Tournament report: November 2010 All-State Karate championships!

It was another stunning year at the "All Hawaii State Karate Championships", the annual state wide tournament, which was a serious deal for our strong, competitive students because unlike the Maui or Oahu tournaments, this Championship is not a club tournament, but a state-wide tournament plus some students from the mainland and even Japan. The drive to success was very prestigious, as being ranked in the top three for every student meant not only a huge confidence booster, but a job well done reward from the judges, who are Karate veterans and Sensei Maeda was one of the judges at the tournament!

As always, the tournament was not held so kids could gloat in front other kids, showing off their beautifully, crafted medals. As other sport coaches put it, "it's not always about winning." True, because if you don't land in the top 3, it gives a chance for you to improve next year and keep on trying until you reach your goal. If you think you lost because of one single mistake, try to improve on that spot as many times so you feel confident about the certain move.

The tournament this year was extremely harsh, according to some onlookers of our JKA Hawaii members. Since the tournament has different expectations and rules that we, our gym did not emphasize on, we were left with thoughts of confusion as most of our students performed flawlessly but did not get credit for it from the judges.

The Kata portion of the tournament, was to me, the perfect opportunity for our students to shine as it is the best performance to give thanks to experience and long hours of practice. The different types of Kata ranged widely, from "Heian Nidan" (yellow belt level) to a more complex Kata like "Jion"(brown belt level).

The Kumite portion of the tournament was a hard struggle for some, as there wasn't a lot of practice to really polish our skills to defend ourselves. Nevertheless, our students did their absolute best, as new students got to step out of their comfort zone and become newcomers in the exciting but dangerous sparring section.

At the end of the day, every single student of JKA Hawaii should be proud of their progress, that excelled increasingly high because of this tournament. Ultimately, this is the most difficult and distinguished karate tournament of all, so just having a massive amount of our students compete was the true winning moment of all. Congratulations to all our members who participated, whether win or lose:

OAHU TEAM: Anthony Wada, Jenna Kaita, Christopher Kaita, Justin Okazaki, Renier Okazaki, Sierra Okazaki, Tryphena Hsu, Priscilla Hsu, Caleb Hsu, Arianna Wilkins, and Hana Maeda.

MAUI TEAM: Iokepa Supnet, Kaimana Supnet, Kameron Gerard, and Justin Campos.

Report: Maui Tournament 2010

From the tears, sweat and blood, the Maui tournament last month opened the opportunity for students at our Dojo, JKA Hawaii, to compete again or even for the first time. It was definitely a defining moment for some people and of course, it was a lot of fun for a lot. Before the tournament, the students finally relax and go to sites like the pool then later, the dinner with all the competitors. Along with some games, delicious food and fun conversations I think that our karate class quickly bonded well and that made the whole trip enjoyable.

After the fun was over, it was serious for the students and we had 8 strong representatives from Oahu. Every single student put their best foot forward and performed Kata and Kumite. Of course, Sensei was very satisfied and happy of what everyone did in terms of their overall achievements.

Students like Tryphena Hsu really showed she had improved throughout her time at our Dojo. As Maui Champion, she got her game face on and proved her talented skills by performing “Heian Nedan.”

Another young contender, Justine Okazaki, performed another job well done even if the nervous tension seemed to get her. Justine was very brave as she performed the “Heian Sandan” and a Kumite against her friend, Tryphena.

Our next representative was Rainer Okazaki, and as usual, Rainer had a good sense of what he was doing. There were a lot of competitors in his field so he had more competition but under that stress, Rainer still maintains a good Kata. “Good job” from Sensei!

In a more advanced stage, the brown and black belts were last to compete for prestigious prizes. Our brown belt representatives, which include Anthony Wada, performed the “Basai Dai” and Kumite. Caleb Hsu and Eric Girton also did the same as they were all on the same level with the same tension. The kumite was very aggressive to the brown belts and it brought more complexity to their level. Sometimes the students had to face each other, but were very serious and took everything they know to apply it to their skill. But all in all, Caleb, Anthony and Eric did a great job!

