Ki ai

Two weeks ago we had a very busy weekend. Noah had his first Karate tournament. At the same time it was taking place Autumn had dance class and the official dance class pictures were being taken. (Thank you Peggy for taking Autumn to dance class so Dawn could attend at least the first part of the tournament.)


The tournament was put on by the TKO organization which has dojo's all over the Western U.S. (including the one Noah is in). There were kids there from Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho and a couple others I think. While watching it I couldn't help but remember all those times I watched The Karate Kid when I was a kid. Noah is living my dream! Just kidding, I don't want to be one of those parents.


Anyway, Noah did well. He was very proud of his performance although he had his first genuine heartbreak when he didn't win. It was heartbreaking for me to watch but it was a great teachable moment. I was so proud of how he handled himself. Karate has been really good for him. Here are some pics and a couple of video clips.


Noah is in the front row on the right hand side mat (kind of off by himself).

Warm-Ups

This first video is his Kata. It is a set of pre-arranged techniques performed in order (choreographed). He won two out of four of his rounds. We think he tied for fourth place (they medal the top 3). The video is the first round.

Three very long hours later we got to his Sparring group. He did a great job but was not able to win any rounds. I put together a short video with some of the highlights of his two matches(including one where he got his bell rung a little). The first kid he sparred went on to win the gold. Noah is the one on the right. Please ignore my comments, the point system was pretty confusing.

Overall it was a great experience and he said he wants to do it again. I don't think the next local tournament isn't until next year though so we shall see. We are really proud of him.