September 2, 2009

READY FOR WORLD STAGE

Two local girls are raring to go and ready to meet fellow competitors from dozens of countries as they prepare
for their trip to the 2009 WKC world karate championships in Dublin, Ireland this October.  

The 2 who train under Sensei Craig Ridout at RMA Karate Centres in Barrie having been preparing for this
moment and are excited about the trip where they will represent their country as part of the national sport karate team.  

14 year old black belt Tressa Young, a 5 time national team member will be competing in 6 divisions and 11 year old
purple belt Samantha Macdonaldfirst time team members, will be competing in one division each.   Since securing their
spot on the national team Young and Macdonald have been busy readying themselves for the international event.   

The championships will see the girls on a world stage competing among black belts.  The all black belt event rarely has
underbelts competing but that didn't stop MacDonald from earning their spot on the Canadian team and from wanting
to win gold for Canada.  

Not only have the girls been attending regular training sessions, they have taken on the extra step to receive dedicated
competition training with Ridout while also fundraising to cover the cost of the flight, accommodation and entrance fees.  

The girls have received partial sponsorship from a few local companies helping them with their fundraising efforts. 
Tressa Young and Samantha MacDonald continue their efforts as the pair still need to meet another $1200 each to have
their goals met.  

If any individual or company would like to sponsor or donate to the pair's fundraising need please call 716-8014 or email sensei@rmakarate.com.