Sempai Patsy conducted a grading at the Pierrefonds dojo and her students came through with flying colours!  Congratulations to Anthony (5th Kyu), Lucas (6th Kyu), Kyle (9th Kyu), Marvin (9th Kyu), Alekandra (10th Kyu), Fatima (10th Kyu), Mustafa (10th Kyu) and Valentin (10 Kyu).  Well done.  Osu!

This year's family Christmas party was (in Sensei's own words) "the best one yet"!  It featured ridiculous amounts of food, animated conversation & laughter, kids running around everywhere, two videos, a slideshow, a live band, dancing...and even a surprise appearance by Santa Claus complete with presents for all the kids!  Whew!  Click on the above photo to see some pics that Rickster took of the evening.  Our potluck buffet featured a huge variety of delicious, home-made entrées and sinful desserts of all kinds courtesy of everyone who attended.  Rick provided an intense video AND slideshow of our team's full contact fights at November's Ring Wars tournament (thanks Rickster)!  Your humble webmaster provided a video of the 2007 edition of our own Matsushima Challenge featuring many of our kids' katas and kumite matches.  Please note that both of these DVDs are available for purchase through Sensei.  All proceeds will go towards sponsoring our 2008 World Championship team.

Your humble webmaster also finally came clean about the mysterious identity of the live band "The Kohais" who played at the party.  It was MY band (2/3rds of them anyway)! :-)  Please accept my sincerest apologies for "playing dumb" when asked about the band these past couple of weeks...I wanted to keep it a surprise (hopefully it was a pleasant one :-)).  On behalf of the band, many thanks to Sensei John for having us (nobody else would hire us :-)) and thank you to everyone for listening.  We had a blast!  Click here to see some shots of "The Kohais" playing at the party courtesy of Rickster (much appreciated Rick!).  Sensei John would also like to extend his sincere gratitude to everyone for contributing their time and energy by cooking food, setting up the tables and chairs, decorating, selling tickets at the door, organizing the buffet, helping out in the kitchen and staying to clean up afterwards.  You also helped us raise more money to sponsor our Kyokushin World Championship team in 2008.  It's often said, but it bears repeating that the sense of family at West Island Karate is unparalleled!  Domo arigato gozaimashita (thank you very much)!  Happy holidays and all the best for 2008! 

Sensei John made a list, checked it twice and decided that several of his students were more good than bad. :-)  So he surprised them with a grading tonight and they received shiny new "Kyu's" just in time for the holidays!  All kidding side, those of us who have been through one of Sensei's gradings know how mentally and physically demanding they can be.  If you pass, you've definitely earned your next kyu.  Congratulations to Sebastien (4th Kyu), Julien B. (9th Kyu), and to Elena, Daniel, Jonathan, Wyatt and Griffon, all of whom received their 10th Kyu.  Osu!

The first edition of the Rawdon Kyokushin Karate Tournament hosted by Sensei Sylvain Legault was a well contested one.  It featured many of his own students as well as karateka from a variety of Montreal area dojos.  The modest size of the venue did little to detract from the skill and tremendous spirit displayed by all the competitors.  As expected, our team which included Sensei Paul and Sempai Yvan (the latter pictured here on the far right standing next to Shihan Roman) conducted themselves in a manner which reflected the technique, sportsmanship, and in particular the HEART which West Island Karate instills in all its students.  Congratulations to each and every member of our team!  Osu!  Many thanks to Sensei Sylvain for hosting the tournament (and for upgrading the venue several times to accomodate everyone who attended to show their support).  Sensei John would also like to extend a special note of appreciation to the many West Island Karate students and parents who voluntarily lent a hand to help set up and run the tournament.  As with any new tournament, there are growing pains and a learning curve.  Fortunately the Rawdon tournament was able to benefit from your experience working at our own tournament and from your generous donation of time and energy.  Domo arigato gozaimashita!  Click on the above photo to go to Rickster's photo gallery of the Rawdon Tournament or click here to see some videos from the tournament.

Sensei conducted another tough grading this evening during the teens class, and as expected, the students involved rose to the challenge.  Many congratulations to Rosalie G. (8th Kyu), Matt T. (8th Kyu), Neal (10th Kyu) and Christine S. (10th Kyu).  Strictly speaking, Christine is no longer a teen ;-), but she can certainly keep up with them.  Osu!  Omedetou gozaimashita!

