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2011
in Review
RMA ENDS 2011 WITH
A BANG - November 13,
2011
It was the last
competition of 2011 for the martial
artists of RMA Karate Centres in
Barrie. They
entered the Hershey
Centre in Mississauga early Saturday
morning (26th) to compete
alongside
their peers who had
traveled from across Ontario and the
United States.
RMA Karate instructor
Tressa Young moved up an age group to
compete in the adult women’s
divisions at the Toronto
Tournament of Martial Arts Champions
and despite being 16 years old, she
left her mark -
literally. The second degree
black belt competed in forms, weapons
and sparring
divisions winning 4 first
place and 2 second place
finishes. After winning her
first fight, the petite
girl of only 118 pounds
advanced to the final round..
The final fight to
determine who would take first place
had Young up against a competitor
from London
who wanted the win just
as bad and was able to answer every
kick and hit the Barrie native
gave.
Young literally left her
mark on the London fighter giving her
a bloody nose from a hit to the
face. The
return of exchanges
between the two gave the crowd a show
but Young ended up placing second in
the
adult women’s
fighting division after being
defeated 9-8. For her first
time competing in the adult
categories Young did well
for herself.
Advanced brown belt
Samantha M also proved that hard work
and dedication can pay off. The
13-
year-old pushed herself
beyond her limits to compete in the
Kung Fu divisions against seasoned
Kung
Fu practitioners.
Samantha had only learned her Kung Fu
form from her instructor (Tressa
Young) just
one week before but that
didn’t stop her from showing the
judges and her fellow competitors
what she
was capable of.
Samantha was all smiles after placing
2nd in the Kung Fu
division and went on to win
first in musical forms,
first in sparring, third in Korean
forms, fourth in traditional forms
and fifth in weapons.
Brooke Z has steadily
improved throughout the 2011
competition year and this recent
event was no
exception. The blue
belt placed third in musical forms,
third in sparring, fourth in weapons
and fourth in forms.
Red belt Ella Z, giving
her personal best in a division of 17
competitors placed fifth in weapons,
fifth in
sparring and was a
finalist in the forms division.
Blue belt Alysha S-P
continues to work hard and show
steady improvement. Half way
through the 2011
competition year the
13-year-old moved into the advanced
divisions proving to be a challenge
but not an
impossible feat to
overcome. She finished the year
winning first in sparring, fifth in
forms and fifth in weapons.
Red belt Keegan S-P held
his own in a division of 25
competitors placing fifth in weapons,
fifth in sparring
and was a finalist in the
forms division.
Red belt Asher A
continues to prove he can handle a
weapon placing third in weapons and
fifth in the
forms division.
Seven-year-old orange
belt Liam N who only recently joined
the RMA competition team, the
Northern
Dragons, performed with
confidence placing fifth in forms,
fifth in weapons and second in the
sparring division.
New to the competition
scene, orange belt Katie B was all
smiles when performing in her forms
and weapons
division finishing fifth.
“ All RMA martial
artists gave their personal best and
we are very proud of their
accomplishments in 2011
and at this
competition. They are amazing
to watch and it is our honour to help
guide them in their competition
journey through their
dedicated training at RMA”, head
instructor Craig Ridout said.
MARTIAL
ARTISTS COMPETE IN MISSISSAUGA -
November 13, 2011
8 RMA students attended
the Ontario Open Martial Arts
Championships promoted by East West
Karate owner Christina
Magliocco. The event with over
300 competitors was a well run
tournament giving the RMA
students a chance to show their
skills and give their best.
RMA instructor Sensei
Tressa Young gave everything she had
and her skills left her with the
results
she wanted. She won
first in every division including
musical open, musical weapons,
traditional forms,
traditional weapons and
point sparring. The second
degree black belt went on to compete
in the
junior black belt grands
division winning forms grand
champion.
Shodan-ho (advance brown)
belt Samantha M won first in four
divisions including musical open,
traditional weapons,
traditional forms and sparring.
She also won second place in the
musical open
weapons division.
Blue belt Alysha S-P won
second in sparring, seventh in
weapons and was a finalist in the
forms
division. Green belt
William M won first in sparring and
third in the forms division.
Red belt
Asher A won fifth place
in traditional
weapons. Keegan S-P won
second in sparring, fourth in
weapons and was a
finalist in the forms
division.
Orange belt Liam N won
second in sparring and was a finalist
in the forms and weapons
division.
Orange belt Sale B was a
finalist in the forms, weapons and
sparring division.
WORLD
CHAMPIONS COME HOME -November
5, 2011
It took 11 months of
serious training, one provincial
qualifier, one national team
qualifier
and a trip across the
Atlantic to reach their goals.
