VADIM IS PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION! 9/4/09

El Salvador. A 67-Athlete USA Karate Team traveled to the capital city of San Salvador to compete in the 2009 Jr. Pan-American Karate Championships. Having earned a spot at USA Team Trials in Ft. Lauderdale, FL this July, TKC student Vadim Moskalenko competed in his 13-year old kumite kilo division.

Sensei Robert Bronisevsky who was officiating as both kata (forms) & kumite (fighting) Judge there call to report that Vadim Moskalenko became the 2009 Jr. Pan-American Champion with his Gold Medal performance in kumite (fighting).

Blow-by-blow... Round 1 - [USA vs. BYE] Vadim had one of the two byes in this large, hotly-contested 30-athlete field (2 brackets). This allowed him the opportunity to watch and scout his opponents a little.
Round 2 - [USA vs. Columbia] After both regulation time and Sai Shiai (extension match time) expired, both fighters were tied. Vadim won the Hantei (decision) by a score of 3:1 vs. the fighter from Columbia.
Round 3 (Quarter Finals) - [USA vs. VENEZUELA] Again, after ending regulation time in tie, Vadim's scoring drives are too much for the Venezuelan fighter; he wins 4:1 in Sai Shiai and advances into the Semi-Final rounds.
Round 4 (Semi Finals) - [USA vs. BRAZIL] Moving into the championship ring with the entire 67-athlete USA Team (plus coaches & delegation leaders) following earnestly, Vadim ended regulation time in, yes... you guessed it - a tie score. In Sai Shiai, he took command over the Brazilian fighter scored a 3:0 victory to gain a berth in the championship match.
Round 5 (Finals) - [USA vs. EL SALVADOR] In this championship final fight vs. the El Salvadorian hometown competitor, Vadim was in his zone. As was the case in his 3 prior matches, at the end of regulation time, it was a 4:4 tie. During regulation time, the El Salvadorian fighter was strategicly moving into Vadim's scoring punches to exploit the rules about NO hand-to-head contact. Subsequently, Vadim's penalties escalated to Hansoku Chui (3rd violation... 1 away from disqualification). But even with a total of 3 penalty points going to the hometown fighter for contact violations, Vadim's ability to score quickly brought him to even as time regulation time ran out. The volume of screaming at the match was deafening with the El Salvadorian's supporting their fighter and the USA entourage screaming "Vaaa-dim! Vaaa-dim! Vaaa-dim!!!" Once again, inSai Shiai, Vadim could smell victory and turned it up a notch excellerating to a 5:1 win. USA wins GOLD!!! Vadim is Pan-American Champion!!!
Fellow New Yorker Brandon Lopez from Queens (Shihan Herb Wiles' Harajuku Dojo) captured the Bronze Medal!

Let's all congradulate Sensei Robert Bronisevsky for elevating both is PKF Kata Official's license to Judge "C" and his PKF Kumite license to Judge "B". Fantastic work Sensei Rob!

To view photos from the trip, visit our blog: http://www.tkcsportkarate.blogspot.com/.

TEAM TKC OF MOSKALENKO, DISTEFANO & CUCHRAN FLY HIGH 5/3/09

Lewisville, Colorado.

TKC Team members Nick DiStefano (15), Vadim Moskalenko (13) & Matej Cuchran (16) traveled to Colorado to compete in the Rocky Mountain Open accompanied by Sensei Robert Bronisevsky (PanAmerican Official). In fact, the New York City area was represented by both athletes and officials from most of the city's boroughs.

Starting off the action, Vadim Moskalenko worked his way through the 12-13 y.o. boys advanced kumite division to a 1st Place finish. Said Bronisevsky-sensei, "Vadim was very focused and worked our plan. The altitude was a factor for each athlete but Vadim was focused and didn't let it derail his goal."

Next up was Nick DiStefano in the 14-15 y.o. boys advanced kumite division. Like Vadim, Nick also followed his game plan through to the finals; however, several late penalties resulted in a 2nd Place finish.