Sensei continued with the gradings by testing some more worthy karateka this evening...both kid and adult students.  Once again, Sensei challenged them accordingly and they all came through with flying colours (new belt colours that is :-)).  Congratulations to Nancy B. (7th Kyu), Yves B. (7th Kyu), Gerry P. (8th Kyu), Andrew K. (8th Kyu), Magnus R. (8th Kyu), Damian R. (8th Kyu), Noah N. (8th Kyu), Mason M. (9th Kyu) and Shane S. (9th Kyu).  Very well done everyone!  Osu!

On November 3rd, Sensei brought a four person team consisting of Sempai Jimmy, Sempai Alex, Sempai Alan and Yannick down to Rochester, New York, to compete in the "Ring Wars 2007:  Xtreme Kyokushin" tournament.  As always, our West Island Karate team competed with great spirit and represented the dojo very well.  Congratulations to all of them!  Click on the picture to see some great ringside photos of the fights courtesy of Serge Fournier (thanks Serge!).  Then read Sensei John's report on the tournament below. 

We had all woken up early Saturday morning and were on the road by 7:30 am.  Normally we would have left the day before, but Jimmy had a school trip to take to the police academy on the Friday.  It turned out to be a great drive down with nice weather and no traffic which would not have been the case if we had left the day earlier.  We made it to Rochester by 2:00 pm, so by the time we checked into the hotel and had some lunch, it was time to head to Harrah's Ballroom for the event.

This was the first time we had participated in what is becoming a popular Kyokushin fighting format:  ring fighting.  This is where normal Kyokushin tournament rules apply, but the tournament consists of one-on-one matches where each fighter has one fight with one opponent.  This differs from a standard tournament where a competitor may have to fight up to four or five different opponents during the course of the tournament.  In "Ring Wars", each competitor was matched several months in advance with someone of similar size, rank and experience.  Each match consisted of three 2 minute rounds.  Fighting in a (boxing) ring was something new as well.  The competitors could not step out of bounds to stop the match.  When a fighter was up against the ropes, there was no break - the fight continued just as in boxing or kickboxing.

Jimmy was in the first match of the evening and was pitted against a student of Sensei Daniel Gaudet's, so we knew that he was going to be a tough opponent.  They both fought hard and employed strong leg kicks and heavy punching.  At the end of the three rounds, Martin Savoie was given the decision over Jimmy in a well fought match.

The second fight of the evening featured Alex.  This was her first full contact match.   Alex trained hard during the months prior, training and working on her cardio on her off days from the dojo as well as always being the last one off the floor after class.  I would often be waiting for her at the door as she trained for an additional half hour on most nights after everyone left.  Her opponent was someone that she had already seen fight several times in full contact tournaments:  Sonia Leblanc from New Brunswick, another student of Sensei Daniel.  Alex found out she was fighting Sonia only 20 minutes before the match which did not give Alex much time to get nervous.  Sonia is a very capable fighter and has already fought Monelle Richard, the Canadian and World Champion.  Alex fought hard and smart.  She came out aggressively and did not allow Sonia to use her reach advantage.  In the end, Alex was declared the winner near the end of the third round.

After these two early fights, it was a long wait for our next fighter, Alan.  Alan was fighting for the first time in several years as there were always issues of finding opponents suitable for a fair fight.  Coincidentally, Alan fought one of Sensei Daniel's students as well.  They both fought hard and the two fighters had their chances, but in the end, Sensei Daniel's student won the decision from the referees (fukushin).  It was a spectacular fight with many high kicks.

Yannick was the last member of our team to fight that evening.  Like Alex, this was the first time Yannick fought in a full contact tournament (after having fought two years of semi-contact).  As a yellow belt, Yannick would have the perfect introduction to full contact fighting via this ring match since we knew his opponent was of similar experience (as opposed to likely having to face a black belt in a standard tournament).  Yannick fought hard against Kevin, a police officer and student of Sensei Rene Cruz.  Kevin came in hard and aggressively in the first round, scoring a wazari (half point) near the 2 minute mark of that initial round.  After that, Yannick knew that he had to make up the half point and he poured it on, throwing everything he had at Kevin and often hitting Kevin in the head with his great kicks.  Although Yannick dominated the last 2-1/2 rounds, the wazari that Kevin scored ultimately carried over to the final decision and he was awarded the bout.  Credit has to be given to Kevin for standing up until the the end of the match.