And these martial artists have
reached
their goals and more!
The athletes who train
out of RMA Karate Centres in Barrie
return to their home dojo
with plenty of hardware
dangling from their necks. They
attended the 2011 WKC world
karate championships in
Cadiz Spain where they competed among
the world’s top notch
martial artists from
England, Wales, United States,
Belgium, Austria, France, Germany and
so many more countries.
Lead by head instructor
Sensei Craig Ridout he stated he
couldn’t be more proud of their
accomplishments, not only
in the ring but out of it as
well. “They represented
our dojo, the
city of Barrie and our
country with dignity, class and
style”, Ridout stated.
RMA instructor Sensei
Tressa Young competed in 12 divisions
and kept her record of
competing in the most
divisions while earning a medal in
each category. From traditional
forms and musical extreme
forms to continuous sparring, Young
left little opportunity for
her competition to better
her. The second degree black
belt won 8 gold medals, 2 silver
medals and 2 bronze
medals.
Advanced brown belt
Samantha M also did extremely well
winning her first world champion
titles (gold). The
thirteen-year-old won 2 gold, 1
silver and 1 bronze medal.
Sixteen-year-old brown
Belt Tyler M-Z won bronze in
traditional weapons and his younger
sister, eleven-year-old
blue belt Brooke Z won bronze in the
Korean forms division.
Young who was invited to
perform at the closing ceremonies
stated she loved the experience
competition at the world
level gives her. “Yes I
love winning, I love improving and
competing
among my peers but what I
really love is seeing old friends
from other countries, making new
friends from across the
world and the happy memories I keep
with me forever. Nothing beats
that. Absolutely
nothing!”
NORTHERN
DRAGONS GIVES BEST-
September 26, 2011
Martial artists from RMA
Karate Centres in Barrie attended the
Ontario Grand Nationals competition
in London, Ontario this
past weekend (24th)
showing judges everything they are
made of and more.
Black belt instructor
Tressa Young won 4 first placements
despite suffering from an ankle
injury. The
second degree black belt
worked through the pain and while
wearing an ankle brace won first
place in
the traditional forms,
traditional weapons, creative weapons
and musical open forms. Young
also went
on later in the
competition to win Grand Champion
after competing with other first
place black belts
from the day’s
event.
Advance brown belt
Samantha M won 1st place
in musical weapons and was a finalist
in the traditional
weapons, forms and
sparring divisions.
Brown belt Tyler M-Z won
first place in traditional weapons
and fifth place in traditional
forms. Younger
sisters Brooke Z and Ella
Z also did well. Green belt
Brooke Z on second place
in sparring and fifth
place in both the
traditional weapons and traditional
forms divisions. Red belt Ella
Z won fourth place in
sparring and fifth place
in both the traditional weapons and
traditional forms divisions.
Red belt Asher A
continues to improve and impress
judges winning first place in the
sparring division and
third place in the
traditional weapons division.
Green belt William M won
first place in the sparring division
and fourth place in the traditional
forms division.
Blue belt Alysha S-P did
well competing in the underbelt
advance division placing as a
finalist in the
traditional forms,
traditional weapons and sparring
division. Younger brother
Keegan S-P, a red belt, also
did well placing fourth
in the sparring divisions and
finishing as a finalist in both the
traditional weapons and
traditional forms
divisions.
READY,
SET, KICK- September 11,
2011
Five athletes from RMA
Karate Centres continue to ready
themselves for the upcoming
World Karate and
Kickboxing Council (WKC) world
championships in Spain this November.
The four students along
with instructor and world champion
Tressa Young are excited about the
trip to Cadiz Spain where
they will be giving everything they
have to win a medal for Canada as
part of the WKC Canadian
national karate team.
Being part of the
national team is familiar to the five
athletes. Young is a 7 time
national team
member and 27 time world
medalist, Samantha MacDonald is a 3
time national team member
(4 x world medalist),
Tyler Maroudas-Zenon is a 2 time
national team member ( 1 x world
medalist) and Brooke
Zenon is a 2 time national team
member (1 x world medalist).
All
athletes have returned
home from previous world
championships with medals for Canada.
Second degree black belt
Tressa Young says it takes serious
training and dedication but more
importantly love for the
martial arts to work towards the goal
of being a national team
member.
"It’s a
competition for the best. First
the best in the province, then the
best in the nation and then
the best in the
world. The proof is in the
results. Everyone here gets the
results through their
training and
commitment”, Young stated.
