The Family Karate Centres’ Competition Team enjoyed a successful trip to the WKC Canadian National Championships in Gatineau, Quebec on Victoria Day Weekend. The Palais des Congrès hosted the prestigious event, which featured Canada’s best martial artists competing for a spot on the National Team – and the opportunity to represent their country at the WKC World Championships this fall.
Family Karate Centres (FKC) sent five competitors (each of whom qualified at the Ontario Regional Championships in April). The team was led by Jake Lindsay and Nathan Parker. Lindsay swept all three of his divisions, winning gold in Boys 15-17 Classical Kata, Hard Kata and -60 kg Point Sparring. Parker also finished undefeated for the weekend, securing gold medals in both -70 kg Light Contact Continuous Fighting and -70 kg Point Fighting (Boys 15-17).
Nine-year-old Athena Papadatos won gold in Girls (10 and under) -30 kg Light Contact Continuous Fighting, silver in Point Fighting, bronze in Classical Kata, and fifth in Hard Kata, earning her a spot on Team Canada for the third consecutive year.
Nicole Keeri-Szanto and Nicole Heard both looked impressive in their Nationals debut, with the 15-year-old Keeri-Szanto qualifying for Team Canada with a fourth-place finish in -65 kg Point Sparring (Girls 15-17), and the 13-year-old Heard finishing strong as a finalist in -55 kg Point Sparring (Girls 13-14).
The 2019 edition of the WKC National Championships were the biggest and best yet, making them the most competitive Team Canada tryouts ever. Preparations for Worlds are well underway, with all of the FKC qualifiers resuming their intense training upon their return from Quebec. We look forward to cheering on our Team Canada members when they compete at the World Championships in Niagara Falls, New York in November!
By Spiro Papadatos for Family Karate Centres
