(Denver, CO) The Lone Wolf Classic was held on March 1-2, 2014. It seems that it snows every year on the date of the annual KAT Tournament. This event was the largest yet, with over 360 competitors yielding over 730 event registrations. It was a good thing that the event was spaced out over two days. One of the highlights of the tournament was the new ‘junk weapons’ divisions, where competitors were forced to improvise self-defense scenarios out of everyday household objects. To see some examples, view videos posted on the Facebook Event Page.
Omar D. Blair students show off their hard-earned medals
Another highlight of the tournament was the addition of nicknames for many of the competitors. The tournament showed that martial arts is truly for everyone, with competitors ranging from a one year old in blaster pads to national champions in sparring.
More than 30 teams from across the state participated. Master Cliff Hong stated: “The members of APEX Taekwondo Academy in Colorado Springs had a very enjoyable event. Thanks to you and your staff for all of the hard work for putting on a large event. Looking forward to the next tournament.” Master Steve Marak of Martial Arts 4 Colorado similarly remarked “thanks all who made this event fun & exciting for my students. With the growing number of tournaments scheduled throughout the year, it has become increasingly difficult to choose which one(s) to support. Again, thank you very much. We look forward to 2015′!!”
ALL’s champion demo team flies high
The demo team competition was one of the highlights this year, with 6 stellar teams competing for top honors. Master Kunkel’s ALL team took first, with USTC second and KAT/ATA third and another USTC team 4th.
This tournament was the third in the series that also contained the 2012 White Tiger Championships and the 2013 Twin Dragons Tournament. Several students who were victorious at those previous events were now able to create their own ‘super medals.’
The Glaze family shows of their completed tri-medals
The tournament also featured the final elementary schools league competition of the year. It was amazingly close between Aurora Quest Academy and Crescent View Academy, resulting in a statistical tie. Global Village Academy was third, High Point Academy was forth, and Omar D. Blair rounded out the top 5.
The Metropolitan Newspaper also ran a story on the event.
Mariam ‘Champion’ W from CVA executes a great flying side kick in the breaking competition.
Breaking competition