The WKC world
championships run from November 1st
to 5th in Cadiz
Spain. MacDonald,
and the Zenons will be
holding several barbeques in Barrie
to help raise funds including
the upcoming bbq at
No Frills on Wellington Street
September 17th.
Young is offering
dedicated private, semi-private and
small group lessons in extreme
martial arts,
Wushu, sword, bo and more
to help earn enough money for the
trip.
KARATE
SCHOOL GETS NEW DIGS- August 24,
2011
For the last 6 years, RMA
Karate Centres has been located on
Steel Street in Barrie.
Head
Instructor Craig Ridout
decided to move the school from Steel
Street to 4 Alliance Blvd due
to the continued steady
growth of the school and need for a
larger training area.
“We don’t
advertise. It’s all by
word of mouth that our martial arts
school has outgrown its’
current location”,
Ridout stated. The school
opened 6 years ago with only 8
students and
500 square feet of
training area. Two years into
operation the family owned business
grew
900% having them take
over an adjoining second unit on
Steel Street doubling their training
space.
With 3 full time black
belt instructors, 2 part-time staff
and several volunteer assistant
instructors
the school continues to
attract all ages wanting to learn
martial arts and perhaps compete in
it as
well.
The attraction and
continued growth may be in part to
the school’s continued success
training
national and
international champions. For
the third year RMA has successfully
trained several
students who have
qualified and secured their spot on
the Canadian national sport karate
team.
Black belt instructor
Tressa Young is a 7 time national
team member also securing her spot on
the 2011 Canadian team
while also having a busy schedule
coaching a Wushu program,
competing monthly across
the United States and performing
stunt work for film and tv.
RMA begins classes at the
new digs on September 6th
after labour day weekend and as part
of
the new move is offering
free classes to a 2nd
family member when the first family
member joins.
The new facility at 4
Alliance Blvd is currently undergoing
slight remodelling and will have
larger
and better training space
with plenty of parking.
14
Earn Rank Advancements- August 2,
2011
14 area athletes earned
rank promotions at the quarterly exam
held on July 9th at RMA
Karate
Centres in Barrie.
The 14 passed their exam and were
presented with their new belt rank at
a
special ceremony on
Friday July 29th.
They include:
Advance Brown Belt Shodan
Ho - Jessica C
Red Belt - Mary Martha B
and Emily K
Orange Belt - Liam
N, Kassandra C and Isabelle R
Yellow Belt - Alex
B, Bradley N and Will K
Yellow Belt with white
stripe - Allison M
Half white and half
yellow belt - Lucas B, Kai E
and Ajete E
White belt with yellow
stripe - Austin N
2
More FROM RMA on National Team- July 27,
2011
Two more martial artist
from Barrie will be attending the WKC
world karate championships in Cadiz
Spain this fall.
Brooke Z along with older
brother Tyler M-Z will be joining
Tressa Young and Samantha M
on their journey to win
gold for Canada.
The martial artists train
out of RMA Karate Centres and
qualified for the WKC Canadian
national
karate team in May.
Siblings Tyler M-Z and
Brooke Z were on a stand-by list
meaning they were
alternates in case one of
the athletes from their division
would not be able to attend the world
championship
event. Tyler and
Brooke's family received the phone
call from Ottawa on Monday evening
much to the
delight of the
whole family and fellow RMA team
mates.
The who train out of RMA
Karate Centres continue to prepare
for the high-skill event and are
eager
to show the world their
talent. To learn more about the
5 heading to Spain call 705-716-8014.
RMA
POWER HOUSE-July 24, 2011
Several students from RMA
Karate Centres competed in the 2011
Power Nationals in London
this past weekend with
great results.
Advance brown belt
Samantha M placed first in
traditional weapons, fifth in
creative weapons and
fifth in traditional
kata.
Red Belt Asher A placed
first in traditional weapons, second
in sparring and fifth in traditional
kata.
Blue belt Alysha S-P
placed first in traditional weapons,
second in traditional kata and fourth
in
sparring. Younger
brother and red belt Keegan S-P
placed first in traditional kata,
first in sparring
and third in traditional
weapons.
Orange belt Sale B placed
third in traditional weapons and was
a finalist in both the traditional
kata
and sparring division.
Yellow belt Liam N placed
fifth in traditional weapons, fifth
in traditional kata and fifth in
sparring.
Black belt RMA instructor
Tressa Young placed first in
traditional weapons, first in
traditional kata,
first in musical open
forms, fifth in musical weapons and
fifth in sparring. Young also
went on to win
forms grand champion at
the event.
Young, a second degree
black belt will be traveling to the
United States and Ottawa for the next
three
weeks to train and teach
at several different martial arts
schools. Young received the
invitation in May
and considers it a big
compliment to be invited to teach
abroad.
