Martial arts tourney coming to area
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 7, 1999
MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / August 7, 1999
LAPLACE – For the third straight year, Unified Tae Kwon Do in LaPlace is hosting the Louisiana State Open Championship at the Glade Junior High Saturday, Aug. 14.Competition begins at 10 a.m. The championships are open to all styles ofmartial arts and is open to all members of the community.
Master Kirt Robertson, owner of Unified Tae Kwon Do, said schools from around the state will be coming to compete. There will also be schoolsfrom Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida.
Robertson said the competition not only gives the competitors a chance to show off their skills but also to learn skills pertaining to life.
“It’s a big martial arts tournament,” Robertson said. “Children and adultsfrom all over to use their skills not only for winning and receiving awards but also for a learning experience.
“They come to learn. Coming to the tournament gives them more self-esteem and discipline. They have a lot more determination. They might beable to get over a hump they can’t in the classroom. And they get to meetother people from other schools. That us the main thing the tournament isall about.”Admission to the tournament is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Children under 5 are admitted free.Robertson invites the public to come out and see this different form of sport. There will be a number of demonstrations during the day, includinga weapons.
“The biggest thing from an instructor’s standpoint is that I would like to have the community come out and discover what is going on,” Robertson said. To see a kid as young as 4 and an adult as old as 60 and the mutualrespect they have for each other. I believe it’s one of the sports that hasone of the most respect between peers.
“We invite the community to come see an alternative sports style,” Robertson continued. “There are a lot of demonstrations, a lot of thingsthey don’t see other than on television in their own backyard.”Robertson said the tournament has had an excellent tournament each of the past two years.
Besides the competition between the individual competitors, there is a competition between the teams. The team or school that amounts the mostpoints throughout the competitions during the day receives the Louisiana State trophy. The team that wins the trophy holds it for one year andreturns it the following year unless it defends its title.
The competition also allows competitors in the Louisiana Karate League, which Unified is a member of, to gain points for the year-end awards banquet.
For more information on the Third Annual Louisiana State Open Championships call Unified Tae Kwon Do at 653-0156.
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