Matej Cuchran was up next in the first of two individual divisions he was to compete in - 16-17 y.o. boys advanced kumite. Matej, like teammates Moskalenko & DiStefano, navigated his way through the division into the final match. Unfortunately he was too late adjusting his tactics to even the score by match end and he finished 2nd Place.

Having had opportunity to warm up in his age bracket, Matej challenged himself against all takers in the men's advanced kumite division. Tournament officials opted for an "open division" rather than kilo divisions to offer competitors more match opportunities rather than have small divisions per weight. Against opponents of all sizes, the quick, lean 16 year old advanced to semi-finals and secured a 3rd Place finish.

As a side note: Matej has been living in New York as a foreign exchange student from Slovakia. Back home, he is a member of the Slovakian Junior National Karate Team. With his competition experiences in the USA, Matej is working to keep fit and ready to return to Slovakia and attempt to be selected for this his national team as an athlete in the 2009 WKF Junior World Championship in Moraco (November).

The final test for our athetes was the Team Kumite division in which each of the boys had opportunity to increase their number of matches - building much needed experience for future development. Their line-up pitted Moskalenko, DiStefano and Cuchran, as the anchor for the team, against teams mostly from areas from Colorado to California. As was the case for much of the day, Team TKC succeeded in rising to the top of their division, making it to the finals. Unfortunately, their final division ended NOT in the 1st Place send-off they had hoped for. After an opening round victory by Vadim Moskalenko, Nick DiStefano kept the point- margin low in his second round loss. With one win & one loss; a 6-6 point tie in the running point totals; and Cuchran having the agressive advantage (in the case of a tie with a decission) in his match; all that was needed was a win or tie by Cuchran to secure victory - that was not to be. Matej lost the final team match and Team TKC finished 2nd Place overall.

On the competition's official's side of the day, TKC's Robert Bronisevsky-sensei was a chief referee for the WKF divisions that were contested. Having been personally invited by tournament hosts Fareba & Cyrus Madoni, he did not disappoint them with his level of skill, authority and professionalism in the ring.

The TKC dojo family should be extremely proud of our Warriors for representing us to such a high standard especially given the unfamiliar obstacle to competing at such a high altitude! Congratulations to Sensei Robert and the boys for their 5 trophies and a job done well!

As mentioned, Matej Cuchran is only one month away from returning home to Slovakia and his national team. For Vadim Moskalenko and Nick DiStefano they are several months away from competing for national gold in July. Additionally, both athletes have been earned berths to compete in the upcoming IKGA World Championships in Cape Town, South Africa (October 2009) as members of Team USA. Nick DiStefano has prior experience at IKGA World Championships where, as a Blue Belt amongst Black Belts, he was defeated in a horribly officiated semi-final match. Now that he's older, better conditioned and more experienced, Nick should be in better to improve his outcome.

TEAM TKC Members Qualify For National Championships 4/26/09

Hempstead, Long Island, NY - Sunday, April 26, 2009

29 members of TKC Team competed in the Long Island RSO to qualify for the USA-National Karatedo Federation's 2009 National Championships to be held July 17th ~ 19th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In an avalanche of medals winning performances, TKC ended the day with 40 medals: 17 Gold; 13 Silver & 10 Bronze!!!