BORDER
WARS FIGHTING CHAMPION-July 18, 2011
Second degree black belt
Tressa Young attended Windsor’s
Border
Wars competition where
martial artists from Ontario and
Michigan competed for top spot.
The
two from RMA Karate
Centres in Barrie put their training
to the test with first class results.
RMA instructor Tressa
Young placed first in the forms and
second in the weapons division.
It
was the sparring
divisions that she was eager to start
and travelled to Windsor for.
The trip proved
to be worth it as Young
won her preliminary fights going on
to advance in the grand champion
division. Fighting a
competitor from a heavier weight
class and twenty pounds more than her
tiny
frame of 118, Young was
patient moving around the ring and
exploding technique when given an
opening. Young
went on to win Border Wars
women’s sparring grand champion.
“It was a great
event to continue working on my
sparring skills coming up against
some amazing
fighters.
It’s what I need to ready myself
for the worlds in Spain this
fall” Young stated. Young
and fellow RMA student
Samantha M head to Cadiz Spain this
fall as part of the WKC
Canadian national karate
team.
Young have been attending
weekly 2-hour point-sparring training
sessions since January
at RMA on Sundays as part
of their preparation for North
American tournaments and the upcoming
world championships.
YOUNG
RANKS FIRST IN FIGHTING-July 5, 2011
Tressa Young continues to
ready herself for the upcoming WKC
world karate championships
in Spain this fall and
while doing so has managed to earn
herself another big
accomplishment.
Not only is Young ranked
first in the World Karate &
Kickboxing Council for Canada with
her fighting she is now
also ranked top fighter in the
USA. While continuing to
compete in both
Canada and the United
States, Young has moved herself up to
be ranked top fighter in the North
American Sport Karate
Association (NASKA) circuit for the
female black belt division age 16
& 17 years old.
Young, a second degree
black belt instructor at RMA Karate
Centres, recently attended the US
Open in Orlando, Florida
where her final fight went into
overtime. It was an exciting
match and the
crowd continued to cheer
with excitement as the 16 year old
planted cross-punches, 360 degree
spinning round house
kicks and more. Young’s
next tournament takes her to
Washington, DC
where she will continue
to fight her best to maintain her top
spot.
STUDENTS
BRING HOME TROPHIES-June 5, 2011
Black belt instructor
Tressa Young along with 5 RMA Karate
students were in Marlborough, MA
(Boston) this past
weekend (June 4 & 5) competing
among the best in the North American
Sport
Karate Association’s
(NASKA) event the New England Open.
Second degree black belt
Tressa Young did extremely well in
one of the toughest categories 16 to
17 year old black belts,
winning 2nd place in
traditional weapons, 2nd
place in traditional forms,
2nd place in
musical weapons, 3rd place
in point sparring and 4th
place in musical open forms.
Advanced brown belt
Samantha M won 1st place
in point sparring, 2nd
place in traditional forms,
3rd place in
musical weapons and 4th
place in traditional weapons.
Brown belt Tyler M-Z won
1st place in traditional
weapons, 1st place in
traditional forms and 1st
place in point sparring.
Brooke Z won 6th
place in musical open forms, 8th
place in traditional weapons and 5th
place in
traditional forms.
Ella Z won 2nd
place in point sparring, 5th
place in traditional weapons and 8th
place in traditional
forms.
In 2010, RMA instructor
Tressa Young was recruited by the
NASKA professional competition team
“Str8Up”
becoming part of their national
competition team competing across the
United States. While
Samantha has competed in
the USA before, for Tyler, Brooke and
Ella this was their first trip
to the United States
competing in a NASKA tournament and
they faired amazingly amongst top
competitors from across
North America.
NEW
BELTS FOR KARATE STUDENTS-May 28, 2011
The RMA Karate Centres in
Barrie had a grading last month
(April) and once again had great
results. With those
great results 37 students received
their new karate ranks at a special
ceremony
on Friday May 27th.
Receiving their new belt rank were:
White belt with orange
stripe: Peyton R and Devlyn M
Half white and half
yellow belt: Cara L, Zachary S,
Parker R, Bradley N and Ella B
Yellow Belt with white
stripe: Hunter R
Yellow Belt: Joshy
V, Eric M, Devin S, Julie W, Logan C,
Justin L, Brooklyn L, Rory C and
Sarah K
Orange Belt: Kyla
M, Jenna B, Nicolas B, Madeleine C,
Emily M, Sale B, Margaret D and
Daniel D
Red Belt: Ella Z
Green Belt: Maddy
V, Dave V, Braydon M, Wyatt S and
William M
Blue Belt: Brooke
Z, Alysha S-P and Tara R
Brown Belt: Tyler
Z and Jonathan B
BIG
NATIONAL WIN-May 24, 2011
Barrie martial arts
athletes brightly shined at the
recent WKC Canadian national karate
team
trials in Ottawa. Only
the top 4 from each respective
division made the national team to
represent Canada at the
WKC world karate championships in
Cadiz, Spain this fall. Three
martial artists from
local club RMA Karate Centres in
Barrie secured the required top
placement in several of
their divisions.