They also performed a team kata to demonstrate in front of the audience but they got the highest scores, even more than the black belts! Martin, from the Waikiki and Kapahulu Dojo also came to compete at the highest level of black belts and also was committed like everyone else! Although we all didn’t have a lot of practice to get ready for the tournament, the black and brown belts from our dojo did great efforts to show us well.

Also, the wonderful competitors from the other islands made the tournament more exciting, so thank you!

Of course at the end of the day, all the students were proud of themselves and really showed how hard they worked throughout their time here. They received lots of awards and prizes after participating that include:

KATA RESULTS

Youth Mixed 10th Kyu

• 1. Dylan Takahashi (LAHAINA)
• 2. Angelina DeCoite (LAHAINA)
• 3. Yuna Lee (LAHAINA)

Youth Male 9th-8th Kyu

• 1. Kameron Gerard (MAUI)
• 2. Kainoa Carpenter (MAUI)
• 3. Ethan Tsuhako (MAUI)

Youth Female 7th-6th Kyu

• 1. Trphena Hsu (OAHU)
• 2. Kaiwi Westbrooks (LAHAINA)
• 3. Justine Okazakai (OAHU)

Youth Supplemental Female Kata

• 1. Kelsi Fillon (MAUI)
• 2. Addison Marten (LAHAINA)
• 3. Peyton Marten (LAHAINA)

Youth Male 7th-6th Kyu

• 1. Jaden Texeira (MAUI)
• 2. Justin Campos-Rieta (MAUI)
• 3. Brody Yamada (MAUI)

Youth Mixed 5th-4th Kyu

• 1. Iokepa Supnet (MAUI)
• 2. Krysta Santos (MAUI)
• 3. Ranier Okazaki (OAHU)

Youth Male 3rd-1st Kyu

• 1. Anthony Wada (OAHU)
• 2. Caleb Hsu (OAHU)
• 3. Michael Doan (LAHAINA)

Adult 6th Kyu

• 1. Richard Girton (OAHU)

Youth Make Black Belts

• 1. Jacob Lum Long (LAHAINA)
• 2. Jonathon Lum Long (LAHAINA)
• 3. Calen Matsuda (LAHAINA)

Adult Brown and Black Belts

• 1. Martin Jans (OAHU)
• 2. Glen Delatori (LAHAINA)
• 3. David Williams (MAUI)

KUIMTE REULTS

Youth Mixed 10th Kyu

• 1. Makoa Palau Agdepa (LAHAINA)
• 2. Angelina DeCoite (LAHAINA)
• 3. Dylan Takahashi (LAHAINA)

Youth Male 9th-8th Kyu

• 1. Kameron Gerard (MAUI)
• 2. Kainoa Carpenter (MAUI)
• 3. Ethan Tsuhako (MAUI)

Youth Female 7th-6th Kyu

• 1. Trphena Hsu (OAHU)
• 2. Justine Okazaki (OAHU)
• 3. Kaiwi Westbrooks (LAHAINA)

Youth Male 7th Kyu

• 1. Justin Campos-Rieta (MAUI)
• 2. Brody Yamada (MAUI)
• 3. Ainakea Corona (LAHAINA)

Youth 5th-4th Kyu

• 1. Blaine Casil (LAHAINA)
• 2. Kaimana Supnet (MAUI)
• 3. Mykah Santos (MAUI)

Youth Male 3rd-1st Kyu

• 1. Eric Girton (OAHU)
• 2. Anthony Wada (OAHU)
• 3. Caleb Hsu (OAHU)

Youth Black Belts

• 1. Jonathon Lum Long (LAHAINA)
• 2. Calen Matsuda (LAHAINA)
• 3. Jacob Lum Long (LAHAINA)

Adult Brown and Black Belts

• 1. Martin Jans (OAHU)
• 2. David Williams (MAUI)
• 3. Randy Ginoza (LAHAINA)

Most Outstanding Male:

• Kameron Gerard (MAUI)

Most Outstanding Female:

• Trphena Hsu (OAHU)

Anyways, for everyone who participated did very well and it was a great time! Congratulations to everyone!

