Ishinryu Karate Echuca brought home a big medal haul from Wodonga.
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The Albury Wodonga Karate Championships were held on Sunday and Ishinryu Karate Echuca made its mark on the competition.
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The dojo sent nine students to the championships, competing among 83 total athletes in a variety of disciplines and age groups.
All aspects of the sport were on show, with sparring (kumite), form (kata) and weapon demonstration disciplines contested.
The dojo brought home five gold, three silver and five bronze medals from the event.
The most impressive team result came in the traditional forms (kata), 10 to 12 years event, where the dojo swept all three places on the podium.
Ishinryu Karate Echuca students Macy O’Dwyer, Aki Quintos and Victoria Illig swept the podium in the 10 to 12 years elite traditional forms event.
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Victoria Illig won the event ahead of Macy O’Dwyer and Aki Quintos.
Kata is an individual routine involving the demonstration of effective techniques.
The club founder, sensei Tamara Davies, was overjoyed with the school’s strong performance.
“We came away with some phenomenal results, for which we’re so proud of our kids,” she said.
“They did absolutely awesome, a lot of them coming away with multiple medals.”
Davies, who started training at age 4, opened the school as a 17-year-old and is now watching her own kids compete for the first time.
Son Dustin, 8, grabbed bronze in the 7 to 9 years male development point sparring, while daughter Delilah, 6, won the under-7 years female event, also scoring bronze in under-7 flag karate.
“I couldn’t be prouder seeing them following in a sport I love and believe in so much,” Davies said.
“I started competing at age 7 and had my parents by my side.
“Now doing the same with my babies is such an amazing experience.”
Sensei Tamara Davies watched her kids compete for the first time.
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Ishinryu (meaning ‘all one heart’) Karate Echuca holds training every Monday and Wednesday at 91a Ogilvie Ave, Echuca from 6 to 7pm and is open to students aged 4-plus.
Davies believes strongly in the benefits of karate for kids.
“One of the things that I think about karate is there are two sports that will teach you to save your life: one of them is swimming, one of them is karate,” she said.
“We always go, kids have to learn to swim, that is so important, but we forget about everything else that happens out of the water.
“Teaching the child to be able to defend themselves, carry themselves with confidence, and believe in themselves is a huge part in developing a child.
“(Competitions are) really amazing because they experience different emotions, things like adrenaline, things like anxieties.
“It opens them up to feeling those things in a safe way and realising how to regulate that emotion, realising that they’re in a safe place.
“It’s really cool to watch kids go through those emotional journeys.”
Ishinryu will also hold its annual super seminar, featuring six guest instructors from around Victoria, from October 3 to 5.
To find out more about Ishinryu Karate Echuca, contact Tamara on 0458 317 458 or visit Ishinryu Karate Echuca TDK on Facebook.
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