STUDENTS DO WELL AT LONDON COMPETITION

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Several Barrie martial artists attended the Ontario Grand Nationals martial arts competition in London and came back home with plenty of hardware.  The event that attracted martial artists from across the country and the United States was filled wall-to-wall with top notch athletes and the karate kids from RMA Karate Centres did  not disappoint. 

Tressa Young a black belt instructor at RMA did quite well for herself after moving up an age class to compete among the women age 18 yrs & over.  The seventeen year old pushed her skills to the edge winning first place in traditional weapons, traditional forms, musical forms, lightweight fighting and also won second place in creative weapons.  Young advanced to the grand champion divisions for weapons, forms and sparring.  Young was eliminated in the first round of the fighting grand championships losing her match to top American heavy middleweight fighter Morgan Plowden.  Young was also defeated in the adult forms & weapons grand championship division but was all smiles from the experience. 

“I wanted to move up an age class because these are the competitors I will be against next year.  I was fortunate that the promoter of the event okayed it giving me the foundation and experience I need not only for my upcoming competition at the 2012 worlds in Montreal this October but for next year’s tournament season” Young stated.

Black belts Samantha MacDonald gave a strong performance at the event competing as a black belt for the first time since receiving her new rank this September.   The 14-year-old won first place in traditional weapons, first place in traditional forms and second place in musical weapons.

Green belt Liam North did well winning first in musical division, second in sparring and third in both the weapons and forms divisions.  North also moved up a belt division from intermediate to advanced for an extra sparring division winning first place.

Green belt Sale Berube won third place in both the musical division and the sparring division.  Red belt Katie Belliveau continues to give her best with steady improvement winning fourth place in sparring.

Advanced brown belt Tyler Maroudas-Zenon gave a strong performance winning first place in weapons and second in forms.  Younger sister Brooke Zenon continues to improve winning fourth in sparring and finalist in both the weapons and forms divisions.

Red belt Paul M placed first in sparring and was a finalist in forms while Alex M placed first in sparring.

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RMA Karate Centres – www.rmakarate.com

RMA MARTIAL ARTISTS HEADED TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

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Three dedicated karate enthusiasts from Barrie’s RMA Karate Centres are headed to Montreal next month for the 2012 WKC World Karate & Kickboxing Championships.

Black belt Tressa Young, brown belt Brooke Zenon and green belt Liam North qualified for the Canadian national karate team in May at the national team trials.  Young qualified in 8 categories and both Zenon and North qualified in 1 category. 

The three have been not only attending their regular karate classes at RMA but have been making the extra effort through private training to prepare for the upcoming world championships.

“It takes a special kind of athlete to make that extra effort to come in and attend dedicated training sessions to help prepare for a world event.  Training consistently is the key and these three athletes have what it takes to represent the city of Barrie and our country”, head instructor Craig Ridout stated.

For Young, this will be her eighth time wearing the red and white representing Canada.  Young has won 39 medals for Canada in the past including a total of 17 gold medals.  This is Zenon’s third trip to worlds winning 2 bronze medals in 2010 and 2011 and for North this is his first time on the Canadian team and attending the world championships.

To learn more about these athletes visit www.rmakarate.com.

Barrie Martial Artists to World Championships

Three dedicated karate enthusiasts from Barrie’s RMA Karate Centres are headed to Montreal next month for the 2012 WKC World Karate & Kickboxing Championships.

Black belt Tressa Young, brown belt Brooke Zenon and green belt Liam North qualified for the Canadian national karate team in May at the national team trials.  Young qualified in 8 categories and both Zenon and North qualified in 1 category. 

The three have been not only attending their regular karate classes at RMA but have been making the extra effort through private training to prepare for the upcoming world championships.

“It takes a special kind of athlete to make that extra effort to come in and attend dedicated training sessions to help prepare for a world event.  Training consistently is the key and these three athletes have what it takes to represent the city of Barrie and our country”, head instructor Craig Ridout stated.

For Young, this will be her eighth time wearing the red and white representing Canada.  Young has won 39 medals for Canada in the past including a total of 17 gold medals.  This is Zenon’s third trip to worlds winning 2 bronze medals in 2010 and 2011 and for North this is his first time on the Canadian team and attending the world championships.

To learn more about these athletes visit www.rmakarate.com.

44 Barrie Karate Students Move Up a Level

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The best thing about having an opportunity to watch an RMA Karate Centres belt ceremony is having the privilege to see all different belt levels being received by students of all different ages.   Nothing could be truer than when 44 students received their new belt ranks ranging from  a 4-year-old receiving a yellow stripe belt to 2 young ladies who received their junior black belts.

The students were presented with their new belt ranks after undertaking a traditional grading in August that included demonstrating basics, forms, weapons, sparring and self-defense in front of a seven-person black belt panel.  The panel unanimously agreed the RMA grading students possessed high-quality technique and were especially impressed with their self-defense techniques having the ability to fend off their adult attackers.

It was a special night for all the students who were excited to receive their new belt levels.  The two students who were presented with their new black belts were very emotional thanking their instructors for their training, helping them achieve their goals and for supporting them.  Jessica Coutu and Samantha MacDonald were overjoyed putting their new black belts on in front of family and friends. 

