Members of the Elora Family Martial Arts Centre headed to Cancun, Mexico in December to participate in the World Congress of Amateur Athletes (WCOAA).
“We took 12 competitors,” said owner Kyoshi Frank Verbakel. “Our youngest competitor was six years old and our oldest was 60. One family was three generations, with a grandmother, her daughter and granddaughter, and all three took home gold medals.”
Entered in 35 events, the Elora team brought home a total of 17 gold medals, nine silver and two bronze medals. The competitions included kata, forms, weapon forms and kumate.
The WCOAA included competitors in karate from Mexico, the United States, Great Britain, Puerto Rico and Canada.
“The event was top-notch,” Verbakel said. “It is the oldest, independent, traditional tournament organization.”
The event included the coveted triple crown awards to those who succeeded in the top of their competition in three different disciplines.
The club took home four triple crowns, including three for students from the Centre Wellington area.
“I was very pleased. We had a very young team. We had five novices who had trained for a year or less,” said Verbakel.
“It’s a fabulous feeling when you see your students out there and all your hard work pays off … I’m like a proud papa with my team. They surpassed my expectations.”
Verbakel says plans are already underway to gather a team for next year to compete again in the WCOAA in Mexico.
