My sons competed in their first State Championship tournament this past weekend. This is a tournament that requires competing on the circuit and earning points to qualify in each event. Neither one had a whole lot of points, but managed to make it into the top 5 in our region of Texas, which is what allows you to compete at State.
Both boys qualified in 11 & Under Advanced Specialty, and they both maintained their poise and did a great job despite the extreme crowding and noise, and their inexperience with tournaments. Neither one placed (I think they were 7th and 11th out of 12 per their scores, but placings only go down to 3rd), but neither one dropped his weapon/s or stopped in his kata, either.
My younger son also qualified in 8 & 9 year old Adv and Black Belt Boys Sparring. This was on the second day of the tourney, and the crowding and noise were even worse. There wasn't even any place to stretch or warm up. We had some nerve-wracking moments when we realized (after the division had started) that my son wasn't on the bracket. Yikes! The fighting was stopped, we got that straightened out, and he was worked into the bracket at around where he should have been seeded. He was incredible! He fought either 4 or 5 fights and won all but his last, placing second out of 8 very skilled kids.
I was especially proud of his last match. He was fighting a kid who has been a black belt for quite a while, and trains and competes constantly. He had fought this boy once before, back in June, and got kicked out of the ring and through his coach's legs TWICE. It was brutal. This time, it was an entirely different fight. My son fought extremely well. His opponent would fall to the ground every time he threw a kick (unfortunately, that's not a foul in this organization) to avoid being hit--that's a hard strategy to deal with, since attacking a downed opponent is not allowed. Anyway, the improvement he has made in the last 6 months is just phenomenal. I was so proud. No way was that kid going to kick him out of the ring this time. More importantly, he congratulated the winner and told all of his competitors "good match." He was proud of himself, but not boastful--just quietly pleased.
Both boys qualified in 11 & Under Advanced Specialty, and they both maintained their poise and did a great job despite the extreme crowding and noise, and their inexperience with tournaments. Neither one placed (I think they were 7th and 11th out of 12 per their scores, but placings only go down to 3rd), but neither one dropped his weapon/s or stopped in his kata, either.
My younger son also qualified in 8 & 9 year old Adv and Black Belt Boys Sparring. This was on the second day of the tourney, and the crowding and noise were even worse. There wasn't even any place to stretch or warm up. We had some nerve-wracking moments when we realized (after the division had started) that my son wasn't on the bracket. Yikes! The fighting was stopped, we got that straightened out, and he was worked into the bracket at around where he should have been seeded. He was incredible! He fought either 4 or 5 fights and won all but his last, placing second out of 8 very skilled kids.
I was especially proud of his last match. He was fighting a kid who has been a black belt for quite a while, and trains and competes constantly. He had fought this boy once before, back in June, and got kicked out of the ring and through his coach's legs TWICE. It was brutal. This time, it was an entirely different fight. My son fought extremely well. His opponent would fall to the ground every time he threw a kick (unfortunately, that's not a foul in this organization) to avoid being hit--that's a hard strategy to deal with, since attacking a downed opponent is not allowed. Anyway, the improvement he has made in the last 6 months is just phenomenal. I was so proud. No way was that kid going to kick him out of the ring this time. More importantly, he congratulated the winner and told all of his competitors "good match." He was proud of himself, but not boastful--just quietly pleased.
