USA Chapter Tournament Report

The first World Martial Arts Peace King Cup USA Open Tournament was held at the UTS in Barrytown, New York on Sunday 30th May 2004. The peaceful setting of the seminary was graced by a beautiful day, with plenty of sun and cool temperatures. Competitors came from as far away as California, Florida, Chicago, and Washington DC, with large contingents from UTS and Tarrytown, and a handful from the University of Bridgeport. Many competitors had just completed a grueling weeklong Tong-Il Moo-Do seminar and had participated in a demonstration at the seminary’s open house the day before.The tournament began with the presentation of the competitors and judges and welcoming remarks from Dr. Tyler Hendricks, president of the UTS. Dr. Hendricks was presented with a Tong-Il Moo-Do uniform and an honorary black belt. The competitors offered up their dedication to the way of Tong-Il Moo-Do in an opening pledge. Then competition began in earnest starting with the forms competition.

In the individual form competition there were three divisions separated by age, elementary school, middle school, and high school/adult. In the elementary school division Ye-Shin Tsumagari took first place and Aaron Jackson second. Third place was initially a tie between Soon-Mi Sugihara and Sean Jackson. They both presented their form again. Their performances were almost identical, but Soon-Mi edged out Sean on technique and balance. In the middle school division Franklin Self took first place with a well-disciplined presentation. A close second was Akyoshi Shimizu, with Ommi Shimizu taking third place. In the adult division Sanghoon Mudget took first place with a well-executed performance of Cham Kajong Eui Bon. Three teams participated in the team form competition. Kimikami Miyake’s team took first place with an entertaining and creative piece involving weapons, individual skill and good choreography. Sanghoon Mudget and partner took second with a well-synchronized left and right Gajung Gyohoi Eui Bon.

Following the individual form competition was a breaking competition. In the middle school division Heylen Tsumagari took first, Sean Jackson second and Aaron Jackson third. In the adult division there were two stunning performances. Yuichi Satoh's jumping side-kick over nine people was narrowly edged out by Shota Iwaski's demolition of five concrete blocks. Afterwards he said he really felt God's spirit and power in his performanceЃcand he didn't even break his elbow!

After a break for lunch, which also allowed some time to walk around the grounds of the seminary, competition resumed with semi-full contact free sparring. The results, determined by a points system, were as follows:

1st -3rd Grades: 1st-Sarah Sensini 2nd-Allune Gaye 3rd-Yusuke Jackson 4-5th Grades: 1st-Aaron Jackson 2nd-Sean Jackson 3rd- Ye-shin Tsumagari Middle School Boys: 1st-Chinam Tomeda 2nd-Akiyoshi Shimizu 3rd-Franklin Self Middle School girls: 1st-Heylan Tsumagari 2nd-Jeung-il Tsumagari 3rd-Alex Sensini Adult/High School Light Weight: 1st-Praditt Hong Dee 2nd-Renkoh Kato 3rd-Shorin Kajikuri Adult/High School Middle & Heavy Weight: 1st-Luis Carreno 2nd-Sanghoon Mudgett 3rd-Yuichi Satoh Grand Champion- Luis Carreno

The highlight of the free sparring was definitely the semifinal bout between Luis Carreno and Kimihira Miyake in the middle and heavy weight division. They were very evenly matched both in punching/kicking and in ground techniques/grappling. It was a hard fought battle. Kimihira was mostly on the offensive with Luis hanging back looking for the quick counterattack kick, perhaps a legacy of his Taekwon Do training. At the end of regular time it was a draw on points. After the first extended time period it was still a draw. Both competitors were now getting very tired. At the end of the second extension it was still a draw. The judges consulted, but could not agree on a clear winner. Both competitors agreed to continue with a "sudden death," first point wins, situation. In this final period Luis fast counter kicking paid of and he scored the first point to win the match. In order to give Luis some time to recover and prepare for his next fight the crowd was entertained with a demonstration of some self-defense techniques. Luis then went on to win his next two matches to become the grand champion.

At the closing ceremony Joshua Cotter, president of World CARP USA, was on hand to present the trophies. He was also awarded a Tong-Il Moo-Do uniform and honorary black belt. He vowed to work on earning it too. Master Takahashi was also awarded a plaque for his long time service to Tong-Il Moo-Do. We then shared dinner together to end the day.