RESULTS ARE:
Max Hong - GOLD (kata)
Gabriella Meringolo - BRONZE (kata) & BRONZE (kumite)
Kenny Caselnova - GOLD (kumite) & SILVER (kata)
Brianne Oliva - SILVER (kata) & SILVER (kumite)
Gianna Buttermark - GOLD (kumite) & SILVER (kata)
Kaylen Hong - GOLD (kata) & SILVER (kumite)
Hassan Diarra - SILVER (kata)
Michael O'Brien - 4th Place in both
Jonathan Urbina - SILVER (kata)
Melinda Spahiu - GOLD (kata) & GOLD (kumite)
Alfred Alava - GOLD (kata)
Martin Alava - BRONZE (kata)
Nicolas Meringolo - SILVER (kata)
Andrew Urbina - BRONZE (kata)
Catherine Zerbo - BRONZE (kata) & BRONZE (kumite)
Christina Meier - BRONZE(kata) & SILVER (kumite)
Corinne Rosita - GOLD (kata)
Kirstin Bronisevsky - BRONZE (kumite)
Kimberly Meier - GOLD (kumite) & SILVER (kata)
Vadim Moskalenko - BRONZE (kata)
Robert Rosita - GOLD (kata)
Kassandra Vallejo - SILVER (kumite)
Rachel Velez - GOLD (kata) & GOLD (kumite)
Nicholas DiStefano - BRONZE (kumite)
Matthew Tesoriero - SILVER (kata)
JohnJames Tesoriero - qualified without competing due to injury
Michael Scibor - GOLD (kata) & SILVER (kumite)
Janice Gonzalez - GOLD (kata) & GOLD (kumite)
Michael Buttermark, Shihan - GOLD (kata)

Congratulations to all of our team members but as a reminder - this was only a qualifier and not the nationals! It's time to dig down deep and get serious about training for the real deal... NATIONALS!

Moskalenko & Cuchran Both Medal in US OPEN! 4/5/09

Las Vegas, Nevada

TKC's Vadim Moskalenko become our first athlete to earn a medal at the prestigous US Open - an international 'Golden League' event.

After warming up his skills just two days earlier in the NKF's Junior Olympics, Vadim continued his winning ways and rose to the top places of his international division. When all was done, Vadim Moskalenko had earned TKC's 1st US Open Tournament award - a Bronze Medal!

Matej Cuchran also competed extremely well but came up one match short as he lost in the Bronze Medal match.

TKC Senior Staff are proud of both athletes and particularly to Vadim for putting us on the victory stand for the first time at this special event!

Bronisevsky & Johnson Senseis Advance Official Licenses 4/5/09

Las Vegas, Nevada

In the midst of the NKF's huge undertaking of 3 competitions (2 international...) in 3 days, they had first held judges and referee license courses. TKC senseis, Robert Bronisevsky and Torsten ("TJ") Johnson both participated, were tested (written) and were evaluated (in 'the field' of competition) by WKF officials, their results are as follows:

Torsten Johnson was elevated from a USA-NKF "B" Referee to an "A" Referee - this is the highest national license for an official.

Robert Bronisevsky was elevated from a USA-NKF "A" Referee to a Pan-American International (PKF) "C" Judge License.

Note to all who are unfamiliar with this process, officials must assend the ranks 'rung-by-rung' to go to higher licenses. From national (NKF) to Continential (PKF) to Global (WKF), the highest. It takes a great amount of commitment, knowledge & insight to go to the higher 'rungs' - qualities that each possess & qualities that each passes onto the students of TKC dojo.

CONGRATULATIONS SENSEIS ON THIS FANTASTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT!!! ...YOU DO US ALL PROUD!!!

Moskalenko & Cuchran Medal in Junior Olympics! 4/3/09

Las Vegas, Nevada

TKC representatives Vadim Moskalenko and Matej Cuchran each won medals in large, hotly contested divisions at the USA-National Karatedo Federation's Junior Olympics.

Moskalenko's division had 40 top Black Belt teen athletes enjoying this warm-up to the US Open. When the dust had settled, Vadim had lost only one of his five matches and was the Bronze Medalist for the 13-year old Black Belts.

In the 16-year old Black Belt competition, Matej Cuchran had Gold in sight and Gold nearly in hand until he was disqualified for excessive contact in the championship bout. Matej was awarded the Silver Medal.

TKC senior staff is very proud of these two athletes that for their fortitude and determination to improve their game!

