Seven students from the House of Shotokan Karate Academy journeyed to Chetumal, Mexico on Saturday, March 22, to compete in the National Blackbelt League (NBL) Karate Championships along with participants from Puerto Morales, Cancun, Acapulco and other Mexican states.

At the end of the competition, Andre Cervantes (Yellow Belt) won 1st place in the Fighting Division and 1st place in the Kata Division; Norman Usher (White Belt) won 2nd place in the Fighting Division; Anthony Usher (White Belt) – in his first karate tournament – won 2nd place in the Fighting Division and 3rd place in the Kata Division; Jorge Aguilar (White Belt) won 2nd place in the Fighting Division and 2nd place in the Kata Division; Samara Vasquez (Purple Belt) won 2nd place in the Fighting Division, 1st place in the Kata Division and 1st place in the Weapons Division; Elias Myers (Brown Belt) won 2nd place in the Fighting Division and 2nd place in the Kata Division; and Landon Cocom (Tigo Shodan Black Belt) won 3rd place in the Fighting Division, 2nd place in the Kata Division and 2nd place in the Weaponry Division.

Samara Vasquez was the only female from Belize that fought in the Intermediate Women’s Fighting Division.

After these astounding and noteworthy accomplishments, the House of Shotokan Karate students are now preparing for the upcoming World Karate Championships, which are scheduled to be held in Cancun next month.

Of note is that the Kata Division is whereby karate competitors contest each other’s karate stances, and the competition was categorized into beginners, children’s intermediary and intermediary divisions.

Karate students are classed as White Belt for beginners, while Purple Belts represent the intermediary division, and Brown and Black Belts are the highest levels of karate training.