This year the Ingram's competitive team traveled to the AAU National championships in Ft. Lauderdale, FL beginning on July 5, 2023. This was a multiple day event that brought qualifiers from across the nation together to test their skills and compete for the National titles in Kata (forms), Kobudo (weapons), and Kumite (sparring).
Team Ingram's is no stranger to strong competition; for decades the sensei and athletes at Ingram's have been showing strength at local and state AAU Karate tournaments as well as the season ender national event. The 2023 season was no different, team Ingram's entered the first competitive event in January and each month this year the athletes at Ingram's trained and competed to qualify for entry into the national championships.
The coaches and Sensei work together to make sure the Ingram's athletes are mentally and physically prepared to bring their best performance at these competitive events.
We are so proud of our team for the hard work and the determination that they showed in preparation for this event. Some members of our team have been returning year after year to compete and further their knowledge and skills, while other team members enjoyed their first ever season of competitive events.
Every athlete on the Ingram's team has worked so hard to become a stronger martial artist and we're so proud of them!
Winning a national championship is no small feat, and team Ingram's is proud to say that with our medal count we are ranked as #3 in the nation this year. Team Ingram's came away with 32 GOLD, 19 SILVER, and 31 BRONZE for a total medal count of 82!
In fact, Ingram's is proud to boast that we had 4 of our athletes competing in finals. Sensei Lane Bache, Sensei Mikey Molinero, Sensei Ashton Hanna, and Sensei Jacob Little were all featured on stage in Finals and not only represented our dojo with pride, but also helped to continue to spotlight Isshinryu and the WUIKA as a strong force in the competitive karate community.
Competition helps youth and teen athletes to stay committed to their training and gives them a positive path toward achieving success and adult competitors find that it provides an enticing set of goals to keep training feeling fun and fresh. It's what drives them to keep pressing forward and working on strengthening weaknesses, overcoming obstacles, and working through challenges. These are not just skills that help them in the ring, but in life as well.
Competition is not a mandatory aspect of training at Ingram's Karate, but those who endeavor to compete find that it is a fun way to bring their training to the next level.
Our next stop will be competition in Gatlinburg, TN on Saturday July 15th, where our team will enter an Isshinryu specific competiton. We can't wait to share with you all of the highlights from the Gatlinburg event, which has become a competitor favorite over the years.
We're also excited to announce that four Ingram's sensei are headed to Dundee, Scotland to compete on the USA national team. Sensei Daetyn Lett, Sensei Angee Hastings, Sensei Kyandra Valle and Sensei Jacob Little will face off against competitors from other countries for the chance at a world title!
It's certainly an exciting time here at Ingram's Karate center, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Team sign-ups will open up in the fall so that we can begin preparing for the 2024 season.
If you're interested in joining one of the top competitive teams in the nation be sure to talk to your sensei about how to get involved; it's not only for those with years of experience, all ages and ranks are welcome to join and we encourage students to begin competition early on in their training because there's no better time than now to learn about reaching for new goals!
We'll see you on the mats!
~Sensei Jen Davenport
Comments