Leading the way in a
stellar performance was second degree
black belt and RMA instructor
Tressa Young. The
sixteen-year-old secured her spot on
the WKC Canadian national karate
team for the seventh time
after winning gold in seven divisions
including 13-17yrs female Korean
forms, 13-17yrs female
Chinese forms, 13-17yrs female
musical open forms, 13-17yrs female
traditional weapons,
13-17yrs female creative weapons,
16-17yrs female minus 60kg continuous
sparring and 16-17yrs
female minus 60kg point sparring.
Young also went on to win silver in
three other divisions
including 13-17yrs female traditional
forms, 13-17yrs female creative open
and 13-17yrs female
musical weapons. To finish the
team trials Young along with student
Jacob
G won a bronze medal in
creative team forms after their
performance with the Japanese sword.
For the third consecutive
year twelve-year-old Samantha M will
be wearing the WKC Canadian
national karate team
uniform proudly. The advanced
brown belt at RMA won silver in the
12
years and under female
Chinese forms, bronze in the 12 years
and under female Korean forms and
fourth place (team
alternate) in the 12 years and under
female plus 50kg point sparring.
Also making a respectable
showing at the national team trials
were brother and sister team Tyler
M-Z and Brooke
Z. Tyler placed 7th in 13-17yrs male
Korean forms, 8th in 13-17yrs male
Chinese forms and 10th in
13-17yrs male traditional weapons.
His younger sister Brooke
placed 5th in 12yrs & under
female Chinese forms, 5th in 12yrs
& under female Korean forms,
7th in 12yrs & under female
freestyle forms and 10th in 12yrs
& under female traditional
weapons.
With the support of their
instructors Tressa Young, Craig
Ridout and Linda Young, the two RMA
students on the national
karate team will be holding local
barbeques and other fundraising
events to
help offset the expense
of traveling and competing in
Spain. Each athlete is
responsible for their own
expenses which totals
approximately $2700 Canadian and
includes flight, accommodation and
entrance fees.
KIDS
KICKING IN KITCHENER-May 8, 2011
Several students from RMA
Karate Centres in Barrie traveled to
Kitchener to take part
in a tournament, the
Karate/Kung Fu Maynia. Fairly
new to competition and giving their
best were seven-year-old
Sale B and six-year-old Liam N who
did amazingly well.
Sale B, a yellow belt
with RMA, placed fifth in
weapons and fifth in sparring while
Liam N
also a yellow belt placed
second in sparring, fourth in weapons
and fifth in forms.
Red belt Keegan S-P
placed second in sparring and was a
finalist in weapons while older
sister and green belt
Alysha S-P placed fourth in sparring
and was a finalist in both the
forms and weapons
division.
Advanced brown belt
Samantha MacDonald placed second in
musical forms, third in
Wushu forms, third in
sparring, fourth in forms, fourth in
weapons and fourth in musical
weapons.
RMA instructor Tressa
Young along with students Samantha M,
Tyler Z and
Brooke Z will be headed
to our nation’s capitol on
Victoria long weekend to attend the
WKC Canadian national
karate team trials where they hope
their hard work will secure
a spot for them on the
2011 WKC Canadian national karate
team.
QUEBEC
SUCCESS-May
2, 2011
Black belt Tressa Young
along with students Jacob G and
William M traveled to Quebec
City the last weekend of
April to take part in North American
Sport Karate Association’s
event, the Quebec Open.
With thousands in
attendance the trio gave their best
and had
a
great time meeting other
competitors from across Europe, the
United States and Canada.
It was the first major
large scale event for William M who
found himself competing with top
martial artists who
traveled to the event like himself.
William gave his personal best
placing as
a finalist in the forms
and sparring divisions.
RMA instructor Tressa
Young gave a strong performance
winning first in traditional forms,
second in musical forms,
third in traditional weapons, third
in musical weapons and third in
point sparring.
Black belt instructor
Tressa Young will be attending the
WKC 2011 Canadian
national team trials May
long weekend in Ottawa.
