TOURNAMENT UPDATE – 2011 WKC BATTLE ZONE
Article by Andrew Cabilan (Canada Sport Karate Media Services [CSKM])
Photo credit: Linda Young (RMA)
OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Our Nation’s Capital was the host city for the first ever 2011 WKC Battle Zone hosted by John and Peter Douvris. Held in the Travelodge Hotel and Convention Centre, competitors and supporters alike used the quick weekend getaway to explore the sites or enjoy the indoor waterpark right inside the hotel. But most importantly, competitors attending this event had the opportunity to attend Super Seminars and Training Camp featuring some of Canada’s current champions and past Legends of our Sport which paved the way for the success of many which followed them.
Friday night, World Champion Robbie Lavoie, one of Douvris’ many World Champions, educated the audience with a very informative Point Sparring seminar. When I say packed, I MEAN PACKED! The conference room was filled with over 50 participants from different ages, each of them learning the tips of the trade and obtaining the key ingredients for the recipe of being a World Point Fighting Champion. Lavoie also went through conditioning techniques and drills which made him the Champion he is today.
The Saturday competition began promptly with Junior Forms and Fighting. With Battle Zone being a WKC event, the divisions were not broken down by rank and each competitor had to bring their “A” level game since both the Underbelts and Black Belts were grouped in the same divisions. Notable performances were displayed by Karate Sunfuki “Team All In” members Anick Cousineau and Jeremy Lussier who both earned 1st Place finishes in numerous divisions. The Battle Zone was also the Canadian debut of Montreal’s Rat Pack Martial Arts (known as Facebook’s RPMA). Consisting of siblings Denis and Eleni Vlachos and their cousins, Nicoletta and Maria Provias, the recently independent team made waves by earning numerous victories in their respective divisions and unveiling their newly acquired skills which they picked up from their journeys on the NASKA World Tour. Also providing formidable competition was Tressa Young who set the bar high and made the rest of her competitors raise the level of their performances. However, it was fellow RMA student Jacob Golledge who solidified himself as a formidable future Black Belt competitor. As an Underbelt, Jacob “stepped up” to the plate and placed himself in the presence of seasoned Black Belts such as Denis Vlachos and Jeremy Lussier. Jacob proved that even as an Underbelt, he could throwdown with such seasoned talent and he managed to place a respectable 2nd Place in Traditional Forms. Also “stepping up” was Karate Sunfuki’s Justin Phetramphanh. The diminutive powerhouse from Montreal made heads turn with his animated Musical Forms routine. Rounding out the Juniors with impressive routines was Grand Bend’s Emily Mussio. Despite her angelic presentation and seemingly reserved nature, when she cranks out her form, she definitely means business. As expected with anything coined with Douvris’ name, the kids fighting divisions were definitely eye catching, especially the boys. Douvris’ students such as Justin Liu, Sebastian Couture and Kayvon Mihan provided fantastic matches for the spectators to watch. The future of Canadian Sport Karate is definitely bright with such talented youngsters.
For the Adults, the Forms division fielded a small group of competitors but more than made up for it in talent. The 18+ Women’s Traditional division fielded three formidable females – Kelsey Friedlander, Kristen McCord and Heather Liabotis. Liabotis has been virtually unstoppable in her respective Veterans divisions and she decided to test her skills against the two 20 year olds. When the smoke cleared, Kelsey Friendlander’s strong technique over powered the intricate stylings of both McCord and Liabotis. On the Men’s side, WKC Champions Cody Diesbourg, Mark Santoro and Andrew Cabilan all walked out with 1st Place victories.
The day ended off with the hottest divisions of the tournament – Point Sparring. The Men’s Fighting divisions fielded talents such as Robbie Lavoie, Dwain Blair, Cody Diesbourg, Timmy Sarountoudis (who came all the way from Germany) and relative newcomer Patrick Grigg. After several heartpounding matches and gut wrenching rounds, it came down to Lavoie and Blair for the Grand Championship trophy and cash. In a see-saw battle, Lavoie’s experience in the ring prevailed and outscored Blair in this match-up. However, it was the Women’s divisions which had everyone on their seats. With names like U.S. Open winner Elyse Gorrell, Capitol Classics winner Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews and Amerikick winner Kelsey Friedlander thrown in the mix, each fight was a guaranteed “front seat fight”. “Stepping up” must have been the theme of Battle Zone as Elyse Gorrell’s younger sister Danielle, who is still a Junior, decided to roll in with the Ladies to test her skills with the more experienced group of Women. In fact, one of her matches was with none other than her older sister Elyse. In an exhilarating battle between siblings, Elyse’s emerged as the victor and she earned her spot in the Grand Championship rounds. After gruelling battles with fellow Douvris’ girls Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews and Kelsey Friedlander, Elyse blitzed her way to victory and claimed the top honours for this year’s Grand Championship.
Saturday’s events ended promptly at 2 p.m. This gave the competitors ample time to explore downtown Ottawa, do some shopping in the area and for the 20-somethings to go out and party. However, the weekend was not over as the Sunday morning WKC Training Camp was guaranteed to make everyone break a sweat. The Sunday camp began at 9 a.m. with a Weapons seminar with World Champion Mike Bernardo and Forms Seminar with Andrew Cabilan. Both of the veteran competitors shared the tips which made them successful Forms and Weapons competitors. Where Bernardo focused on the technical skill with the bo, Cabilan focused on stance transition drills and spent some time on mental preparation and presentation. The Fighting portion of the camp was held by Robbie Lavoie and Special invited guest, Mr. Jim Flood. Flood’s experience both inside the ring and mat sports was a special treat for everyone as he shared his expertise with a group of kids and adults ready to absorb the knowledge. Mr. Flood has had an impressive career both in Point and Continuous fighting with numerous Gold medals and World Championships in WKA, WAKO and IAKSA. Recovering from a serious car accident in 2003, his presence and his willingness to spread his knowledge of the Sport was inspirational to all those who attended. We are hoping that this is not the last time Mr. Flood will work with the Team. Members of WKC Canada are truly thankful and blessed to have such an individual work with the talented group of the WKC Canadian Team.
Click here to see Linda Young's 2011 WKC Battle Zone album --> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150271146878877.332850.206112793876&type=1
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