Senpai Jorge Torres Visits JKA Hawaii

Well, I escaped last February’s winter blizzards during a ten hour-flight to Honolulu. My plane touched down at the airport on a Friday night, and as soon as I debarked, a warm and refreshing breeze hit my face. Inside the airport the sound of a Hawaiian melody accompanied my walk as I exited the airport. Yes, I was on my way to visit Sensei Maeda’s dojo, JKA Hawaii.

Sensei Hiroshi Maeda, 5th dan JKA, was the Shotokan instructor with whom I had the opportunity to start my karate training in JKA back in New Jersey, as part of Japanese Children Society under Sensei Masataka Mori. More than a decade has past since I last trained with Sensei Maeda in New Jersey and New York, so believe me when I tell you how I so wanted to recapture the experience of training with a great instructor.

Next morning, In Hawaii Kai dojo, which is one four dojos, three strategically located in Oahu, and a 4^th location in Maui. There was no room for jetlag. Sensei and his senior students welcomed me warmly, and shortly thereafter, our training began. I was immersed in a very dynamic, technical Karate class, very typical of Sensei’s training. I trained along young karatekas, which brought back precious memories from my youthful days with Sensei.

Frequently during our practice, I heard Sensei calling out, “Mountainside!” which, to my realization, was indicative of the change of direction as we undertook his Kihon techniques. After practice, having reviewed all Heians, Kanku-sho, and 30 minutes of Kumite, my legs felt numb like I had no longer control over them. I made sure I knew the name of the mountain (Koko head) I faced during our practice, a mountain he used as a metaphor to remind his students that karate was not easy, nor would it ever be, as Sensei said.

Throughout the week, I met with Sensei in his Waikiki dojo, a mere ten minutes fromWaikiki Beach. There, I met with Shotokan practitioners who embodied the very nature of perseverance itself. I met Senpai Ishigaki and Senpai Tachikawa, who have been training for over 40 years in Japan and Hawaii and were only too happy to share their knowledge with me. Although my Japanese made them scratch their heads, we found the means to understand each other. After all, we all communicated in the language of Karate.

During my staying, and prior to my training at the dojo in Waikiki, I understood that martial arts in this part of the world is almost a tradition among people, which runs continuously from their youth to the twilight years of their lives. Experiencing the multigenerational mix, I met practitioners of many styles of karate, but I am happy to note that Shotokan still holds one of the highest standard in the traditional martial arts of Hawaii.

Thus, I was quite delighted to see Sensei's technical teaching alive and well, relatively unchanged. In fact, I learned so more during my brief stay in Sensei's dojos and the family atmosphere that JKA Hawaii offered me complimented it all. The warmness also emanated from the senior students who actively helped sensei, joyful children, and very active parents with whom I mingled. I brought home seeds of red hibiscus as an other palpable memory of a beautiful experience in my visiting to JKA Hawaii. I feel fortunate for having been able to train in JKA Hawaii, a place where prominent JKA masters have taught, including Sensei Mori. Now Sensei Maeda has been able to continue with this legacy of great instructors and great Karate...

Thank you, Hawaii JKA

Ossu!!

Jorge Torres

Sensei Maeda and Senpai Jorge

Getting Ready for JKA Hawaii Fall Tournament 2010

Click on the image for a larger view.

Respect Others / Student of the Month

JKA Summer Camp 2010

The aloha in Conneticut was present last 2010 JKA Summer Camp in Mitchell College, CT. This year, Dr. Richard Girton and son Eric Girton flew with Sensei Maeda. It was a week-long camp packed with much lessons, updates and just pure karateka-camaraderie. Richard and Eric came back to Hawaii with a sense of fulfillment and thirst for more. Eric shares his experience with everyone and will post his article here in the blog soon.


See the latest summer camp, with photos and commentaries here at the facebook page.


Here are some photos taken from the Camp's facebook site:

JKA Hawaii Launches new Online Newsletter

Aloha! Welcome to JKA Hawaii's new online portal. Our main website is still at www.jkahawaii.com where you will find relevant information about our club and about karate.

Here, we will post updates and articles from JKA Hawaii members and supporters alike. Follow us on blogspot!

Mahalo and have a great day!

Oss!