All in all, it was a positive experience for all the competitors and the evening featured many great matchups.  My thanks and appreciation go out to Shihan Roman and to all the referees who volunteered their time and travelled to Rochester at their own expense to contribute to the success of this event.

Well Sensei caught us by surprise tonight by springing a grading on some of us WITHOUT his telltale clipboard in hand (I guess he reads the website once in a while :-)).  As always, the testing was mentally and physically challenging, and Sensei Steve along with Sempais Yves, Alain and Lia took us through our paces with some spirited sparring.  Congratulations to Jim W. (8th Kyu), Joe O. (8th Kyu), Steve H. (9th Kyu), Kevin W. (9th Kyu), Mike W. ( 9th Kyu) and Deb (10th Kyu).  Osu!

At the end of today's teen/adult class, Sensei had a special ceremony to finally award Sempai Kevin his black belt (Shodan)!  Sempai Kevin originally passed Shihan Roman's black belt grading on June 9th, but has been attending university out of town since the fall.  Fortunately he came home to visit his family and took the opportunity to train with us today.  Congratulations Sempai.  Osu!

In late September, Sensei emerged from his office with clipboard in hand once again.  All West Island karateka have come to know what this means:  TESTING TIME! :-)  Many students in the kid, teen and adult classes were challenged and graded with Sensei's usual thoroughness over the past month or so.  Congratulations and well done to all of the following students!  Osu!

Oct. 25

• Steve R. (10th Kyu)
• David B. (9th Kyu)
• Alex H. (9th Kyu)
• Gillian S. (9th Kyu)
• Marla S. (9th Kyu)
• Marilyn M. (9th Kyu)
• Elvira R. (9th Kyu)
• Yannick C. (9th Kyu)
• Manuel  H. (9th Kyu)
• Morgan W. (9th Kyu)
• Keiko H. (8th Kyu)
• Lucinda H. (7th Kyu)
• Kate W. (8th Kyu)

Oct. 24

• Emily K. (10th Kyu)
• Emmet A. (10th Kyu)
• Alex T. (8th Kyu)
• Adele R. (8th Kyu)
• Denis M. (3rd Kyu)
• Peter L. (3rd Kyu)
• James A. (2nd Kyu)
• Kimm C. (2nd Kyu)

Oct. 18

• Michael V. (9th Kyu)
• Morgan M. (10th Kyu)

Oct. 17

• Duncan B. (6th Kyu)

Oct. 3

• Kaela O. (10th Kyu)

Sept. 27

• Michelle M. (6th Kyu)

Sept. 20

• Robert B. (8th Kyu)

Everyone from superheroes to ninjas came out under cover of darkness to join Baby Sensei and Purple Witch Sempai for a special Halloween Training at the Kirkland Arena.  The costumes were imaginative, hilarious, sp-o-o-o-o-ky and even a little disturbing!  :-)  Be sure to go to our Dojo Photo Gallery to see THREE photo albums of this event!  As an added bonus, click on the photo above to hear the sounds of our Halloween Training!  :-) A scary good time was had by all and the money raised will help send our West Island Karate team to the upcoming Ring Wars 2007 - Xtreme Kyokushin Tournament in Rochester on Nov. 3rd.  Thank you to everyone who attended for all your support!  Happy Halloween!  Osu!

Sempai Jimmy (Shodan) was unable to attend last weekend's brown/black belt seminar, so in a ceremony at our own dojo he was presented with his black belt by Sensei John.  Sempai Jimmy earned his first dan at the June 9th black belt grading with Shihan Roman.  Omedetou gozaimasu (congratulations)!  Osu!

Congratulations to Sensei Steve (Sandan) and Sempai Alan (Shodan) who were presented with their new black belts by Shihan Roman at today's brown/black belt seminar at Seishin Karate.  Sensei Steve and Sempai Alan earned their new ranks at the June 9th grading with Shihan Roman.  Omedetou gozaimasu!  Osu!

