Written by This weekend I was lucky enough to fly to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to compete in the Isshinryu Hall of Fame tournament. The team competing was me, Lucas, Eliana, Clark, Donovan, Gabe, Bekka, Gail, Sensei Debord, and Sensei.
3 days before the tournament I injured my thumb during sparring practice. I was devastated because I thought there was no point in competing anymore if I was injured. I was originally going to compete in all three divisions (kata, sparring, weapons), but now that I was injured, sparring and weapons were out the picture. However, I brought my sparring gear justtttttt incase. The day of the tournament I decided I wanted to risk sparring. I flew almost all the way across the U.S. so I might as well try. I am SO glad I took that risk because I ended up placing 1st in sparring and 1st in kata.
This weekend has been a lot of fun bonding with my team, competing, and visiting a new state! I am very proud of how well everyone did at the tournament and I am very glad that I am apart of a team like this.
Attached is a link to my Chinto Kata from the tournament!
Congratulations! Well done in kata and sparring. It looks like a great tournament to compete in.
Congrats on your placements in the tournament! I was so happy to finally begin to meet members of my dojo. I’m glad you enjoyed visiting my “new” home state! I look forward to seeing you in California soon!
Beautiful kata! You really nailed the most challenging sections, such as the spin, which can be especially challenging on an unfamiliar surface. Thank you for representing the dojo so well!