Karate kids succeed at nationals

NINETEEN Southern Warriors Martial Arts athletes competed at the SO-Kyokushin Nationals at Minto Indoor Sports Centre in New South Wales this month.

Dojo operator Camilla Barker said she was proud that such a large group of participants and their families made the effort to travel to outer Sydney.

“They represented Ballarat and Victoria so strongly,” she said.

“It was really impressive, and I’m glad we were able to compete.

“A lot of people backed up a title they won last year, or bettered their result, and a lot of new people stepped onto the mat for the first time.

“Collectively, we had a mixture of newbies, experienced, and title-winners backing up their wins, so from my perspective as a coach and instructor, we’re really proud of everybody for giving it a go.”

In the clicker section, or light touch point scoring sparring, Rhys McKinley, Elliott Marson and Campbell Treloar respectively placed first, second and third in the 13-to-14-year-old boys division.

Adelle Marson placed first in the 11-to-12-year-old girls division, and Malakai Phillips placed first in the nine-to-10-year-old boys division.

In kata, adult intermediate competitors Mandy Treloar, Pete Treloar, and Matthew McKinley respectively placed first, second and third, while Elliott Marson and Rhys McKinley placed first and second in the 13 to 16-year-old intermediate boys division.

Fourteen-year-old Lachie Treloar won the 13-to-16-year-old advanced comp, while Adelle Marson placed third in the 11-to-12-year-old intermediate girls section.

As a black belt, adult competitor and Southern Warriors sempai, Caleb Thorne, placed second.

In padded contact, tournament-debutante Linkin Petrie placed first amongst the 11-to-12-year-old boys, and Braxton Kendall placed second in the 10-to-11-year-old boys pool, while in one-match full contact, Nathanial McCulloch won the male adult novice middleweight division.

“A highlight was a couple of our younger kids, aged seven, stepping onto the mat for the first time and braving the nerves. They did incredibly well,” Barker said.

“Braxton had 10 people in his division this year, and won last year, so he did really well to take on a lot more kids, do a lot more rounds, and still come out with a place.”