LOCAL KARATE STUDENTS HARVEST HONORS AT MEET

The Daily News
06-30-2011

FORT MOHAVE – Five students from Mohave Valley Karate in Fort Mohave
brought home nine trophies from the USA World Championships held in
Las Vegas, this past weekend. The students ranged from ages 6 to 28,
and from white to green belt in rank.

Most of the students competed in three different events: point
sparring, continuous sparring and kata, a detailed pattern of executing
specific moves. All five students were competing in the tournament
for the first time.

Shihan Tom Pillsbury, the students’ instructor, said the world
championships provided a tremendous challenge for his students.

“We have brought students to this tournament in the past, but it has
changed a lot over the years,” he said. “The rules now allow far more
contact than before, and that was especially challenging for our 6 and
10 year old students. I was particularly impressed with the way they
both handled the pressure and unusual circumstances of the continuous
sparring event, which turned out to be a real battleground, especially
against some of the eastern European schools’ students who have been
taught to be extremely aggressive.”

Both Dylan Conklin, 10, and Maui Blaylock, 6, maintained their
composure and used solid defense and attack techniques in their
sparring, Pillsbury said. “My adult students, Cameron (Miller), Kelly
(Blake) and Brad (Blake), also competed extremely well in their events,
especially considering the level of competition they faced.

There were seasoned competitors from the western United States, Hawaii,
Mexico, the United Kingdom, and a strong contingency from Armenia in
their divisions.”

Blaylock finished third in continuous sparring, white to brown belt
while Conklin finished second in point sparring, purple to green belt;
third in continuous sparring, purple to brown belt; and third in
kata, purple to green belt. Miller, 16, finished third in continuous
sparring, white to orange belt. Kelly Blake, 27, finished second in
point sparring and second in kata. Brad Blake, 28, brought home a
first place trophy for point sparring, blue to green belt, and first
place in continuous sparring, blue to brown belt. All five students
are Fort Mohave residents, and have been in training from as little
as three weeks to as long as several years.

“All five are exceptional students and representative of the quality
of students in the dojo,” Pillsbury said. “I am extremely proud of
their efforts. Tournament competition is not a requirement for my
students, but it gives them an opportunity to use their training
with someone other than their classmates, and they saw how well the
techniques work.”

Mohave Valley Karate is a dojo operating at 5221 S. Highway 95 in
Fort Mohave. The dojo offers training from ages 5 to adult, with a
focus on teaching Wa-Te-Ryu, a traditional Okinawan karate style.

According to Pillsbury – who himself holds a 6th degree black belt in
Wa-Te-Ryu as well as a 3rd degree black belt in Okinawa-Te Karate –
Wa-Te-Ryu is a particularly effective style that includes the practical
application of hand, foot, elbow, and knee strikes, judo, jujitsu,
joint locks, apprehending techniques and methods of escape from all
holds. For more information, call 928-716-5288.

© 2011 The Associated Press.