TKC Team Excells At 2nd NYTKL Tourney The Year. 3/29/09

At the Al Oerta Recreational Center in Flushing, Queens

14 TKC Warriors competed in the 2nd of 5 scheduled 2009 competitions in the New York Traditional Karate League, the results are as follows:

Oliva, Brianne 1st in Kata; 3rd in Kumite

Meringolo, Gabriella 2nd in Kata; 2nd in Kumite

Caselnova, Kenny 1st in Kata; 3rd in Kumite

O'Brien, Michael 1st in Kata; 1st in Kumite

Buttermark, Gianna 2nd in Kata

Zerbo, Catherine 1st in Kata; 1st in Kumite

Meier, Christina 1st in Kata; 3rd in Kumite

Meringolo, Nicolas 1st in Kata; 2nd in Kumite

Meier, Kimberly 1st in Kata; 2nd in Kumite

Moskalenko, Vadim 2nd in Kata

Bronisevsky, Kirstin 5th in Kata

Velez, Rachel 1st in Kata; 1st in Kumite

Cuchran, Matej 1st in 16 - 17 Advanced Kumite; 2nd in Men's 18 - 34 Advanced Kumite

Gonzalez, Janice 1st in Kata; 1st in Kumite

TKC senior staff is very proud of entire team. We had newer athletes competing for us and our veterans helped them along wonderfully. We took top-3 honor in 24 out of a possible 27 divisions!

TKC Team Makes Impression At 1st NYTKL Tourney This Year. 3/8/09

Queens College March 8, 2009

11 TKC Warriors represented us in the first of five scheduled tournaments in the New York Traditional Karate League. Our 11 athletes garnered 14 out of a possible 19 entered divisions.

Top honors went to:
Nic Meringolo with 1st place finishes in both kata & kumite.

Brianne Oliva, Catherine Zerbo & Janice Gonzalez: each with 1st in kata; 2nd in kumite.

Brother and sister, Robby & Cori Rosita each took 1st in their respective kata divisions.

Michael O'Brien finished 2nd in kata; 3rd in kumite.

Sisters, Kimberly & Christina Meier each took 2nd in their kata groups.

Fighters, Vadim Moskalenko & Nich DiStefano fell victim to questionable point calling (omissions...) in early matches.

TKC senior staff our extremely proud of each one of our athletes for competing well but always demonstrating the essence of good sportsmanship.

TKC Staff & Students Attend IKGA Camp in Vancouver, BC 8/17/08

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The entire senior teaching staff of TKC and 5 students attended a 3-day technical semimar of the IKGA North American Bloc at the Simon Fraser University campus. Donna Gardecki-sensei of the West Coast Gojukai dojo hosted this event in which Grandmaster Goshi Yamaguchi and Master Shigeki Yamada instructed those in attendance with an incredibly impressive display of knowledge, insights and proficiency in the Gojuryu Karatedo system. In fact, much of this seminar echoed the teachings found in Grandmaster Yamaguchi's new 2-DVD set: Traditional Goju-Ryu Techniques Vol. 1 & 2. These DVD's demonstration a sample of the wealth of knowledge the author has amassed in his 61-year career in the martial arts.

In addition to the seminar, meetings of the North American IKGA Bloc were held; technical classes for instructors of IKGA were conducted; and an awards banquet/sayonna party was held.

Six members of TKC, including Robert-sensei, tested successfully on their promotion exams. The results are as follows:

Robert Bronisevsky-sensei to Yondan Jokyo (4th Degree Black Belt - Instructor)

Konstantin Ozerinsky to Nidan Jun Shidoin (2nd Degree Black Belt - Associate Instructor)

RJ Porzio to Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt)

Michael Scibor to Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt)

John-James Tesoriero to Shodan Junior (1st Degree Black Belt - under age 16)

Nicholas DiStefano to Shodan Junior (1st Degree Black Belt - under age 16)

In additional to promotions, the Bloc as a whole was praised for the increased knowledge and proficiency of its members. Particular accolades were given to the USA members from TKC dojo.

All the senior staff members were very satisfied with the course, level of instruction, grading outcomes, and the professionalism and work ethics of our students.

