Vegas USA Open

Photo curtesy of www.teamusa.org

USA Open is the largest tournament in the entire United States, people from all over the world come to compete in it. Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Ukraine, Japan, Russia, Venezuela, and tons of other teams came.

Day one was all kata I was competing in the Elite 15 year old girls division. I went up against a girl who was a former Pan Am Champion, I lost 2-3, then I waited to see if she would win again and she did. But in her third round she lost so I was out. My kata experience was short lived in US Open but then again there's always next year.

The next day was kumite, I won my first fight against a girl from New York. Then I lost my next round against a girl with trees for arms and legs. She has twice the reach I had. But she went onto the finals and I had to fight Venezuela. She was also tall and had a smooth cream porcelain doll face, and long light brown hair. I lost again. 

My last event of the weekend was team Kumite. For those of you who have no idea what team Kumite is don't worry I will explain. So Kumite is fighting so team Kumite is fighting with a team. But its not like a whole bunch of people fighting at the same time, I know that would be fun to watch. The teams are made up of 3-4 people. Each person from your team fights a person from another team. The two teams have three matches and whichever team wins two out of three of the fights wins. But if there's a tie, say team one won the first round and team two won the second then the third round tied, then it would come down to which team scored the most points. It's a little confusing but really fun to watch. I was fighting for team USA. Up first was Team Venezuela vs. Team Canada. Canada won because they're all six foot tall beasts with beautiful hair put in a ponytail braid. Then it was Team USA vs. Team Japan. Up first from my team was Rachel, she has a great reverse punch put she pulls her head which causes her to get hit a lot. She's the only person I know that has had six concussions from Karate. Anyways she wins her fight then it's my turn. I go out feeling confident and win 5-3. Since we already won two fights we go onto the finals against another USA team from California. Lexi goes first and wins her match. I'm second and I go against a girl I remember (specifically for her bad sportsmanship) from a tournament in Colorado. I start off and get two points then another one. She scores a punch so the score is 3-1. Then I score a head kick and that really made her mad. After that she started coming after me and knocked me down. Then as I'm on the ground she kicks me in the side. Who does that? So as you can probably see I was pretty mad and my ribs hurt, I get up and make a move towards her but restrain myself from punching her in the nose. She flinched pretty hard so I grinned as I walked over to my line. Thank god time ran out because I probably would of lost it. I go over to shake her hand but she turns her back and walks out of the ring. I shrug and walk out, my teammates stare wide eyed they say they've never seen such a disrespectful fighter. After a few deep breaths I start to relax. Our last match Rose, she is ahead the entire match until the last 10 seconds when the other girl scored a kick and won. Which mean the team from California wins gold and we win the silver. Even though we lost it was still the most fun event of the weekend. It's something about winning for your team, and having them cheer for you that it so powerful and fun.

Vegas Junior International Cup

Photo curtesy of www.teamusa.org

Recently I went to vegas for the 4th year in a row. In Vegas there is two tournaments going on in the time span of five days. First, was the Junior International Cup a fairly large tournament but mostly American competitors. That tournament lasts two days with kata on the first day and kumite on the second. So on the first day I woke up at 8:30 and walked over to the Paris where the venue was. Which was very convenient that we were only staying seven minutes away. Yeah but not in the fancy, bright casino, put a small mint on your pillow type Vegas hotel. No, we stay at the Jockey Club. Never heard of it? Don't worry no one else has either. The Jockey Club was built in 1974 one of the oldest hotels built on the strip. It's main customers are old people from the south that come to Vegas to gamble and smoke all day long. I'm not saying the Jockey Club is a horrible place, I mean the beds are comfortable, there's a full kitchen, and enough room for my family of seven so really it's the perfect place for us when we come for the tournament. But for your weekend getaway I wouldn't recommend it. 

So anyway first day we walk over to the Paris. First up is my brother, he's in the 10-11 year old boys division and it is stacked. There is about 30 kids in his division and they all look fierce. A couple hours later my sister goes up in the 12-13 year old girls division. Then shortly after I get called to staging (where you go to wait to be assignment a mat) for the 14-15 year old girls division. Surprisingly I only have to wait for about 15 minutes to go out. A lot of the girls I recognize from regional tournaments or Vegas last year. So I start warming up and getting my mind ready. Then it's time, we walk out in a single file line, bags stuffed with equipment, snacks, water, headphones slung over our shoulders. We sit next to a mat and wait for a boys division to end. Then we bow to the United States flag bow to the referees and start. I go third against a girl that I've never seen before. I win the match 4-1, next match against a girl I remember from last year, I win again 3-2, next match the semi-finals I go up and stumble slightly and scream to myself on the inside but I go on and finish strong, praying that the judges happen to be blinking. I walk back out and wait for the flags I win again and now I'm put into the finals.

