Kwame takes first place!

Kwame's first go at a bona fide karate tournament was a rousing success! It seemed like the cards were stacked against him when he found out there weren't going to be enough people in his division to compete against, so he was forced to compete one division up in the brown belt division. Although outranked, Kwame was far from out classed and competed easily in this higher division.

Kwame did a terrific kata, flowing smoothly from movement to movement, with snappy kicks and loud kiai's. His performance earned him a medal, and there would be more to come. Next he and his uke (partner) expertly performed some very sharp self defense moves which clearly impressed the judges. The throws were clean, the strikes sharp and the overall execution was nearly flawless. Despite having to squeeze in more techniques due to the higher difficulty of the division, and all this having been done last minute, Kwame still managed to take the first place prize! Ouso!

Lastly, after having already competed in 2 events, Kwame went on to the last event. A grueling exchange of punches and kicks which utimately culminated in Kwame taking an impressive second place win. Although at one point a judge warned him for an illegal technique to an opponents head, Kwame was clearly in the running for another first place win. A lucky shot by his competitor sealed the deal, ending Kwame's day with an impressive medal, a second place finish in sparring and a first place trophy for self-defense. Well done Kwame!