Congratulations to Denis and Isabelle on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Marianne!  She was born at 10:10 a.m., weighs a healthy 7 lbs 8 oz and is 19 inches tall.  Mother and daughter are doing very well.  Denis is a little sleep-deprived, but his Kyokushin training has prepared him well for fatherhood so he's hanging in there. :-)  Because Marianne's sleeping in these photos, it's hard to make out whose eyes/nose/mouth she has, but she definitely has her dad's fist! :-)  Maybe we'll be seeing her in the Munchkin class in a few years(?).  Only time will tell.  Meanwhile welcome to West Island Karate's extended family Marianne!  Try to let your dad sleep once in a while, okay?  He's tough enough to spar with when he's rested and happy, nevermind when he's tired and cranky! :-)

This was the weekend of the 2nd Annual Beach Training with Shihan Roman in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.  We started out on Saturday with cloudy skies, but by Sunday we were basking under bright, warm sunshine!  This well organized and varied event included lessons in kihon, kata, bo, bokken and self-defense....all of it taught on the soft sand of the beautiful beach and in the cool "refreshing" ocean surf. :-)  It was an incredible experience which everyone who attended will always remember.  Many thanks to Shihan Roman, Sensei Ron Auclair, Sensei John, Sensei Paul, Sensei Bertrand Barron (of Seishin Karate) and Sensei Dimitri Tsingakis (of Shihan Roman Dojo) as well as all the other Senseis and Sempais who once again gave generously of their time to make this a very special event.  OSU!  The only problem now is having to wait an entire year for the next Beach Training!  Go to our Dojo Photo Gallery to see the many pictures of our adventure on the beach.  Also be sure to check out our Videos page to see a fun movie of this year's Beach Training!

Today Sensei John held one of his "mysterious" brown & black belt-only kata classes.  Flanked by Sensei Steve and Sensei Dimitri Tsingakis (of Shihan Roman's dojo), Sensei led the class through numerous advanced katas as well as several bo katas with his usual fanatical attention to technique and minute detail.  Fortunately your humble webmaster  was able to snap some covert pictures (at great personal risk to myself I might add :-) ) so that you could enjoy an inside look at one of these classes.  Click here to see our new photo album of this brown/black belt kata class (and remember...you didn't hear about this from me :-) ).

Beginning Monday, Sept. 10th, EARLY-BIRD classes resume at the Beaconsfield dojo.  These classes will be taught by Sempai Richard every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6-7 a.m.  Don't forget your coffee! 

We are happy to announce that Munchkin classes are now back (go to our Schedule page for times)!  All of us at West Island Karate are looking forward to watching a new group of very young (and very cute) students grow into strong karateka.  Unfortunately that probably means a few new white hairs for Sensei <sigh>. :-)  Good luck Sensei.  Osu!

A new beginner kids class (white belts only) has been added to our schedule.  It will be taught every Saturday morning at the Beaconsfield dojo from 9 to 10 am beginning this Saturday, Sept. 1st.

This summer was a very busy one as Sensei saw fit to test and promote many more students in the kid, teen and adult classes following the gradings which took place in early May (see entries for May 2 and May 3 below).  Here is the entire list of belt promotions dating back to May 29th in reverse chronological order (plus a couple on April 4th which we neglected to mention previously...apologies for the oversight).  Click here to determine the corresponding belt color for each rank mentioned below.  Congratulations to all!  Osu!

July 5

• Louise B (2nd Kyu)
• Hilary W (2nd Kyu)
• Muriel C (2nd Kyu)

July 4

• Claudia M (4th Kyu)
• Rebecca P (4th Kyu)

June 14

• Alex T (9th Kyu)
• Quentin M (9th Kyu)
• Matthew T (9th Kyu)
• Adele R (9th Kyu)
• Cynthia B (9th Kyu)
• Miriam B (9th Kyu)

June 11

• Andrew H (5th Kyu)
• Katrina H (6th Kyu)

June 9

Special congratulations to Sensei Steve, Sempai Jimmy, Sempai Kevin and Sempai Alan for passing their black belt grading conducted by Shihan Roman on this date.

• Sensei Steve (Sandan)
• Sempai Jimmy (Shodan)
• Sempai Kevin (Shodan)
• Sempai Alan (Shodan)
• Alex M (1st Kyu)

June 4

• Matthew H (5th Kyu)
• Dariun Y (5th Kyu)
• Stella M (4th Kyu)
• Isaiah M (4th Kyu)
• Nicholas R (3rd Kyu)

May 31

• Muhammed S (9th Kyu)
• Cristina E (9th Kyu)
• Christopher T (9th Kyu)
• Magalie L (8th Kyu)
• Tim B (8th Kyu)
• Averie T (8th Kyu)
• Talon S (6th Kyu)
• Matthew O (6th Kyu)
• Eric P (6th Kyu)
• David C (6th Kyu)
• Jake B (6th Kyu)
• Kevin W (10th Kyu)

