ESTEVAN — The first-ever martial arts summit in Estevan brought clubs from the southeast together to showcase the sport’s different disciplines.
Robert Blowatt, with Genki Martial Arts, said 26 people registered for the Aug. 23 event at the Nicholson Centre, but including students from the clubs and a few drop-in spectators, he estimates 60-65 people attended over the course of the day. Most registrants were new to the sport. He said the instructors and senseis delivered strong demonstrations.
“A lot of good interaction from the crowd and participants,” said Blowatt. “It was very cool. It was great seeing the exposure. Hopefully it spreads the word to send martial arts to big things in the area.”
Cesar Alvarez, who runs the CA TKD (Taekwon-do) Academy, and Carlos Peraza, operator of the Red Dragon Hawaiian Kenpo club, are two Oxbow instructors who started the day. George Kingdon ran a Kali seminar teaching the Filipino martial arts discipline to wrap up the morning.
The afternoon featured Estevan Taekwon-Do Club members, followed by Isaac Vilcu from Vilcu’s Karate Club in Estevan and Weyburn. Tom Tomlety presented judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Blowatt wrapped up the day by promoting Shotokan karate and American-style kickboxing.
“It was great to see so many clubs get together to demonstrate and give some exposure to the locals and say ‘Hey, southeast Saskatchewan has some really top-notch clubs out here.’ The martial artists themselves introduced their skills and then got participants involved, saying it was fully interactive.”
It gave spectators a chance to see what the clubs are all about, he said.
“A lot of the people that registered are curious about martial arts. They want to get into martial arts, but they're not sure what they want to do. So, this is the perfect time to come and check it out. There were seven different styles out here.”
With fall registration around the corner, the event happened at the perfect time for people to make a decision.
“It promotes martial arts. It spreads awareness and exposure and shows people there’s a lot more to it than kicking and punching. There’s the philosophy behind it. There’s the lifestyle and how much martial arts can improve your life through balance, discipline, commitment and dedication. There’s so much involved.”
One style isn’t better than another, he said, and no club is superior to others.
Blowatt hopes the event can return next year with more clubs participating.
“People said, ‘Yeah, let’s shoot for next year, let’s do it again,’ and hopefully the word gets out, and it becomes a bigger event,” he said.
Many of the clubs are very inclusive, Blowatt added. Newcomers are seen as equals and are respected. Participants go at their own pace.
“You learn as you feel comfortable doing it. At the same time, they’re there to challenge you, to push your limits, if you’re willing to go the distance. It’s just an amazing thing.”