Receiving their new belt ranks were:

White with yellow stripe belt: Gideon M & Logan G

White with red stripe belt: Madden B

Half white and half yellow belt: Luke L & Tobin S

Half white and half orange belt: Austin N& Margaret B

Half white and half green belt: Peyton R

Yellow Belt: Parker R, Ari W, Rachel W, Ben P, Jack H, Jasmine H & Lucas B

Orange Belt: Gerard K, Hunter R, Jacob A, Mark W & Sam S

Red Belt: Bradley N, Nicolas B, Isabelle R, Kathyrn B, Julie W, Madeleine C, Devan F Joshua F, Sam G & Frances K

Green Belt: Emily K, Alex R, Liam N, Sale B, Emily M& Kyla M

Blue Belt: Brendan M, Daniel D, Margaret D, Ella Z

Brown Belt: Brooke Z and Tara G

Junior Black Belt: Jessica C and Samantha M

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To learn more visit www.rmakarate.com

RMA Karate & Women's Shelter

RMA Karate Centres was recognized for their work and commitment to the Women & Children's Shelter of Barrie. 

The award was presented to Sensei Craig Ridout and Sensei Tressa Young by the shelter's executive director Lynda Muir at the annual meeting on June 12th, 2012. 

RMA Karate Centres is proud to be a community partner with the shelter and looks forward to continuing to support them and the many women & families in need.

RMA HEADED TO NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS

RMA Karate Centres sent 7 competitors to the WKC Kickboxing & Karate provincial trials in London this past weekend (April 21).  The seven were among Ontario’s best in the martial arts vying for their chance to represent Canada at the 2012 WKC World Kickboxing & Karate Championships this October.   The provincial and national trials are black belt divisions with the ability of martial artists not yet a black belt, able to compete among the  higher belts.  For six of the seven competitors from the Barrie karate school, this was such the case.  Only the top eight competitors from each event advances to the national team trials taking place in Montreal Victoria day long weekend in May.

Leading the way was 7 time Canadian national karate team member and RMA instructor black belt Tressa Young.  The seventeen-year-old competed in 10 events and medaled in every single one.  The second degree black belt won gold in eight of her events including continuous fighting -60kg, traditional hard style kata, traditional weapon, extreme forms, freestyle forms, traditional Korean forms, Chinese forms and musical weapons.  She also went on to win silver in -60kg speed point fighting and bronze in creative weapons.

Following in her instructor’s path is 3 time Canadian national karate team member Samantha MacDonald.  The thirteen-year-old advanced brown belt moved up an age class into the 13 to 17 year old female divisions and alongside her own instructor Tressa Young.   MacDonald advances in nine out of her 10 divisions she competed in.  She won silver in +60kg continuous fighting, bronze in extreme forms, bronze in freestyle forms and bronze in musical weapons.  MacDonald also made top eight in Chinese forms, Korean forms, +60kg speed point fighting, traditional weapons and creative weapons.

2 time Canadian national karate team members Tyler Maroudas-Zenon and Brooke Zenon also attended the competition and finished the provincials leaving their mark.  Seventeen-year-old Tyler Maroudas Zenon did extremely well in all three of his events.  The advanced brown belt won silver in Korean forms, bronze in traditional weapons and placed fourth in Chinese.  Younger sister and 2 time Canadian national karate team member Brooke Zenon advances in 3 of her 4 events.  The eleven-year-old purple belt won gold in Korean forms, bronze in Chinese forms and advances in the traditional weapons division.

New to the provincial trials were seven-year-old Liam North, eight-year-old Ari Wilson and nine-year-old Rachel Wilson.  Orange belt Liam North won silver in the -30kg continuous fighting and bronze in the -30kg speed point fighting.  White belt Ari Wilson won bronze in the -30kg continuous fighting and placed fourth in the -30kg speed point fighting.  White belt Rachel Wilson won silver in Chinese forms and silver in -30kg girls speed point fighting.

The seven were all smiles at the end of the day and are looking forward to the national team trials next month.  “We are very proud of everyone not only in their results but how they carry themselves as a competitor and a martial artist.  They are all respectful and helpful to their fellow teammates always willing to help one another.” Head instructor Craig Ridout stated.

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REFERENCE:

WKC Canada – www.wkccanada.com

RMA Karate – www.rmakarate.com

World Kickboxing & Karate Council - http://www.worldkickboxingcouncil.com/

RMA BRINGS HOME HARDWARE

Martial artists from RMA Karate Centres in Barrie attended the AmeriKick Internationals tournament in Philadelphia, USA this past weekend (March 30 & 31). 

RMA instructor and second degree black belt Tressa Young competed in five divisions placing in all five.  She won second in traditional kata, third in musical forms, third in musical weapons, third in traditional weapons and fourth in point sparring.

Advanced brown belt Samantha MacDonald also did well winning hardware in all five of her divisions.  She won second in traditional weapons, second in musical weapons, third in forms, third in musical open forms and third in point sparring.

Orange belt Liam North also did well winning second in forms, third in weapons and was a finalist in the sparring division.

RMA Karate Centres is accepting new students in their martial arts program with unlimited classes and a free uniform for only $49.  For more information visit www.rmakarate.com.