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On October 31, something cool happened, and it wasn’t the perfectly spooky Halloween weather. On that night, teams from all over the United States traveled to Groton for the National American Championship (NAC), a traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate competition hosted by Groton Parks and Recreation and Sensei Ralph Batty on November 2 and 3. Athletes came from as far away as Washington and California, and from East Coast states like New York and New Hampshire.
Sensei Steven Smith, who owns and operates the Valley Karate School and Jiu-Jitsu in Lewiston, Idaho, says his team fundraises all year to help raise money to come to Connecticut and compete.
Karate is about community, and it was fitting that the NAC was hosted at the Groton Community Center, which is also home to the Connecticut chapter of the International Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate Do Federation (IOGKF). Groton town Mayor Patrice Granatowski was there to support the event. “I met competitors from around the country who were staying at our local hotels, dining out and shopping at our local businesses,” she says. “What a great opportunity to showcase our town.” On Saturday night, competitors enjoyed a special dinner at the Mystic Aquarium. Thanks to the Oddfellows Lodge 17, a major supporter of the NAC, there were two real penguins on hand to greeted diners.
Athletes ranged in age from 4-year-olds, who participated in a modified sparring division using foam batons, to Nick Palmerone, who turned 89 the Saturday before the competition. This was the first tournament for Palmerone, who has trained for just over a year in the senior karate program offered by the Groton Senior Center. “He was one of our many shining stars at the event,” says Batty, who has taught karate through Groton Parks and Recreation for 25 years.
This year’s NAC marked the 12th tournament in six years for Batty and Sensei Chris de Wet, who heads the New Jersey chapter of the IOGKF and serves as chief arbitrator and referee for the tournaments. The two team up to promote and preserve traditional karate through these events. The NAC encourages competition and camaraderie among athletes while reinforcing the values and lessons taught within the dojo (school).
There were all levels of divisions and a wide range of events at the NAC. Participants competed in kata (form exercise), kobudo (forms with traditional weapons), and various sparring matches. Beginners start out sparring without contact to teach control, says Batty. As they progress in their training, they add light to moderate contact.
Iri kumi go matches were a crowd favorite. These full-contact matches are for high-level students, who have the proper training and conditioning. “The tournament divisions have a progressive structure to help the participants develop into well-rounded competitors,” says Batty.
One of the most popular divisions for spectators was the Adaptive Karate division for athletes with physical or intellectual challenges. “You would have thought a world championship bout was going on during these events, due to the volume of the crowd and the standing ovations for these amazing students,” says Batty. Some of these athletes recently took gold and silver medals at the Special Olympics USA Games.
“A medal doesn’t always depict a winner, though,” says Batty. This year, Desi Huff, one of Groton’s adaptive karate students, teamed up with his brother Gabe to compete in the two-person kata division.
Sensei Rodney Hu Jr. from of Stockton, Calif., said he was choking back tears when Desi performed his kata. “He was amazing,” says Hu.
Andrew Edwards, also an adaptive karate student, competed in the three-person kata division with Jim and Nina Courtad, his grandparents, who are both 78 and train in the senior program.
Those competitors who embodied the spirit of karate received Spirit Awards, says Batty. “They were not only competing, but greeting people from out of town, cheering on other athletes, helping younger competitors, and keeping the building clean.”
Another strong presence in the tournament is the ever-growing women’s division. This year, there were women competing from California, Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut. These women cheered each other on from the sidelines, regardless of which dojo they belonged to.
The NAC is getting more popular each year. “We have already received requests from new organizations to participate in next years’ NAC. To facilitate this, we will be adding at least 10 new divisions to the 2020 event,” says de Wet.
Sensei Genaro Liriano, who travelled from Canada to support the NAC, was impressed with the high standard of the event and plans to bring a team from his dojo next year. Shihan Steven Foo, Global Director of the International Karate Alliance KyokushinRyu, also attended the event, traveling all the way from Singapore with a contingent from the IKAK.
As the level of competition rose, new friendships were made. Competitors who went head-to-head during the day were hanging out with each other after the competition, without a thought that they would have to do it all over again the next day, says Batty. “Essentially, we are all on the same team with one common goal, to improve ourselves.”
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