But I'm going against my good friend from Florida, she doesn't favor kata but is still naturally good at it. So her dad makes her do it. She goes first and does an amazing kushanku then it's my turn I decided to do my newest kata that hasn't been out on the mat very often it has a 360 jump that is very difficult to land perfectly. I stuck the jump and won the vote. Now with the first day out of the way the stress levels go way down. Now it was time for more pasta, showers, and bed time.

Now onto day two, kumite. I started off good and won my first two matches and got to the semi-final round but then lost. Then I lost again going for 3rd place. The girls were all really great fighters and I feel lucky to meet and compete with them. 

Karate Champions

In my Karate life I have been lucky to meet and train with some of the best Karate competitors in the world. Tom Scott for example has won four gold medals in the Pan American Championships, six medals in the North American Championships, seven USA Open Championships, and three Karate Premier League Finalist. He is truly amazing. Tall and muscular, Tom is 6 feet tall and competes in male Kumite. He is currently ranked 3rd in the world. Also, he is a vampire. I swear he has all of the qualities of a vampire, tall, dark hair, pale, and super super fast. If you saw him compete you would agree with me. 


The next competitor is named Sakura Kokumai from Japan, she holds first place in Kata. She has won five gold medals in the USA National Championships, four gold medals in the Senior Pan American Championships, and four gold medals in the Junior Pan American Championships. I look up to Sakura because of how determined she is and how seriously she takes her training. 

Next is Maxine Lisot. Even though she is only five feet tall and 55 kg Maxine still dominates in Karate. She's been on the USA National team since 2007. Maxine is hilarious and always manages to find a way to make everyone feel more relaxed. I look up to her a lot, the majority of the time I have to go against girls twice my size that are much more powerful, but I just think about Maxine and realize that if she can do so can I.  

Another Kata campion is Antonio Díez. He is best known for winning gold medals in kata at the World Championships in France and Serbia, winning the World Games in Cali Colombia and a silver medal at the World Championships in Japan 2008. He started Karate when he was only five and has been doing it ever since.  

Last is Rubén Canedo, I met him last year when he came to Park City to teach a seminar. I learned many things from him that have improved my Kata tremendously. The first thing he told me that I will never forget is that Kata is not a dance. And anyone who performs it like a dance is doing it wrong. He also taught me how to use my Hada. (Your innermost power found below your bellybutton). "More hada!" He would yell. Over and over again "More hada!" But the best thing he told me is, "When you feel physically and mentally exhausted after your Kata you know you did good." Which I found to be true if I don't feel my muscles ache just a little then I know I didn't do it the best that I could. 

Photo curtsy of http://www.teamusa.org

IMA North Fork Championships

Okay, today is Saturday October 24th it's 9:32 am and I am currently sitting in staging waiting for opening ceremony to start. This is the first competition of the season so it's time to get the gears moving. I honestly abhor opening ceremony, they force you to stand in line and not move or talk while they go through all the names of the officials and such. I get that they want to thank everyone and all that but honestly it's boring, also they do the color guard and someone sings the national anthem which is pretty cool.

Now it is 10:56 and I'm watching the tournament waiting for my staging call. Since this is a small tournament there might only be one or two other girls in my division. I've already seen a girl from last year who is currently on the USA National Team. She will be going to Indonesia to compete in the World Junior Championships later in November. The first year I competed against her she destroyed me, literally. But... The second year I went against her I beat her in Kata but lost 1-0 in Kumite. This will be my third year going against her. The pressure is on. 

The tournament is over and I finished with two silver medals. I'm not totally thrilled with the results but I know I did my best. In Kata I lost, the vote was 3-2 a split decision that could have gone either way. In Kumite though I lost 3-1, in the last ten seconds she had three type two penalities. She went out of bounds again which meant she should have been disqualified but the judges apparently didn't notice... My coaches and spectators looked like they were going to start a rebellion. They know and I know she was out of bounds but I'm not going to dwell on it and let it bother me. Even though I was pissed I took a deep breath and went up to her after our match and congratulated her and wished her good luck in Indonesia. After all, good competitors like her can only make me better, she just better look out for our next match. 

