Sempai Marc Martin, Dina Khalesi Taharom, Sensei George Manoli at the Koshiki Karate World cup event in Toronto
On Saturday, June 21st and Sunday, June 22nd 2014, the Canadian Koshiki Karate (Safety Contact) Open Championships and the Koshiki Karate World Cup were held in London, Ontario. Competition was held in both Kata (form) and Kumite (fighting) . This safety contact competition, open to all marital arts styles, allowed participants wearing protective body and head gear to fight using full contact techniques without fear of injuring their opponents.
Four students from the Beaconsfield Recreation Centre Tŏkon Karate and Jiu-jitsu club participated in the Canadian Championships. One student participated in the Koshiki Karate World Cup. Five (5) medals were brought home by Tŏkon Dojo. Four out of the five Beaconsfield students reached the winners podium in their categories.
In the Canadian Open Championships event, Sara-Maude Sauvé brought home two silver medals for kata and kumite. Paul Sauvé coined a bronze medal in kata while Kieran Lapon punched his way to a bronze medal in kumite. William Hirsch won his first fight 10-5, but lost the second round by 1 point. A valiant effort by a young competitor who was competing in a very tough adult heavy weight green/brown belt division.
Dina Khalesi Taharom–the team’s participant in the Koshiki Karate World Cup event fought her way to the silver medal in the women’s division, losing the gold medal match by a very close margin to an Algerian Black belt. The entire Koshiki Karate World Cup event was filmed and aired in mid July by Rogers TV Ontario.
Sensei George Manoli, head instructor of the Beaconsfield club trained and led the Karate team to the London events. He has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and holds a 6th Dan in Koshiki Karate, a 5th Dan in Kenkokan Karate, a level 2 in submission grappling and will be obtaining his Black belt in Judo in 2015.
Beaconfield’s Tŏkon Dojo is a family oriented martial arts club that offers children and parent/child anti-bullying and Karate classes as well as teen/adult Karate and Jiu-Jitsu (ground fighting) classes at the Beaconsfield Recreation Centre
(1974 City Lane, Beaconsfield) on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.
As important as the physical motions taught by Sensei Manoli, the club stresses positive mental attitude, discipline and respect for oneself, teacher and fellow students. They frequently organize ‘hands-on’ women’s self-defence and parent-child street-proofing and bully-proofing workshops. The club also holds and participates in winter and summer Karate Camps, inter-school, provincial and national Koshiko Karate tournaments.
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