RMA 5
HEADED TO OTTAWA-April 10, 2011
Several athletes who
train out of the RMA Karate Centres
in Barrie will be on a road trip to
Ottawa next month after
qualifying for a chance to vie for
their spot on the WKC Canadian
national karate
team. WKC Canada, the
Canadian division of the world karate
and kickboxing
council, will be hosting
the Canadian team trials in our
nation’s capitol where only the
top 4
athletes from their
respective divisions will qualify for
the team. Only the
top 8 martial artists
in their respective
divisions at the recently attended
provincial tryouts advanced to the
WKC
national team tryouts May
long weekend.
Second degree black belt
instructor Tressa Young, competing in
the 13 to 17 years female
divisions, won gold in
seven divisions including continuous
minus 60kg fighting, traditional hard
style forms, Chinese
forms, Korean forms, traditional
weapons, freestyle forms and extreme
forms. Young also
went on to win silver in three
divisions including minus 60kg point
fighting,
creative weapons and
musical weapons. The 16 year
old entered into 10 divisions blowing
the
competition away winning
a medal in every single division to
advance to the nationals.
Samantha M, shodan-ho
belt, competed in the 12 years and
under female division doing
amazingly well despite a
groin injury. The 12 year
old won gold in both the Korean forms
and
traditional weapons
divisions. She also went
on to win silver in musical weapons,
silver in
freestyle forms, silver
in extreme forms, bronze in Chinese
forms, bronze in plus 50kg
point
fighting and placed
fourth in traditional hard style
forms and creative weapons.
16 year old Tyler M-Z, a
purple belt, also competed in the 13
to 17 years male division entering
into six divisions.
Stepping outside his comfort zone, he
entered into several unfamiliar
events
performing quite
well. Tyler won silver in
traditional weapons and placed fourth
in Chinese forms,
fourth in Korean forms,
fourth in plus 75kg point sparring,
fifth in creative weapons and sixth
in
traditional hard style
forms.
10 year old green belt
Brooke Z competed in the 12 years and
under female division winning silver
in Korean forms, bronze
in freestyle forms and placed fourth
in both the Chinese forms and
traditional
weapons.
“Everyone did an
amazing job at the regional
trials. You have to remember
that while I am a black
belt competing among my
piers the others from our club are
not. These divisions were black
belt
divisions with the
ability for under belts (non black
belts) to enter. If you ask me,
they did a fantastic
job showing the black
belts just what they were made
of.” Young stated.
All five who attended the
regional trials advance in every
single division they entered into
with many
of them winning top
placement in most of the
divisions. A big accomplishment
for the Barrie 5 who
continue to kick their
way to the nation’s capitol and
hopefully Cadiz, Spain where the
world
championships take place
later this year.
BARRIE
BUSHIDO TREMENDOUS SUCCESS-March 13, 2011
With 30 martial arts
schools from across Ontario in
attendance and 295 competitors
giving their best
performance, the Barrie Bushido
Open’s inaugural event was a
tremendous success.
The weekend event held on
March 12th was promoted by
Tressa Young and Craig
Ridout of RMA Karate
Centres. It not only provided
great displays of high calibre
martial arts talent it
also gave examples of good
sportsmanship and family support.
“While the event was
primarily karate in nature with
divisions in musical forms,
traditional
forms, weapons and
sparring, we also had a dedicated
ring to the Chinese martial arts of
Wushu and Kung Fu”
Young said.
“It was great to
have so many schools and competitors
participate. We were blessed to
have experienced
volunteers on hand, professional
certified WKC (world karate &
kickboxing council)
judges and Chinese martial arts
judges to oversee their respective
rings.
I truly was impressed not
only by the numbers but also by the
conduct in which everyone
carried themselves. We
can’t wait for next year’s
event” Young continued.
To learn more about the Barrie
Bushido Open visit
www.rmakarate.com/BarrieBushidoOpen.html
RMA
WINNERS- March 6, 2011
Several contests were
held at RMA Karate Centres in the
month of February for the students
of the dojo. The
following are the results:
BARRIE BUSHIDO OPEN
DRAW WINNER
We held a contest for all
the students who registered for the
Barrie Bushido Open by February
28th to win
one night’s stay at the Ottawa
Delta hotel in Ottawa on Victoria Day
long weekend,
a $20 gas card along with
free admission to watch our RMA
students compete for their spot on
the Canadian National
Karate Team.
Congratulations to
Zachary S who won the contest!
Be sure to speak with a Sensei the
next
time you are in the dojo.
FITNESS CHALLENGE
WINNER
Congratulations to Sue M
who won our latest Fitness
Challenge. Sue wins $55 for
losing the
most inches and weight in
the winter Fitness challenge.