May 30

• David G (6th Kyu)
• Dominique C (5th Kyu)
• Julien C (5th Kyu)
• Philippe R (5th Kyu)
• Alexandre R (5th Kyu)
• Michael H (5th Kyu)

May 29

• Nicholas B (10th Kyu)
• Andrew B (9th Kyu)
• Amanda B (9th Kyu)
• Azeb M (7th Kyu)
• Alivia M (7th Kyu)
• Duncan B (7th Kyu)
• Cameron B (7th Kyu)
• Anne W (7th Kyu)

April 4

• Jessica F (3rd Kyu)
• Phillip W (8th Kyu)

West Island Karate opened a new dojo in St-Lazare today!  It is located in the Complexe Sportif St-Lazare and the main instructor will be none other than (yup, you guessed it) Sensei Paul Bourgoin! :-)  Click here for a map and directions to our new St-Lazare location.  Good luck Sensei Paul!  We're all looking forward to training with you at the new dojo soon.  Osu!

The day after our annual Matsushima Challenge Juniors Tournament, a weapons seminar was given by Shihan Roman Szyrajew (7th Dan) and Shihan Réal De Repentigny (6th Dan).  They taught the basics of how to handle the bo and tonfa as well as several associated katas and self-defense techniques using these weapons.  The seminar was fun, challenging and informative for all the Senseis, Sempais and students who participated.  Many thanks to both Shihan Roman and Shihan Réal for generously passing on some of their extensive knowledge in this area of Japanese weaponry.  Osu!

Thank you also to Norm Edwards of Seishin Karate for this photo and the many others he took of the weapons seminar that you can view in our Dojo Photo Gallery.  Much appreciated Norm!

The following is a letter from Shihan Réal regarding the Kobudo (weapons) Seminar....

Osu Shihan Roman, Sensei John,

First of all, I would like to thank Shihan Roman and Sensei John for inviting me to the Kobudo Seminar.  Thank you as well to all the Senseis, Sempais and students who attended the seminar.  I was very surprised to see so many participants and I very much appreciated the spirit and the warm ambience of the day.  The Senseis, Sempais and students all demonstrated their great determination to work hard in keeping with the true spirit of Kyokushin!  During the Kobudo Seminar, I was very happy to hear from some Senseis and Sempais that they were still learning.  My response to them was that I, myself, am still learning.  No martial art is complete and we can ALL learn from one another!  Everything we learn about the martial arts is a plus and serves to make us a better and more complete martial artist.  This weekend allowed me to get better acquainted with the Senseis and Sempais, make new friends and build a new Kyokushin family.  Thanks to all of you.  It will be my pleasure to see all of you again soon.

Premièrement, je tiens a remercier Shihan Roman et Sensei John de m'avoir inviter pour le seminaire de Kobudo, ainsi que la participations des sensei's, sempai's et des élèves qui ont participé au séminaire.  J'ai été très surpris du nombres de participants, et j'ai très apprécié l'esprit et l'ambiance durant cette journée.  Les sensei's, sempai's et les élèves ont tous démontrés leur travail avec détermination, jusqu'au bout telle que veut la tradition du Kyokushin.  Ce qui m'as fais grandement plaisir, a été les contact avec quelques sensei's et sempai's sur le Kobudo me disant qu"il avaient encore des choses a apprendre, mais que ma réponse étais que moi aussi j'apprend encore!  Aucun Art Martiaux est complet et nous avons TOUS a aprendre les uns des autres!  Tout ce que nous apprenons est un surplus et fais de nous de meilleur et plus complet de connaissance dans les Arts Martiaux.  Cette fin de semaine m'as permis de mieux connaître les sensei's et sempai's et de me faire de nouveaux amis (e), et une grande nouvelle famille Kyokushin.  Merci a vous tous.  Au plaisir de vous revoir bientôt!

Osu!
Shihan Réal De Repentigny
Kyokushin Goshin Jitsu

With the help and hard work of all our volunteer parents and our West Island Karate Sempais, the 2007 edition of the Matsushima Challenge was another resounding success!  A special thank you also goes out to Shihan Roman as well as all the Senseis and Sempais from participating dojos for generously donating their time to help officiate.  We could not have done this without all of you!  Congratulations to all the competitors....you have once again set a new standard for spirited competition and true sportsmanship.  OSU!  Check out our videos and photos of the Matsushima Challenge 2007.  

