by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 26, 2023
Students of the House of Shotokan Karate Academy in Belize City attended the 16th Annual Captain Tamara Long-Archuleta Memorial Open Karate Championships, in Belen, New Mexico, in the United States.
The annual event featured a range of martial arts styles: Goju Ryu Karate, Kajikembo Karate, Shaolin Whu Shu Kungfu, Kickboxing, Shotokan Karate, Shorin Ryu Karate, Lima Lama Karate, Korean Taekwondo and Chuck Norris Karate System.
Students from the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado competed in the tournament, with Belize being the only Central American team present, and participated in kata, fighting, and weapon divisions.
Students from the House of Shotokan won trophies and participation medals in the different divisions as follows:
Girls 10–12 Intermediate Division: Emily Feinstein won 2nd place in Intermediate Kata Division; and 2nd place in Intermediate Fighting Division.
Girls Brown 14–16 Belt Division: Cielo Avalos won 3rd place in Brown Belt Kata Division, and 2nd place in Brown Belt Fighting Division.
Boys 8–9 Beginners Division: Santi Renteria won 2nd place in the Beginners Kata Division, and 2nd place in Beginners Fighting Division.
Boys 12–13 Intermediate Division: Gordon Feinstein won 4th place in the Intermediate Kata Division, 4th place in the Intermediate Fighting Division, and 1st place in the Open Weapon Division.
According to Shihan Ray Kelly, this was the first time the students attended the event in the state of New Mexico, and because the students delivered an outstanding performance in their respective divisions, the organizers extended a welcome to the students for attendance at the 2024 Belen Karate Championship.
House of Shotokan students will be attending a karate event in Chetumal, Mexico, on December 2, and closing the year with the Inter-Dojo Karate Championships on December 9.
The House of Shotokan Karate Academy was invited to attend the North American Open International Karate Tournament held from March 29 – 31, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they will compete with participants from Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and South & Central America.