Sue be sure to speak with a Sensei
the
next time you are in the
dojo to pick up your prize.
NEW
STUDENT/REFERRAL CONTEST WINNER
We held a contest for the
month of February where new students
who joined in that month and
current students who
referred a new student who joined in
that month, had their name entered
into
a draw to win a $50 gas
card.
Congratulations to Devlyn
who won the $50 gas card. Be
sure to pick up your gas card the
next
time you are in!
TROPHIES
EARNED BY RMA MARTIAL ARTISTS-February 28,
2011
Seven Barrie martial
artists excelled when they took on
the best and gained the respect of
their
opponents this past
weekend (Feb 25/26). Head
instructor Craig Ridout said each of
the seven
who train at RMA Karate
Centres earned top placement with
their performance and dedication
showing that they were
top class .
“I can’t say
enough about our competition team,
the Northern Dragons, and how proud I
am of
their dedication, work
ethic and how well they carry
themselves among other competitors.
Not
only do they give their
best resulting in top placement but
they also show respect for their
fellow
competitors carrying
themselves as true ladies and
gentlemen” Ridout boasted.
At the Ontario Provincial
Open in Hamilton where competitors
from across Canada and the
United States attended
there was no doubt that RMA Karate
Centres of Barrie left their mark.
Brown belt Samantha M
placed first in sparring, second in
kata and fifth in both the
traditional
weapons and musical
weapons division.
Purple belt Tyler M-Z
placed second in weapons and fifth in
kata. Brooke Z, a green belt,
placed first in kata,
fourth in sparring and fifth in
weapons. Brooke Z went on to compete
in the
underbelt grand
championship giving a strong
performance finishing as a finalist.
This was Brooke
Z's first grand
championship run off and she did
amazingly well giving her best.
Ella Z placed third in
sparring, fourth in weapons and fifth
in kata. New to the
competition
team red belt William M
gave a strong showing placing first
sparring.
RMA instructor second
degree black belt Tressa Young
travelled to Ontario, California
(USA)
competing in the North
American Sport Karate
Association’s Compete
Nationals. Despite a
knee injury from her
previous weekend’s second degree
black belt testing, Young performed
well
placing second in
traditional kata, second in musical
weapons, second in musical forms,
third in
sparring and fourth in
traditional weapons.
RMA
BLACK BELT MOVES UP A GRADE- February 19,
2011
Sixteen-year-old Tressa
Young tested for her second degree
black belt on the family day
long weekend at her home
dojo of RMA Karate Centres in
Barrie. The RMA instructor
had to demonstrate all
basic karate techniques, physical
fitness and knowledge of the martial
arts forms. The
arduous grading included performing
all katas (forms) forward and
backward
along with explaining the
application for every single movement
in the forms.
Knowledge of the history
of the martial arts including Kobudo
(weapons) were demonstrated
to the grading
panel. Along with high
proficiency of technique, kata and
sparring, Young also
had to demonstrate proper
black belt instruction procedures,
stretching techniques and injury
prevention.
The grading finished with Young
having to protect herself from
attacks she was both familiar
and unfamiliar with. The
five-hour grading left her with a
swollen knee, sore back and a huge
smile on her face.
The grading panel
unanimously agreed to promote Tressa
Young to the black belt level of
NIDAN (2nd
degree).
After a short rest Young
will be headed to Los Angeles for a
major North American Sport
Karate Association
competition on the 25th of
this month.
RMA
CELEBRATES NEW BELT SUCCESS-February 4,
2011
RMA Karate Centres of
Barrie is celebrating as it now has
17 new higher ranking belts
among its members. The
martial arts school located in the
north east end of Barrie, has
seen 17 of its students
graduate to their next belt rank
after undergoing a strenuous
testing last month.
The students ranging in
age from 3 years to adult were all
smiles after being presented with
their new belts from
black belt instructors Craig Ridout,
Linda Young and Tressa Young.
Receiving their new rank
were:
Cadance S-P and
Peyton R to white belt with yellow
stripe
Maggie B to white
belt with orange stripe.
Justin R, Eric M and
Ally M to half white and half yellow
belt.
Margaret D, Daniel D,
Noah D, Sam G and Kassandra C to
yellow belt.
Aden A, Kaite B,
Mary-Martha B and Alex H to Orange
belt.
Keegan S-P to red
belt.
Samantha M to second
brown belt.
YOUNG LEAVES
MARK ON CHI-TOWN-January
31, 2011
Black belt Tressa Young
visited the windy city of Chicago
this past weekend competing at the
North
American Sport Karate
Association’s event, The AKA
Grands. The large event attracting
over 400
black belts gave Young
the opportunity to test her new forms
resulting in great success.