Congratulations to all the adult students who were graded and promoted today:  Serge (6th Kyu), Michelle (7th Kyu), Marilyn (10th Kyu), Claire (10th Kyu), Alex H (10th Kyu), David (10th Kyu) and Mike W (a.k.a. your humble webmaster  - 10th Kyu).  I think my fellow ex-white belts will agree that Sensei's gradings always looked much easier from the relative safety of the benches. :-)  Good job everyone.  Osu!

Congratulations to Noah, Magnus and Damian who were all graded and promoted to 9th Kyu (orange belt with blue bar) by Sensei.  Well done guys!  Osu!

Congratulations to our entire West Island Karate team who competed at the 2007 World Kanreikai Tournament!  We once again brought a large contingent from our dojo to this well organized, local tournament which is held annually at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.  As always, our students worked hard preparing for this one and it showed in the performance of their katas and weapons katas, as well as in the technique and spirit demonstrated by them during their kumite matches.  Many thanks to Sensei John, Sensei Paul, Sempai Patsy and all of our other Sempais for helping our students train so hard, coaching and supporting them at the tournament, and making it another positive, rewarding and fun experience for all of them.  OSU!  Click here to view some videos or click here to see lots of photos from the tournament.

A small team from West Island Karate competed at the AIKK tournament in Rimouski.  In Sensei's words, our team "performed as expected...with style and class".  Congratulations to all of them and thank you to Sensei John, Sensei Paul, Sempai Patsy and Sempai Nancy for supporting and helping our students prepare as always.  Here is Sensei John's report on the tournament:

We all left in three vans at 2 pm Friday and arrived in good time at 7:30 that evening.  The next day started with an early breakfast followed by registration.  The tournament got underway by 10:30 with team katas and moved on to individual katas where all of our competitors showed the solid technique and poise for which our dojo is known.  The kumite started after a short break and by 4 pm, all the junior divisions were finished.  We had many students on the podium at the end.

The evening started with an emotional presentation of a large plaque to Shihan Sylvain Lessard from his black belts to thank him for his years of instruction and leadership (webmaster's note:  Shihan Sylvain was recently diagnosed with cancer and is courageously fighting the battle of his life).

Alex was one of our two fighters slated for the evening and put up a courageous fight.  Although she was backing her opponent outside the fighting area and landing some heavy leg kicks that resounded throughout the hall, she was forced to relinquish the match because she was still feeling the effects of a recent cold from which she had not fully recovered.  Alex showed everyone what she is made of - heart and spirit - something that was not lost on our younger students that witnessed her match.

The evening ended with Jimmy competing in the full contact division.  He dispatched his first opponent in the first extension round with two wazaris (half points), forcing the issue with strong leg kicks.  His second match was against the very tough Pat Panzorino from Russo Dojo.  Jimmy prevailed after two extension rounds and was awarded a unanimous decision.  At that point, there was a last minute addition of another competitor to Jimmy's category (that competitor had initially been placed in the wrong category).  Consequently Jimmy went into the finals fighting a fresh and very experienced Sensei Moji from Halifax.  Jimmy fought valiantly but was feeling the hard leg kicks of Sensei Moji and gave up a wazari in the first extension round.  Jimmy fought great and shook off some rust from not having competed in full contact for almost two years(!).

The next morning we had breakfast and then enjoyed the pool with its twisting slide which proved very popular with the kids (as well as some adults which we will not name :-)).  We left at about 1 pm and made it home safely by 7 pm.  It was a special trip and we all had an exceptional time.  I want to give a special thank you to Sensei Paul, Sempai Patsy and Sempai Nancy as well as Alex K  for helping out with the kids during their matches.  Thanks also go out to the Rickster, Alex, Susie, Nancy, the Leblancs and Mrs. Gomes...and of course to Shihan Sylvain Lessard for having us at this great tournament.

Special recognition and congratulations goes out to all the competitors...GOKORO SAMA DESHITA (a job well done) to:  Matthew H., Kevin, Michael H.,  Nathan L., Andrew H., Katrina H., Yannick J., Alex K. (a.k.a. Katia Bak Alexandria) and Jimmy G.  The Rickster was at it again with his camera throughout the day, so stay tuned for some incredible pics that will be posted shortly.  Osu.

