event is a massive project. The
United States team is preparing to host what is expected to be the biggest
tournament yet, with competitors coming from as far away as South Africa,
India, Australia and New Zealand.
Click here to see pictures from the event
For full results, go to: www.ksi2010.com