Beaver Valley karate practitioners returned from the Chito-Ryu Friendship tournament last weekend in Penticton with outstanding results.
Veteran and first-time competitors comprised B.V.’s six-person contingent that ended up taking home a very impressive five medals for individual and team katas.
Fruitvale’s Macy Verigin led the way, scoring the highest kata in the tournament with a total of 18.8 to capture the gold.
She then teamed up with Meagan Campsall and Tyson Nelson for the team kata, where all three individuals simultaneously attempt to perform a kata in perfect synchronicity. The Beaver Valley Chito-Ryu trio performed a very special kata, Shi Ho Hai, done for the spring solstice and for the coming of the cherry blossom festival.
“I could tell their practice of visualization techniques helped them achieve their excellent mark . . . and with a final score of 18.2 it was the silver medal performance . . . (They were) only two-tenths of a point away from the gold medalists, who were two grades above them and really, really in synch,” said Sensei Scott Hutcheson.
Isabella Henderson contended in her first tournament and won a bronze medal in her division after suffering a four-stitch cut on her chin from an earlier exhibition. Carson McIntyre and T. J. Murdoch also competed in their first tournament and came away with good performances.
“It was a great experience for them to travel and meet with new people and they both achieved their own goals,” Hutcheson said.
Campsall just missed the podium with a respectable fourth place finish in her kata, and Nelson also came close with a fifth placing.
“I am very proud of these students, they represented their Dojo and their community with honor,” added Hutcheson.