Karate tourney draws many
BY RAY VAN COR
The Greenville Standard
The 26th Annual South Alabama Karate Open Championship was held this past Saturday morning at Straughn High School in Andalusia.
This martial arts competition has been touted as one of the most prestigious and fair events in the nation.
The tournament has become one of the largest in the southeastern region of the United States and this year was no exception with wall to wall spectators and competitors and due in part to its founder, director and his family, Isshin Ryu Hall of Fame, 8th Dan Instructor Mark Rudd of Andalusia and his brother 7th Dan Donald Rudd of Andalusia.
This year was truly no exception with over 160 competitors from 30 different Dojos/ Schools and from as far away as West Virginia and Ohio.
Other states were represented Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana and of course the great state of Alabama.
There were 90 divisions in this tournament representing all age groups from men and woman’s divisions and ranks within the martial arts.
There is a trend that Sensei Mark Rudd noticed that is great for the martial arts that is on the rise and that’s the participation of more female competitors and senior men and woman competing at this year’s South Alabama Karate Open.
There were two competitors at 71 years of age, like Thomas Knight a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran from Charlotte Harbor, Fla.
Knight said, “I had a near death experience and a friend of mine, who is now my martial arts instructor, got me into the dojo and turned things around for me. The exercise, the conditioning and flexibility training has paid great dividends for me. Life changing.”
Seventy year old Myra Medina of Navarre, Fla., of the Budo Dojo enjoys the benefits of her Karate.
Holley Holcomb of Albertville, who is 43 three years old, and Angela Sampson of West Virginia, who now resides in Montgomery, is 53 years old and is a student at the U.S. Yoshikai dojo in Montgomery, all say the same thing, they enjoy the benefits of the martial arts.
Camille Holley of Andalusia and a former student of Sensei Mark Rudd and a competitor for this event now represents Bryan Christian College in Dayton Tennessee and their collegiate Karate team and program as Assistant Director and Recruiter spoke with the crowd and contestants before competition started. Holley said, “Bryan College has plenty of scholarships for Karate students that were looking to go to college and continue their Karate training at the same time.
Our team currently has twenty seven students and we’re looking to build to forty.” Giving her contact information and Bryan’s information on the program Holley joined the rest of the competitors. Camille has a bachelor’s degree in communication and is working on her master’s degree at Bryan College.
This years Grand Champion of the South Alabama Karate Open was Adult Kata/weapons was Brian Hitchcock Panama City Florida, Men’s Fighting Tony Williams Lebanon Tennessee, Woman’s Fighting Camille Holley Dayton Tennessee.
Youth Kata/Weapons Johnathan Rudd, Andalusia Alabama, Kyu Rank 10 years & under Sebastion Steiger, Enterprise, Alabama, Kyu Rank 11-17 year old Ellen Shepard, Albany Georgia. Tournament Director Mark Rudd said, “This years tournament was a lot better than expected and we were pleased with every aspect of it. We’re looking forward to the twenty seventh next year.