TEAM TKC Dominates in National Championships 7/20/08

Houston, Texas July 18th ~ 20th, 2008

20 young, talented athletes represented Traditional Karate Center (TKC) and Staten Island in the USA-National Karatedo Federation’s 2008 National Karate Championships and USA Karate Team Trials at the George R. Brown Convention Center in the heart of downtown Houston. These athletes were a broad spectrum of beginner, novice, intermediate and advanced level male and female athletes ranging in age from 6 ~ 16 years old.

Day One…

During day one of the competition, contestants competed in kata, or forms, divisions and team kata divisions. Brianne Oliva started the day with a strong performance in the 6-girls beginner division. Her coach, Sensei Mike Buttermark was astonished by the low scoring. “Even though it was the very first division of the competition in that ring, and she drew an early start (3rd), my opinion is that the scoring was very critic and even stingy. I was encouraged by the fact that her fellow beginner competitors were of a high quality; however, I believe her scores were too low and as a results, I was shocked with her scoring only a 5th placement.”

The medals began to roll in as Hassan Diarra earned a Silver medal in the 7-boys beginner division for his kata: Gekkisai dai Ichi. Michael O’Brien finished a very respectable 4th place behind his teammate.

Melinda Spahiu – 3-time past National Champion - grabbed a Bronze medal in the 8-girls intermediate kata division with her performance of Saifa.

The medal count picked up and turned golden as our 9-year olds took the rings. The Alava twins, Martin and Alfred, both strong kata competitors vying in the boys novice level, each fell victim to a huge division and early starting positions. They each placed respectably around 8th ~ 10th in the end. Meanwhile in the 9-girls beginner division, Catherine “Cat” Zerbo struck Gold with her Gekkisai Dai Ichi Kata. Then 3-time past National Champion, Nicolas Meringolo, ran away with his Gold medal by a wide margin for his Seipai Kata in the 9-boys intermediate division.

Teammates Corinne Rosita and Christina Meier, both competing in the 10-girls beginner division finished with Silver and Bronze, respectively, after leading the entire division until the last competitor.

Our 12-year olds struck Gold as well on day one. Past National champion, Robert Rosita earned Gold at the intermediate level as Kassandra Vallejo earned her Gold in the beginner girls kata. 2-time National champion, Vadim Moskalenko (boys advanced), 1-time National Champ, Kirstin Bronisevsky (girls advanced) and newcomer, Kimberly Meier (girls novice) placed very respectfully in top-10 positions but out of medal contention.

3-time National Champ, John James Tesoriero (13 boys advanced & 12/13-PanAmerican Team Trials) placed in the 5th ~ 8th range in both of his divisions. With clear knowledge of what it will take for him to return to medal contention, JJ is already mapping out his path to the podium next year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In the 14-boys intermediate kata, Matthew Tesoriero improved on his last year’s Bronze medal finish with Silver in Houston.

Rounding off the last of day one’s individual; competitors, Rytyl Jay (“RJ”) Porzio, competing in the 16-boys advanced division finished in 10th place.

Our team’s finale for day one of Nationals was TKC New York, vying for Gold in the 9 & under boys team kata division verses an impressive, all-Black Belt team from Hawaii performing Rohai Kata. Our three Brown Belts, Martin and Alfred Alava and Nicolas Meringolo pulled out the victory by 2-tenths of a point and taking home their Gold medals.

Day one’s medal count was 12 total: 7 Gold; 3 Silver; and 2 Bronze.

Day Two…

Saturday, July 19th came and with it were the kumite, or fighting, divisions. All divisions, sans the advanced divisions from ages 12 through 34, fought to the final pairings (Gold & Silver to be determined on Sunday morning).

Teammates Gabriella Meringolo and Brianne Oliva started the day with a strong fighting in the 6-girls beginner division. Gabby fought extremely well but lost on penalties due to excessive head contact spoiling a Gold/Silver slug-out with Oliva. Oliva defeated several opponents to make the finals Gold/Silver match on Sunday morning.