The 16-year-old who
trains and teaches out of RMA Karate
Centres in Barrie finished second in
traditional kata, third
in point sparring, fourth in
traditional weapons, fourth in
musical open forms and
fourth in musical
weapons.
Young is headed to Los
Angeles at the end of February for
another competition where she will be
among other high skilled
black belts from across the United
States.
STUDENTS GET A
KICK OUT OF COMPETITION-
January 23, 2011
Seven students from RMA
Karate Centres along with their
instructor Tressa Young triumphed at
the
Crispin Shi-Ai in Acton
on the weekend (Sunday January
23). Brown belt Samantha M won
first
place in all three
divisions she entered coming home
with trophies in the kata, weapons
and sparring
divisions.
Purple belt Tyler M-Z was
all smiles after winning first place
in sparring,.
first place in weapons
and second place in kata.
Green belt Brooke Z won fourth
place in weapons,
fifth place kata and
fifth place in the sparring
division.
Red belt Braydon M gave
his best performance to date winning
second place in sparring, second
place
in kata and fifh place in
weapons. Orange belt Ella Z won
fifth place in all three divisions
entered kata,
weapons and
sparring. Orange belt Asher A
won third place in all three
divisions of kata, weapons
and sparring.
Black belt instructor
Tressa Young competed in the sparring
division at the event to help ready
her
fighting for her upcoming
trip to Chicago at the end of the
month. The warm-up proved to be
worthwhile with Young
winning first place in the division.
With the first tournament
of the year under their belts, 2011
promises to be an exciting one for
the
competition team members
of RMA.
RMA
INSTRUCTOR CO-PROMOTES EVENT-January 19,
2011
RMA instructor Tressa
Young is a familiar name in Barrie
having represented Canada 6 times at
the
world karate
championships as part of the WKC
Canadian national karate team and
bringing home
a total of 27 world
championship medals. In 2010
alone the first degree black belt won
128 trophies
after attending 19
martial arts tournaments across the
globe.
Well 2011 promises to be
even more exciting for Young as she
instructs Wushu at her home club
RMA Karate Centres.
“Wushu is new to Barrie and I
want to share my knowledge of the
Chinese
martial art to the
community. While it may
be new to Barrie, Wushu is the
national sport of China
and has been made famous
by actors Jet Li and Jackie
Chan”, Young stated.
The international
competitor not only has taken on the
Wushu program to teach to Barrie
residents,
she is also co-promoting
a martial arts tournament, The Barrie
Bushido Open, March 12th
and will
be on YTV this spring on
the television series Splatalot
alongside one of her students Tyler
Maroudas-Zenon.
“I have a busy year
ahead of me but I love the challenge
and I truly enjoy bringing martial
arts to the
community.
The Wushu program is a great
class at a great price and the
tournament is something I really
look forward to.
Having high calibre martial artists
and their families visiting Barrie
from across Canada
and the United States is
a great way to show everyone in town
the cream of the crop while also
showing
those visiting just how
great our city is. I am
fortunate to be able to be a
co-promoter learning the business
end of the sport
involving marketing, securing
sponsorship and organizing
volunteers. I’m only 16
but my
years of competitive
experience and fundraising is a
positive attribute to have for this
task.”
To learn more about the
Wushu program or the upcoming
tournament visit the programs page of
this website
or call 705-716-8014.
2011
COMPETITION TEAM ANNOUNCED-January 6, 2011
RMA Karate Centres
announced it’s competition team
for the new year. The
competition team called the
Northern Dragons is
comprised of eleven martial artists
who will be traveling across Canada
and the United
States representing
Simcoe County and it’s club RMA.
From recognized
international world champion Tressa
Young to new competitor orange
belt Asher A, the
martial arts competition
team training out of RMA Karate in
Barrie is ready to take on the 2011
season. As
official Northern Dragons
members they receive free weekly
training to help prepare them for
their upcoming
competitions including
this month’s Crispin shi-ai in
Acton and AKA Grands in Chicago.
The 2011 Northern Dragons
martial arts competition team
consists of black belt Tressa Young,
brown belt
Samantha M, purple belt
Tyler M-Z, green belt Brooke Z, green
belt Alysha S-P, red
belt Braydon M, red belt
William M, orange belt Ella Z, orange
belt Keegan S-P and orange belt Asher
A.
.
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Proud
Member of
World
Karate & Kickboxing
Council
Canada
The
Canadian Martial
Arts
AssociationCopyright©
2005 RMA Karate Centres.
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