At this year's IFK tournament, our small team of competitors once again represented the dojo in the finest manner possible.  It was a long, but very enjoyable day and each of our karate-ka gained valuable experience.  More importantly, they displayed excellent technique, indomitable spirit and genuine sportsmanship - all the hallmarks of West Island Karate (click here to see some videos from the tournament).  Congratulations to our entire team!  A special thank you to Sensei John and Sempai Patsy for preparing the students and for coaching them during the competition.  Osu!

Congratulations to Alex B. of the beginner kids class who was graded to 8th Kyu today.  Sensei made him work hard for  it as always.  Great job Alex!  Osu! 

Sensei conducted a surprise grading in our kid and adult beginner classes!  As usual, the kumite portion of the test was physically demanding, but our students fought with great spirit and came through with flying colours.  Congratulations to Thomas, Eric, Michele, Stefan, Rosalie, Tasha and Yannick who were promoted to 9th Kyu and to Felicia, Louis, Lucinda, Yves and Nancy who earned their 8th Kyu.  Well done everyone!  OSU!

On this evening, West Island Karate was once again fortunate enough to have Shihan Marc Van Walleghem (6th Dan) share some of his 35+ years of Kyokushin Karate knowledge and experience with us.  This time, it was up to our teens and a mixed group of intermediate and advanced adult students (plus one "unsuspecting" white belt / webmaster as Sensei put it :-)) to try and keep up with Shihan Marc's intricate combinations and challenging tempo.  Despite a few struggles here and there ;-), the demanding pace succeeded in bringing out the best in each and every karate-ka.  Shihan Marc also emphasized attention to detail in every aspect of karate, from proper execution of basic movements to dojo etiquette and protocol.  This approach mirrors that of Sensei John's, so Shihan's lessons in that regard were not lost on our students.  And as evidenced by all the smiles during and after the class, Shihan Marc's challenging lessons proved to be as fun as they were rewarding.  Domo arigato gozaimashita, Shihan Marc!  OSU!

We were honoured to have Shihan Marc Van Walleghem (6th Dan) visiting from Belgium this week.  He taught a series of classes at West Island Karate, beginning with a seminar for our intermediate/advanced belts.  Also in attendance was Sensei Paul Bourgoin (4th Dan) of Shingitai Kyokushin Karate in Laplaine.  Sensei Paul has been teaching many classes at West Island Karate recently and was of great help to our students during this seminar (thank you Sensei Paul!).  As always, Shihan Marc's lessons were fast paced ("speedo" as Shihan Marc would say :-)) and very challenging for both body AND mind!  Many thanks to Shihan Marc for being so generous with his time and for sharing his vast knowledge of Kyokushin Karate (as well as his gentle humour) with all of us once again.  Osu Shihan!  Click here to see some photos from this seminar.

At today's brown/black belt clinic with Shihan Roman and Shihan Marc (who was visiting from Belgium), Sensei John was presented with his Yondan (4th Dan) black belt and certificate by Shihan Roman.  Sensei had previously been graded to Yondan during a surprise testing held by Shihan Roman before the new year.  Many congratulations Sensei John!  The entire dojo is very proud of you and looking forward to seeing you sport that new belt in class!  OSU!

Our modest team of nine fighters competed with great Kyokushin spirit at the Gold Cup Tournament 2007.  Congratulations to Duncan, Alivia, Michael, Niko, Andrew, Katrina, Alex K, Nick and Yannick!  Everyone at West Island Karate is proud of you!  This unbelievable photo of Nick catching his opponent in mid-air with a mae geri was taken by our very own Rickster.  You can see the rest of Rick's shots from the Gold Cup in his photo gallery.  Accompanying the photo is Sensei John's report on the tournament....

On March 10th, West Island Karate participated in the 2007 Gold Cup organized by Shihan Roman and the Ohan Brothers which took place at the Four Points Sheraton in Dorval.  We brought a small but spirited team of nine competitors ranging in age from 8 to 21 years old.  All our competitors had put in extra time training for this tournament, so they were well prepared.

The first match featured Duncan (blue belt) who fought with tremendous determination.  He was tired after several rounds of fighting, but was satisfied with his efforts.

Alivia (blue belt) was up next.  She was the least experienced in tournament sparring out of our entire team, but she did a great job preparing by training in extra classes.  She overcame some initial butterflies to go on past the first round...a tremendous effort!

