FOLLOWING Puerto Rico’s inability to host the 11th International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) Pan American championships, the Guyana Karate College (GKC), in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, has taken over that responsibility and will be launching same at a simple ceremony planned for Cara Lodge tomorrow afternoon, where Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony will deliver the feature address.
Members of the GKC and the Guyana Karate Federation (GKF) the governing body for the sport in Guyana, has been working assiduously to ensure a successful hosting of the tournament which will have over 500 karatekas from various countries converging on the Land of Many Waters for the tournament, which runs from August 12 to 15 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Back in March 2008, the Guyana Japan Karate Association, now operating as the GKC, celebrated its 40th anniversary as one of the most vibrant karate associations in Guyana. In collaboration with ISKF, Guyana and has been growing from strength to strength, with its biggest challenge being the hosting of this year’s ISKF Pan Am championships.
The story of the birth and development of this organisation speaks much for the perseverance and dedication of a few pioneers, and in particular, Sensei Frank Woon-A-Tai who almost single-handedly held it all together during severe adverse circumstances.
The Guyana branch has proved itself to be a worthy member of the worldwide traditional karate family by weathering many storms and emerging stronger after each experience in its glorious history.
In 1964, Sensei Woon-A-Tai at the age of 14 became interested in karate and together with a few of his young friends commenced training with the help of books on karate, acquired with great difficulty. He lead the group’s thirst for further knowledge in the sport.
In 1966, Frank joined a club headed by Kenneth Ng Chee that trained first, at the Bookers Sports Club, and later, at Ng Chee’s residence on Broad Street. However, when Ng Chee married, the club broke up, prior to which the members were Frank, Roy Low, Stanislaus Allison, Augustus Woolford and Stephen Monasingh.
During the 60s, karate was not very popular in Guyana and so there was no one around to assist the group with much needed technical information. After a while the members saw the need for them to widen their exposure and for that purpose, Frank travelled to Suriname in 1970 to study under the instructors there.
He was graded shodan by a Surinamese instructor and on his return the club was opened to the public. Membership grew slowly as karate was still new to the society. One of the new members, Anthony Gomes, who had studied karate while in England, encouraged Frank to travel there for instruction under the masters there.
Thus, Frank visited England in August 1970 and studied under Masters Keinosuke Enoeda and Sensei Kato. In England, he got his first real taste of what International karate was really about and found to his chagrin that his shodan was not recognised and, his examiner’s credentials were not recognised internationally either.
He also learnt that there was much to learn in terms of technical instructions and discipline that the JKA provided.
When Frank returned from England, it was decided that he should make contact with overseas clubs that were already well established and a visit from instructor David Chin-Leung of Trinidad was arranged in March 1971.
Through Chin-Leung, Frank was able to contact Master Teruyuki Okazaki and arrange for him to conduct grading examinations in Guyana.
During the mid-80s, there was a new build-up of membership and in 1986, GJKA members won 19 of 22 trophies that were up for grabs at the Guyana Karate Federation’s first senior national championships.
Earlier in 1986, dojos of the JKA came together with dojos of other styles to re-form the national federation, hence the birth of the Guyana Karate Federation (GKF) with Charles Woon-A-Tai, the JKA chairman and brother of Sensei Frank Woon-A-Tai, being elected as the President for 1986-87 while other JKA members held senior posts on the executive of the GKF.
During elections held in January 1988 Charles was returned as President for 1988-89 and there are three other JKA members out of the six executive officers of the Association.
Sensei Frank Woon-A-Tai was himself a successful karateka at the ISKF Pan Am Championships, where he won several medals for Guyana in the kata category of the sport, thus for a man of his stature, Guyana’s hosting of its second ISKF Pan Am championships would be a plus.
Tomorrow’s event is set to commence at 14:00 h and apart from speeches from Dr Anthony and the president of the GKF, Sensei Amir Khouri, a few displays in kumite and kata will be done by students of both GKC and GKF.