Caliguri's Academy martial artists earn top finishes at world championships

Competitors from Caliguri’s Academy of Martial Arts in Lower Burrell marched into the USAMA world karate championships looking to add some hardware.

Grandmaster Frank Caliguri, Master Nancy Caliguri and their daughter and instructor Kelli Caliguri helped coordinate the tournament, which was held in Chicago. They guided four students to first-place finishes.

“It was an honor,” Frank Caliguri said. “Our school actually took second place for best school last year for the competition in the United States Association of Martial Arts, which is the big national organization we belong to.”

Frank, a 10th-degree black belt, and his wife Nancy Caliguri, a ninth-degree black belt, have combined for more than 100 years in martial arts. Kelli also is an accomplished women’s national champion.

It is estimated that there are only a few dozen people with a 10th-degree rank and about 50 for ninth-degree worldwide. Frank Caliguri said he loves seeing students follow in their footsteps.

Mark Dinsmore of New Kensington claimed first place in forms and tacked on a first-place finish in weapons and sparring. He was also the advance men’s grand champion. Laura Dinsmore, also of New Kensington, earned first place in forms and weapons and second place in sparring.

“Mark and his wife, Laura, they’re both top competitors for the Academy,” Frank Caliguri said. “They always win the first or second, normally, but have finished first lately. Both of them are in the advanced divisions. … They’re holding a lot of awards there from the world tournament.”

Zachary Fry, who is in a master’s program to become a doctor and just wrapped up his undergrad at Allegheny, also took home awards. He was proud of Dinsmore capturing a grand championship.

“Mark, he’s an awesome guy,” Fry said. “He’s so much fun to hang out with. He’s really funny. He has one of the best, chill attitudes I’ve ever seen in martial arts. He goes in there, and he just wants to have fun and I love seeing him compete because he makes real good friends real fast. It’s always fun watching him too.”

Fry took first place in black belt sparring. He fought for the black belt grand championship and lost in a close match by one point. He also took fourth place in weapons and forms.

“That was great seeing him out there,” Frank Caliguri said. “He’s a super guy, too. He’s a real nice guy. He has no cockiness, and he’s down to earth. All the students love it when he teaches them, and so I was glad to see him do so well. We’re really proud of Zach and all of our students on a competition team that’s involved in doing real well.”

Fry, a third-degree black belt, also teaches at the academy. He was grateful for the opportunity to compete on a national stage.

“I never actually got in the world, so going there and winning in sparring is a pretty awesome first experience to do, and I did pretty well in weapons and forms,” Fry said. “I was pretty happy with it. Any of those fights are always really exciting. I love meeting new people. It’s cool sparring new people and seeing what different styles they have and how they make their sparring work, and how they fight. It’s always just a fun experience.”

Connor O’Sullivan, a brown belt entering his junior year at Burrell, was happy to see so much success.

“I love seeing our dojo do awesome in general,” O’Sullivan said. “Even if they don’t, it’s still nice to see everyone compete and have a good time.”

O’Sullivan took first place in brown belt sparring, second place for forms and Chanbara and third place in weapons.

“He fought really well,” Fry said. “I watched his match pretty closely. I actually judged his match for sparring, and it was a really good fight. He had some really good techniques and skills that I’m happy to say I helped with. He’s been really growing, and I’m very proud about where he is, and where he’s going. I think he’s going to continue to be pretty great here.”

Caliguri is proud of his growth.

“He’s come a long way,” Frank Caliguri said. “He was a little dragon when he started at 5 years old. He was a real small kid. Now he’s 5-11. He really sprouted up. He was really laid back when he was young, and now he’s really aggressive. He’s come to life, and he’s doing well. He’s been cleaning up at the tournaments.”

O’Sullivan, who is a brown belt, is proud of himself and said he’s grateful for the support he gets from karate.

“I’ve had a lot of fun in karate,” O’Sullivan said. “I’ve learned a lot of new things. I’ve definitely learned how to throw a punch, but I’ve made lots of friends along the way. Some quit, but that’s all part of it. People find new things, but I still keep in contact with them. … I’m now the highest ranking belt that isn’t black belt, and the people here are just a lot of fun in general.”

The Karate community is what Fry loves the most about the dojo.

“They’ve been like a second family my entire life, so I know that they’re always supportive,” Fry said. “I’m happy to say that I enjoy my time around them, and they are always there. They’re always willing to help. If I stay after class for 30 minutes, they’ll stick around and help me out.… It’s really comforting knowing that I always have them to fall back on if I feel like I didn’t do as well as I could have. They’re always there to help me do better.”

O’Sullivan added that karate has made an impact in his life.

“The dignity and honor has really helped me,” O’Sullivan said. “I had a bit of an anger issue when I was kid, and it’s really helped me solve through that and I’ve just been getting better overall with socializing with other people.”

Caliguri, who started teaching in the late 1960s, is proud of everyone involved at the academy and is grateful for Nancy and Kelli and their work with the students.

Fry also enjoys getting a chance to launch others to new heights.

“I can’t say enough how much I love teaching and helping my students out,” Fry said. “I’ve always said it’s like I had such a good experience growing up with it. I want to be able to give that to some other people and watch them grow and succeed.”

Frank Caliguri is proud of all the students at the dojo, which will host the Pennsylvania Karate Championships on Nov. 15 at the Quality Inn in New Kensington.

“We’re excited to see what we’re teaching them is helping them,” he said. “As well as that, the people who don’t place, as long as they try hard, we can help them grow. All the students are important to us. Competition is not mandatory at the school, and we love seeing them do martial arts. Those who compete, we try to get them to the top of competition.”