Michael (yellow belt) was next.  Out of all the kids there representing our dojo, he was the most experienced.  He sat calmly waiting for his division to be called and never looked stressed.  Michael made it to the finals, but more importantly, he did it by showing actual combinations and set techniques.  He showed what karate is supposed to look like coming from a yellow belt.

Niko (green belt) was up next on the court featuring the higher belts.  He fought hard and continued fighting despite taking many sharp, low kicks to his legs.  He persevered and competed until the end.

After allowing her opponent to quickly tag her with a head kick and score a wazari (a half point), Katrina (blue belt / yellow bar) showed that she was not a quitter by flashing those high kicks of hers, almost tying up the match.

Andrew (yellow belt) showed the most courage of all the competitors, going into his category as the lightest fighter.  The next heaviest fighter, and his first challenger, weighed a full 40 pounds more than him!  Although Andrew is one of the smartest and most technical fighters in his class, he eventually lost out to physics.  His opponent was a strong, experienced fighter who simply had too much of a weight advantage.  Andrew fought valiantly until the end of the round, standing up and giving it his all.

Up next was Alexandra, a brown belt and veteran in semi-contact tournaments.  Everyone at the dojo knows of her intensity and commitment (ask her mom and she'll probably say that Alex should be "committed" - again you must ask Sue what she means by that!).  Alex went through her two matches with poise and came out on top, even though she was slowed down by congestion stemming from a recent cold.  Alex was also of great help coaching our competitors.

Yannick (orange belt), a beginner to the competition scene, along with Nick (blue belt) who has recently started training with us again after a short hiatus, both fought in the adult novice, semi-contact division.  They both won their bouts with kicks to the head and went on to the finals.  Both showed heart and sportsmanship.  Nick even managed to prevent his opponent from falling off the elevated main court that they were fighting on after forcing him to retreat out of bounds!

I am proud of all the competitors (and their parents) for putting forth such a great effort, competing hard and showing the class that we are known for at West Island Karate.  I would like to thank Ray and Sempai Steve, Sempai Patsy and Sempai Lia for helping out at the tournament, as well as all the students at our dojo who helped push our competitors in their training.  Many thanks also to the Ohan brothers and all their volunteers for doing a great job of organizing the tournament.  We all had a great time.  Finally I would like to thank Shihan Roman and all the referees and judges without whom there would have been no tournament.  Great job.  Osu!

Ah ha!  Like most of you, I was a little skeptical when I heard that Manon was taking an extended break from training due to an unfortunate "cross-country skiing accident"(?).  So I scoured the internet and turned up these photos!  Apparently Manon took her Kyokushin Karate skills to Hollywood and auditioned for "Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Part 2".  Unfortunately she broke her leg shooting the action sequence above and had to forfeit the part to someone named Angelina something-or-other.  Oh well, we wish Manon a speedy recovery.  Don't worry Manon...your spot in line will be right where you left it when you get back.  Please be careful with the "skiing" next time (and say hi to Brad from all of us here at West Island Karate...you know, he's really not that good looking).  Get well soon.  Osu!

Many thanks to Kevin Longpré (Certified Athletic Therapist and Osteopath) for a very informative (and fun) clinic.  He taught and demonstrated (with the help of a few "volunteers" :-)) various stretching exercises to be done before and  in particular AFTER training to help prevent injury.  He also showed us some core-strengthening exercises for the same purpose as well as to enhance athletic performance (and as you can see above, Sensei's Pilates skills were greatly enhanced :-)).  Much appreciated Kevin (and thanks to Sensei for organizing the clinic).  Osu!

If you'd like to get in some training BEFORE your day begins, we now have "early-bird" classes from 6:00 - 7:00 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.   These training sessions will be taught by Sempai Richard and all ages and levels are welcome.  Just don't forget your coffee (yawn). :-)

Today marked the beginning of a new annual tradition at West Island Karate...a dojo-wide New Year's training!  It was held at the Kirkland Arena and the turnout was excellent.  Students of all ages and ranks from both West Island Karate dojos came out for a challenging training session with Sensei John and his Sempais.  Thanks go out to Sensei Paul (of Shingitai Kyokushin Karate in Laplaine), Sensei Ron, Sempai Nancy and Sempai Natasha who took the time to join us as well.  Thank you to all the students that attended and many thanks to the parents for making the effort to bring their kids to this special training session.  Osu!