Now all that's left to do is take a shower get some food and head back to Utah. I'm glad the first tournament is out of the way and now I can train harder for the rest of the season. 

What to do to get Ready for a Tournament

The week before a tournament can be rough, no dangerous activities, no junk food, drink gallons of water, and in bed by nine. But by doing those things you are guaranteed to bring your A game. Here is a list of the things Park City Karate has to do in order to perform our very best in a tournament. 


1. Get lots of rest: start going to bed early the week before not just the night before the tournament, you want to get in the habit because if you say up till midnight the whole week then all the sudden you want to go to bed at eight you'll have a hard time

2. Load up on carbs: I suggest pasta for dinner the night before, the carbs will help you to not be so hungry and have extra energy. Carbs provide minerals and vitamins that only your brain utilizes keeping you sharp and aware

3. Eat a good breakfast: you can be at a tournament for up to 12 hours it's super important to have a good breakfast that will help you last as long as possible. I usually eat eggs and toast, or a bagel and yogurt, also I make sure to grab a piece of fruit on the way out

3. Stay hydrated: drink a lot of water it will help your body a ton, try to drink at least 3-4 water bottles throughout the day and you will be prime

4. Bring good snacks: my go to tournament snacks are granola bars, Gatorade chews, apples/oranges, goldfish, pretzels, nuts, and of course some snickers bars. You never want to let yourself get hungry so it's a good idea to keep snacking and drinking water the whole day 

5. Wear comfortable clothes: while you're waiting for your division to start you will mostly be sitting around and cheering for your team. I usually wear athletic sweats, t-shirt, and comfy running shoes. 

6. Be organized: Before a tournament make sure you have all of your gear, mitts, mouthguard, Gi, belts, snacks, everything. It's the worst feeling in the world to show up to a tournament and be told you can't compete because you're missing something (trust me I know) so double and triple check your bag 


6. Be on time: prepare yourself, being late to a tournament can cause stress and make it harder for you to focus on competing

7. Make yourself comfortable: I never go to a tournament with my headphones I would die without them, some people bring pillows, blankets, they draw, play video games, whatever relaxes you do it no one will be judging 

Follow these steps so you can kick butt like this guy. 

Karate Wasn't What I Expected

Be honest, you probably think that karate is all about ninjas and breaking boards and beating people up. But in reality it’s not, Karate is so much more. To me Karate is about respect, hard work, and dedication. My name is Tiana, I’ve been training in Karate for the past six years, in those years I have won the Junior Olympics 3 times, USA open 2 times and Nationals 4 times. I have traveled all over the United States competing and met some amazing people along the way. 

I first started Karate when I was around 9, a friend of my sister was really into Karate and he was always trying to get my sister and I to come. At first I was like most people who think Karate is only in movies where they do backflips and beat up bad guys with one hand. My sister was all for it, “Now I’ll finally be able to beat up Tiana” was what she said. I couldn't have my little sister beating up on me so of course I had to go too. 

We went into the dojo which was small with two training rooms, the walls covered in mirrors. The first thought that ran through my head as I looked at all the people in weird white outfits was “Please don’t kill me.” A man with white hair and wisdom in his eyes came in and told the class to line up. He yelled something in Japanese and all the students bowed, I bowed too but I had no idea why. He yelled something again in Japanese and we all bowed again. Already I was feeling nervous, then he told us all to get a partner so we could practice techniques. I turned to my sister but she was with her friend I turned back around to see a tall muscular girl who was at least 3 years older standing in from of me. My heart was beating rapidly ‘Oh great now I’m really dead’ I closed my eyes and flexed up my body waiting to be hit. All the sudden I felt a light tap hit my stomach. That’s it? This girl who looked like she could knock me out with one hit simply tapped me. I was really surprised on how much control everyone had, no one got hurt no one died. After the class was over the man with wisdom in his eyes came over to me and asked me what I thought about the class. I shrugged, it was defiantly different from any other sport I’ve played. “Keep trying” he told me, “I can see you're a fighter.” From that moment on I knew that this was what I wanted to do. 

This is me at one of my very first tournaments.

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