Estevan's Katelyn Zukewich, 10, put her years of karate training to the test at Walt Disney World earlier this month.
Katelyn, who will be entering Grade 6 at Spruce Ridge School in September, was one of approximately 1,500 martial artists from 40 different countries who competed in the 43rd annual US Open International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA)World Martial Arts Championships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, from July 7-9. The red belt martial arts student with Estevan's Vilcu Karate Club competed in six events, earning two first-place finishes in empty hand kata and point sparring as well as a second-place result in musical kata.
“It was much harder than what I expected it to be,” said Katelyn. “I practise a lot at home and I just used that and (won).”
Katelyn received the opportunity to attend the prestigious open martial arts championships thanks to former Estevan resident and Vilcu Karate Club student Pam Klatt, who is now a sensei with the Mikisew Karate Club in Nipawin. While a karate student doesn't normally attend a competition with members from another club, the Mikisew Karate Club had one person from their group cancel and Klatt thought of Katelyn.
At the US Open, Katelyn competed against six to 10 other karate students in each of her events. These disciplines included weapons kata, musical kata and empty hand or traditional kata, which are all detailed patterns of movements based on a fighting system, as well as open weight sparring, continuous sparring and point sparring.
“It's just punching and kicking,” said Katelyn, on what is involved with point sparring. “You have to either hit to the very top of the head or chest.”
For the past two years Katelyn has trained every Wednesday evening with sensei Harold Vilcu at Vilcu Karate Club. Over that time, she has participated in approximately 15 competitions earning eight first-place trophies, two second-place trophies, one third-place trophy, 13 gold medals, 11 silver medals and four bronze medals.
Katelyn said the US Open was a different challenge than the previous tournaments she has competed in due to the distance she had to travel to get there as well as the number of skilled participants in the event. She said that made the tournament much tougher, but she persevered and accomplished her goal.
“It was a really good experience,” she said. I'm going “to remember it for my entire life.”
