Our team for the 2019 Soke Cup held in Penticton, Canada has returned achieving a great result with 3 Gold medals and 6 Bronze Medals. Whilst results are awarded to individuals it was the contribution of everyone in the team through the months of training, preparation and support right up until they stood on the mats that led to the great results. Karate is an individual pursuit conducted in a team environment.
The Gold Coast team joined the rest of the Australian team for training in the park at Penticton before the event. This was a great opportunity for everyone to get together and do some last minute fine tuning.
One of the highlights of the Soke Cup is the International Clinic where Chito-Ryu Karateka from all over the world are able to train together. For this Soke Cup we took advantage of the beach outside of the hotel with morning seiza and training with over 100 participants (plus a couple of ducks and a Gulls, and Canadian Goose). It was a pretty nice setting for training. After breakfast training continued inside with a focus on Chinto and Chinto bunkai.
The grand champion trophies for the Soke Cup were handcrafted by local Indian artists and presented to Soke at a special presentation the day before the event. Instructors from all competing countries along with a representation of the Kyoshi were present.
Competition was spread over 3 days with qualifying events on Friday and Saturday and the finals on Sundays for most divisions. The opening ceremony was held on the Saturday morning as most of the events were being run on the Saturday. As always it was an awesome feeling walking out behind the Australian flag representing the Gold Coast dojo with pride. The opening ceremony involved a welcome from organisers, a welcome from a representative of the local Indian group, a welcome by Soke, and the competitors and officials oaths. The rendition of a traditional song by the Indian group was very moving.
After the morning events on the Saturday a demonstration was conducted by Soke, Sodai and Higuchi Kyoshi. The opportunity to see such advanced technique was inspiring.
Three days of competition flew by with many exciting events. The Australian team did very well with lots of medals. The Gold Coast Team performed exceptionally well with some great results:
Sensei Adam Higgins
- 1st – 40-49 yrs 85kg+ Male Black Belt Kumite
- 3rd – 40-49 yrs Male Black Belt Kata
- 3rd – 40yrs+ Male Black Belt Kobudo
Senpai Anthony Horgan
- 3rd – Male 85kg+ Black Belt Kumite
- 3rd – Male 18-39 Black Belt Kata
Senpai Sam Lenton
- 1st – 40-49 yrs 65kg+ Female Black Belt Kumite
- 3rd – 40-49 yrs Female Black Belt Kata
- 3rd – Female Team Kumite
Adrian Spoto
- 1st – Male 85kg+ Advanced Belt Kumite
The end of another amazing Soke Cup. Great results, great people, great memories!
Bring on the 2022 Soke Cup in Kumamoto, Japan.
note: More photos can be found on our facebook page.
