Local karate master Chris Welbon is usually seen with a smile on his face, but it’s been a little bigger than normal lately. It’s not every day that one’s karate school team goes to a national tournament, and it’s even rarer for it to place well.
But Welbon’s team just put in hard work at the AAU Karate National Championships last week and can now count itself among the top 20 schools in the nation among those who qualified. It’s no wonder Welbon’s in a great mood.
“It was a fantastic showing,” Welbon says. “Everybody did so good. I’m proud of them.”
The team won 29 medals: three gold, seven silver and 19 bronze. It’s the highest total for an out-of-state tournament in school history and not an accomplishment that Welbon, the coaches or students took lightly.
THE TOURNAMENT
Held in Raleigh, North Carolina, the AAU Karate National Championships is certainly a big-time event. This year’s tournament, held over five days at the Raleigh Convention Center, had over 1,600 qualified athletes and 350 coaches. Even the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh outside of the building got in the spirit of competition, wearing a huge gi throughout the week of June 30 to July 4.
In addition to Welbon’s team of 21 winning 29 medals, the school was also named a top-20 AAU school among those who entered the competition.
“It’s based on how many people we bring, volunteers, parents and coaches,” coach Brian Warren says. “It’s based on how much support you bring to AAU.”
Of course, having so much to show for it also helped.
THE TEAM
It was one of the bigger tournaments that Welbon’s team has competed in, and it was made no easier by the fact that many of its members had never been involved in anything like this before. But the coaches had faith in their students, which seems to have paid off.
“We had a lot of beginners this year that competed at a national level and all came away with medals,” Welbon says. “It was neat.”
One would be forgiven for thinking Welbon’s favorite moment was winning those medals, but the master was more proud to see how far those less-experienced students have come this year.
“Cole Starling, he did great,” Welbon says. “Being a white belt out there, and having the courage to really get out there and fight with some of the black belts. Even though he didn’t win the match, he succeeded in overcoming a lot of the fears and really showed a lot of confidence. Seeing him come from the beginning of the year from now, and the great attitude he had, I really hope that springboards into next year. He’s gonna kick butt next year.”
According to coaches, it was students seeing each other do well and picking each other up that helped the team come back with such a big payload.
The power to push through stemmed from students realizing their improvement over time, even during the course of the tournament, and the end result was exactly what the coaches were hoping for.
“Most of these kids lost one round, they came back and they ended up medaling,” Warren says. “Definitely our closest team that I’ve ever been a part of, as far as camaraderie goes.”
The team didn’t travel together, as some students chose to fly while others drove with their families. But being in the competition together, after so much time spent in the classroom, was something that brought the squad together and boosted confidence across the board.
“I think we have a common interest involved,” Warren says. “We’re all shooting for the same goal.”
For the most part, the team focused on karate. The kids did get to check out the fireworks on July 4, but the tournament dominated everyone’s schedule. Many of the first-timers were nervous about facing such high competition on a big stage — even familiar competition.
“There was one (kid) who beats me in every tournament,” Starling says. “But I gave him a run in this tournament.”
Starling ended up with a silver in kumite and a bronze in kata.
Some first-timers weren’t as nervous as others.
“There were a lot of people at nationals, even from other countries and different states,” Darius Way says. “I worked hard, did well in conditioning and I like to win. I can be very competitive.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
THE TEAM
Jakob Arnold (male, 17, advance): bronze, team kata (form) and team kumite (sparring)
Ryan Bjelke (male, 17, advance): bronze, team kata (form), ippon (1 point) kumite (sparring), and team kumite (sparring)
Jaxson Inzerillo (male, 7, beginner): bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Nick Karlson (male, 11, intermediate): bronze, kobudo (weapons form)
Julie Karlson (female, 12, intermediate): bronze, kata (form)
Kaitlyn Maddox (female, 10, beginner): silver, kata (form); bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
McKenna Mays (female, 13, beginner): bronze, kata (form), sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Brady Michael (male, 14, novice): silver, kata (form), sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Sebastian Padron (male, 11, novice): bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Alvaro Padron (male, 16, intermediate): silver, kata (form); bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Adam Proch (male, 14, intermediate): silver, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Greg Proch (male, 45 to 54, intermediate): bronze, kata (form); gold, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Jack Ray (male, 16, advance): bronze, team kata (form)
Jose Rodriquez (male, 10, beginner): bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Cole Starling (male, 14, beginner): bronze, kata (form); silver, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Robbie Spitler (male, 10, novice): bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Jennifer Totherow (female, 17, novice): silver, kata (form); gold, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Darius Way (male, 18 to 34, novice): bronze, sanbon (3 point) kumite (sparring)
Elijah West (male, 8, beginner): gold, kata (form)
Update: Levi DeGraaf and Joey Spitler, who did not medal but competed in the tournament, were not on the original list.
