CANADIAN COMPETITOR SPOTLIGHT – JEFF LIOTTA
Article written by Andrew Cabilan (Canadian Sport Karate Media Services)
Canada’s “brain drain” phenomena has resulted in a depletion of many of Canada’s entertainment stars and professionals – most them never ever returning to Canadian soil. Despite all of the favourable conditions which may exist in the United States, one individual always seems to come back to where it all started and paying homage to his roots which paved the way for his success.
38 year old Florida native Jeff Liotta may reside in the basking heat and sun of Florida but deep in his heart lies the pride of a true Canadian. Raised in Oshawa, Ontario, Jeff’s martial arts training began in Taekwondo 27 years ago under the guidance of Master Leo Wong (those who competed back in the early 90s may remember Wong as the Promoter of the Karate Kicks Diabetes tournament in Pickering). After his parents learned that Jeff was being bullied in elementary school, they decided to enrol him in Master Wong’s dojang to learn the Korean art of self-defence. Jeff earned his Black Belt in his mid-teen years under Wong and NASKA World Champion Charlie Lee – an accomplishment which Liotta has the highest regard. This was a special moment in Liotta’s martial arts journey since Charlie Lee is Liotta’s favourite Forms competitor of all time.
Liotta’s competitive career began to flourish in the early 90s as a mere 17 year old. In the old Can-Am circuit, Liotta competed with the “big boys” and won numerous tournaments in the Adult Korean divisions. During this time, names like John Marshall and Brent Beatty provided his main competition in the Greater Southern Ontario area. It was during this time he established a close relationship with the Palitti Family (John, Mike and Patti) and together they began competing on the NASKA World Tour. Jeff made a name for himself on the NASKA stage by placing Top 3 in Korean Forms competing against past greats such as David Macomber, Michael Dietrich and Eric San Jose.
Prior to pursuing a post-secondary education at the University of Western Ontario in 1992, Liotta began training in Shotokan Karate under the direction of Hanshi Cesar Borkowski – a person who he credits for his quality in Forms. Jeff’s post-secondary pursuits put Jeff in a short hiatus from competition as his personal focus had a different direction.
Fast forwarding to 2003, Liotta and his family migrated to Florida to manage various businesses they owned in the area. It was during this time that Liotta’s fire for competition started to burn again. Liotta made his return to the competition arena at the 2003 U.S. Open and in his first year back from competition, he managed to claim the 30 – 39 Creative Forms title but lost the Traditional title by a small margin to another Canadian – Chris Sheridan. Liotta continued his dominance in NASKA’s 30 – 39 age bracket by claiming titles in Weapons, Traditional and Creative Forms in 2004 and 2005.
In 2007, Liotta was strongly convinced by the Palitti’s to try out for the WKA Canadian National team. It was at this time that Liotta took his Canadian pride to the global stage and show the World his competitive spirit. In fact, Liotta’s Gold Medal finish at the WKA Worlds in Germany in the 18+ Creative Weapons is listed as Liotta’s most memorable win. As he puts it, it’s “nice to bang with the young competitors!” Liotta also represented Canada at the 2008 WKA Worlds in Orlando where he walked away with another two Gold Medals. In 2011, Liotta competed at the WKC Nationals in Ottawa and handily captured a Gold Medal in 35+ Weapons and placed in the Top 3 in every 18+ division he entered. It was also in 2011 that Liotta expanded his repertoire of divisions by adding Continuous Fighting – a division which he won a Gold Medal in at the 2011 WKC Nationals.
Liotta’s list of toughest Forms and Weapons competitors is like a list of the “who’s who” of past legends and current veteran superstars. Names like Gabe Reynaga and Kevin Thompson make the list and current veteran mainstays such as Armando Anselmo, current 30+ Champion Eric Tremblay and fellow Western alumni, Andrew Cabilan also make the list as his primary competition whenever he competes.
After three solid years of intense competition on the NASKA World Tour, Liotta’s martial arts career steered in another direction and his focus was re-directed again. After meeting his wife, Bianca Ayala, they decided to open up the World Championship Martial Arts Centre situated in Coral Springs, Florida. As Liotta taught students how to twist their hips, Bianca, a World renowned Zumba Jammer, was teaching legions of fitness fanatics how to shake their hips. Their school and fitness centre launched and soared with many of their clientele being families of athletes and other affluent individuals in the Coral Springs area. Besides the business aspect of his martial arts career, Liotta was also inducted into the World Head of Family Sokeship Council Hall of Fame in 2005 and also belongs to the Hall of Fame for Action Martial Arts Magazine and the New England Open Hall of Fame. Liotta currently holds the rank of 5th Dan in Shotokan Karate – an honour that was bestowed upon him by another one of his favourite competitors and Martial Artists – Mike Bernardo.
Although Liotta may not compete on the NASKA World Tour full time, he still manages to squeeze in at least three NASKA events per year. His finesse and natural prowess in Weapons still makes him a consistent winner every time he competes. In fact, in 2011, Liotta won two 1st Places in Weapons at the Gator Nationals and also had a 1st Place finish in Creative Weapons at the U.S. Open. Liotta currently represents the Amerikick World Team – an invitation which he happily accepted in 2009.
The happily married Florida native has been blessed with two beautiful children – Angelica and Alexander. Along with wife, Bianca, both of his children frequent the tournaments Liotta attends and are often seen cheering from the sidelines. Even though there has been no mention of moving back up to the Great White North anytime soon, his loyalty to this great country is uncontested. Despite having the choice to represent Canada or the U.S., he remains loyal to his Canadian upbringing and chooses to represent Canada in global competition. It is this type of dedication to his roots and his arduous effort to maintain an active competitive spirit that makes Jeff Liotta our selected Spotlight competitor.
No comments:
Post a Comment