6th Shinkyokushinkai National Full Contact Karate Tournament by Shaun Patrick Banares
It was an exciting and meaningful day for everyone who waited,prepared and competed for the 6th National Full Contact Karate Tournament that was hosted by Shinkyokushinkai Philippines led by our very own WKO Shinkyokushinkai Philippine Branch Chief Sensei Richar Picar that was held at Ilaya Court, Pasig City Multipurpose Bldg.Brgy Sanltolan,Pasig City last January 18,2020 at 8AM. The event was filled with karatekas from different organizations such as International Karate Alliance Kyokushinryu,International Kyokushin Karate Federation Philippines,SoKyokushin Philippines,IKO Matsushima,Kyokushin Kenbukai,Sentoukaikan Karate and Tong-Ill Modo.We were even graced by the presence of Sensei Chris that came all the way from Shinkyokushinkai Guam and brought his students with him to compete in the said tournament held every once a year.
None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the effort of Mrs.Emelie Picar and the Telus Karate Special Interest Group(SIG) who made all the preparations to make the venue presentable,clean and provided assistance to the participants and guests all throughout the event,their efforst and sacrifices just to make the event possible deserves not just a round of applause but a big OSU!
he event started with a well organized registration of participants wherein they were able to get Their GI printed with their respective number for fighters,a booklet that contains the list of participants,the category that they are in and the program time and as to what will be the activity for the next coming hours. Each and everyone was able to get a souvenir T-Shirt that has the name of their Organization at the back,you might be wondering how was this possible that you just participated and you even have a T-Shirt to bring home as a souvenir?It’s great to know that you are already a winner by the time you graced this event. To make it more organized,Organizers have a T-Shirt of their own in Gold so that they can easily be distinguished and would be able to attend to anyone inside the venue in need of assistance.
The Blackbelts and Brownbelts of Shinkyokushinkai assembled for a quick briefing of roles and responsibilities. Matts,gears and tarpaulins have also been prepared. Prayer was conducted followed by the singing of the Philippine National Anthem that was conducted by the TELUS Chorale. Kihon has been executed by our very own TELUS SIG Karate followed by Shinkyokushinkai Brown and Green Belts who performed Saiha and Idogeiko,while our Blackbelts performed their kata in a Mirror performance which is harder to execute. Baseball bat breaking which is a favorite and is an attention catcher in these types of events was done by Senpais Hanzel Raguine,Clarise Camasis and Aila Padilla with only 1 strike each using their shin.
Sensei Richard Picar gave some advice to all participants to play fairly in their matches,accept whatever the outcome of the judges decision will be and to showcase their bushido spirit in every match. Sensei Picar also greeted his previous senseis from Kyokushin and are now part of different organizations,it is such a good feeling that he was able to unite his former colleagues in to one gigantic event,the only person who was unable to attend is his former sensei,Vic Canon.Sensei Picar said that he is looking forward,and hoping that one day all of them will reunite in an event.
he KUMITE Semifinals took place after the break.I was eliminated during my 3rd fight,since I am a participant of the MENS beginners category,but nonetheless,I am so happy that I was able to reach that far and be able to win at least 1 match and was able to remain standing,not running away from the person in front of me is a personal achievement that I’ve never experienced before,this surely won’t be the last.After the Semifinals,the TELUS SIG Dance Club took the stage on fire with their awesome dance moves that made everyone cheering,specially boys
The Finals then took place for each category and the result became more visible to the judges.Some were eliminated while others obtained their rightful spot and became 3rd Runner up(Bronze) 2nd Runner Up(Silver),and Champion(Gold). The most awaited part of the event which was the awarding and recognition of the winners was followed by a lot of picture taking,memories of a great event that cannot be replaced by any amount of money in this world,winning no only by means of achieving a certificate,medal and trophy,all of us won by gaining new friends even if they are from different organizations,we’ve gain new knowledge and experience to become flexible fighters accepting the fact that as time goes by we need to learn to adapt to different styles and techniques and that learning is an everyday process,it’s constant.
Congratulations to all of the winners,you make a big impact to others by being their motivation to train harder for the next competitions. Congratulations to all of the organizers,your time and efforts are greatly appreciated by everyone for wihout you guys,an Amazing event such as the 6th National Full Contact Karate Tournament is impossible,but through your efforts and seflessness it has been achieved! Congratulations to all Organizations that paricipated,parents who devoted their time to look after their sons and daughters and watched how they mature and become a Karateka. To Sensei Richard Picar who’s the head of this wonderful event and made it possible with the help of all Senpais,who has given us the wisdom and proper guidance through training and in real life. To the sponsors who made the event possible,TELUS International Philippines,Microgenesis,and Danke Pacific Movers,Inc, we wish you all the best in your future businesses and endeavours,Thank you for your generosity and may god bless you more in abundance.Congratulations to everyone and let’s train harder and become better Karatekas.See you all next year for the 7th National Full Contact Karate Tournament.OSU!!!