A-K Valley residents fare well at annual karate championship tournament

It was a celebration of martial arts throughout Pennsylvania and beyond as hundreds of competitors from across the state and throughout the country descended on Valley High School earlier this month for the 47th annual Pennsylvania Karate Championships.

Frank Caliguri, event co-organizer, said he was pleased with the spirit of competition at the tournament, which began in 1972 and is the second-oldest tournament of its type in the United States.

Martial artists from ages 5 and younger to 50 years and older competed for top honors in several styles and forms in the open-tournament format.

Eliminations took place in kata, sparring, forms, weapons and self-defense, and three from Caliguri’s Academy of Martial Arts in Lower Burrell captured grand champion trophies in their respective divisions for total points accumulated.

Earning grand champion status were Leechburg’s Zachary Fry (junior black belt: first in kata, sparing, weapons, self-defense and chanbara), Sarver’s Jasmine Lobaugh (12-13 advanced: first in self-defense, kata and sparring; second in weapons; and third in chanbara), and Vandergrift’s Racquel Broda (10-12 novice: first in self-defense, kata and chanbara).

Fry (13-17 advanced), Lobaugh, Lower Burrell’s Robert O’Sullivan (men advanced) and Leechburg’s Aidan Reed (12 and under novice) also were recognized as state champions for total points earned in their respective divisions at tournaments throughout the 2019 season that began at last year’s karate championships at Valley.

One of the area’s top martial artists, Murrysville’s Jose Rivera, won the top prize in masters kata (59 and under). He was joined by other top masters, including grandmaster Bruce Heilman, a Reading resident, who placed first in masters weapons kata (60 and over).

Results

Local residents from Caliguri’s Academy of Martial Arts, Lower Burrell

Zach Fry, junior black belt – 1st in kata, sparring, weapons, self-defense, chanbara

Christian Sullivan, junior black belt – 2nd in sparring

Anthony Barbieri, 13-14 brown belt – 1st in kata, 3rd in weapons and sparring

Dillon O’Leary, 13-14 brown belt – 2nd in sparring and self defense, 3rd in chanbara, 4th in weapons and kata

DJ Smalling, 16-17 brown belt – 1st in kata, 4th in sparring

Jasmine Lobaugh, 12-13 advanced – 1st in self-defense, kata and sparring, 2nd in weapons, 3rd in chanbara.

Robert O’Sullivan, men advanced – 3rd in kata and weapons

Aidan Reed, 12-13 advanced – 3rd in sparring and kata

Joey Kuhel, 12-13 advanced – 4th in chanbara, 5th in kata

Gavin Peters, 10-12 advanced – 3rd in kata

Connor O’Sullivan, 10-12 advanced – 1st in chanbara, 4th in weapons, 6th in self-defense

Julia Kuhel, 8-10 advanced – 3rd in chanbara, 4th in sparring, 5th in kata

Haley Gage, 10-12 novice – 6th in sparring

Racquel Broda, 10-12 novice – 1st in self-defense, kata and chanbara

Madison Frayer, 10-12 novice – 2nd in chanbara and sparring

Alishar Karimor, 10-12 novice – 3rd in sparring, 5th in kata

Leonna Votquenne, 10-12 novice – 8th in chanbara

Paige Sopchack, 7-8 novice – 5th in kata

Hannah Resick, 6 and under novice – 2nd in kata

Laila Lobaugh, 6 and under novice – 1st in kata and chanbara, 2nd in sparring

Gio Campbell, 6 and under novice – 8th in sparring