Master Okazaki presented with key to Georgetown
THE 11th International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) Pan American karate championship was launched yesterday in the Promenade Gardens, where Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green presented ISKF Chief Judge Master Terry Okazaki with the key to the City.
Twelve countries would be participating in the tournament that is being hosted jointly by the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Karate College (GKC) at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Prior to making the presentation to Master Okazaki, Mayor Green took the opportunity to welcome all the teams to Georgetown.
“First of all, let me welcome all of you to Guyana and wish you have an enjoyable stay in our country. At the same time, I must applaud the GKC who did a good job in organising this prestigious tournament.
For those who are visiting with us for the first time, a very special welcome and I hope you take the opportunity to visit our historical architectural treasures and exploit some of the excellent shopping at bargain prices in our Vendor’s Arcade and local markets,” stated Mayor Green.
The former prime minister also lauded the efforts of Master Frank Woon-A-Tai, whom he described as a stalwart in the sport of karate here in Guyana and congratulated him on his outstanding work and achievements in the sport.
The karatekas competing in the tournament were charged by Mayor Green to make good use of their technique and training, capitalise on it as they seek to become good leaders and professionals in every aspect of their lives.
Like Green, Master Woon-A-Tai welcomed the karatekas to Guyana and extended a special welcome to Master Okazaki, who after receiving the key to the city from Mayor Green, expressed his pleasure to be here in Guyana for the tournament.
“I am honoured to be here in Guyana for this prestigious tournament which is very important to the karatekas who seek to develop themselves and become good martial artists,” stated Master Okazaki.
He continued. “It will also present them with a very good opportunity to develop as well as strengthen their techniques in martial arts, while helping them with their concentration as well.”
The tournament gets under way today at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) and even for junior Caribbean champion and Pan American silver medallist Kristina Cheeks, third Dan Natalie Gibson, 2008 Shoto Cup gold medallist and Caribbean Championships bronze medallist Eric Hing and Kenny Wong there is still that element of nervousness.
Not withstanding this, they shared similar sentiments of performing to their utmost for the country. Additionally, they also emphasised that their strict training regimen will be the determining factor to undermine these nerve-racking hours before the competition.
“I think that Guyana has a good chance of winning because we have been training hard and we are working towards the gold medals and we have the strength to bring it home. Training has been very tiring but it is okay because I love karate and I am willing to work because I want gold,” the second Dan Cheeks expressed.
Cheeks will be competing in the Kumite, Kata and team Kata and indicated that she will be helping some of the karatekas, who will be making their national debuts and those who are nervous to overcome their challenges.
“The first time is always a nervous time and they (her other teammates) will groove into it,” she said.
Kumite means sparring, and is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. It is that part of karate in which you train against an adversary, using the techniques learned from the kihon and kata.
Kata, on the other hand,  is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. It is also used in many traditional Japanese arts but are most commonly known for the presence in the martial arts.
Team Guyana, which is made up of karatekas from the GKC and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) dojo, started its preparation 10 months ago under the watchful eyes Senseis Jeffrey Wong and Amir Khouri and at times, Masters Woon-A-Tai and Okazaki .
In an invited comment yesterday, Master Woon-A-Tai said he was pleased with Team Guyana’s preparations for the championships and called on all of Guyana to come out and throw their support behind the home team.
“Guyana is ready. Everybody is ready and all the major players are in place for this tournament. We are ready to go and I hope to see all of Guyana coming out and offering their support tomorrow (today) and Sunday (tomorrow) as we seek to carry away the championship.”
The tournament swings into action from 09:00 h today, with the junior individual elimination matches for both boys and girls aged 8 to 17 years old, followed by the team elimination kata in the same age group.
The seniors’ team elimination kata will follow that along with the team elimination kata for adult men and women, where the top four teams will advance to the finals tomorrow in each of the team and individual kata exercises respectively.
Tomorrow’s action will get under way at the same time as today’s and will include an official opening ceremony, all the finals from today’s action, a cultural presentation, demonstration by some of the athletes and the presentation of awards won during the two-day championships.