Our 7-year olds, Hassan Diarra and Michael O’Brien both lost elimination matches by a point in the final seconds of play. Diarra was eliminated in round two.

In the 8-year old rings, Melinda Spahiu easily outclassed her division with a handful of wide-margin victories over a talented field of athletes to earn a spot in the finals for a 3rd consecutive year.

Our 9-year olds took the rings. The Alava twins, Martin Alava and Alfred Alava, both showed marked improvement in their composure and fighting prowess. After a bye in round one, Alfred lost in his second round bout. Older twin brother Martin was bested in round three after a round-1 bye and winning his second round match.

Meanwhile in the 9-girls beginner division, Catherine “Cat” Zerbo marched through her opponents with ease en route to a Sunday morning championship match for all the marbles.

Defending National Champion, Nicolas Meringolo, competing in his third Nationals, skillfully navigated around quality, determined opponents to score a date with the Sunday morning final match in the 9-boys intermediate division.

Corinne Rosita, known better for her kata performance competed very solidly in her match erasing a 4-point deficit to draw even in her bout. Several last minute scores put the match out of reach in the closing seconds. Teammate, Christina Meier, had “what it took” to put her in the 10-girls beginner division finale on Sunday.

Robert Rosita fought to a Bronze medal in his 12-boys intermediate division as Kassandra Vallejo earned her Gold in the 12-girls beginner girls kumite. 2-time National champion, Vadim Moskalenko (12-boys advanced) fought through a large, quality Black Belt division to capture his 3rd National title in kumite.

Former National Champ, Kirstin Bronisevsky, competed in the 12-girls advanced divisions despite only having a Brown Belt rank. Kirstin’s weekend was a learning opportunity that should pay off with golden dividends in the very near future. She’s has all the right tools; however, her opponents have many years of experience in the advanced divisions. As quickly as she is advancing in her fighting skills, she’ll be giving all the girls very strong competition next year for sure.

Kimberly Meier (12-girls novice) was not satisfied with her lack of a medal on day one (kata) and was single-minded in her pursuit of notching a spot in the Sunday finals. With three consecutive victories, her hard work paid off – she was guaranteed no less than Silver. Only Sunday’s match would determine the outcome of her dream.

John James Tesoriero (13 boys advanced) placed in the 9th ~ 16th range in his division. With only a short interval since healing from a lingering foot injury, his focus this nationals was on his kata performances. JJ kept a positive outlook on his experience at nationals this year. Humbly, he was glad to see his older brother Matthew overshadow him for a change.

Nicholas DiStefano (14-boys advanced) and “RJ” Porzio (16-boys advanced) competed in both their individual age Open divisions (in parenthesis above) and in PKF Team selection categories (on Sunday). DiStefano captured the Silver in his 14-boys advanced category on Saturday.

Note: the 12 ~ 17 advance kumite divisions all fought all final matches on Day Two to avoid conflicts in the PKF divisions which were contested on Day Three.

Day Two of Nationals ended with our team’s Saturday count as 4 completed medals and 6 guaranteed medals: 2 Gold; 1 Silver; 1 Bronze; and 6 finals Gold/Silver matches would be contested on Sunday morning to determine their outcome.

Day Three (final day)

The final day of competition left us with 6 final matches to settle and 4 competitors vying to make the USA Junior Karate Team in their respective weight categories. Also, TKC students entered into the Okinawan Kata divisions competed.

Final outcomes from Saturday eliminations are (in order of division):

Brianne Oliva – Gold medal/National Champion in 6-girls beginner.

Melinda Spahiu - Gold medal/National Champion for the 3rd consecutive nationals – this year as an 8-girls intermediate (although she’s only a Blue Belt).

Nicolas Meringolo - Gold medal/National Champion for the 2nd consecutive year – now as a 9-boys intermediate.

Catherine “Cat” Zerbo – Gold medal/National Champion in 9-girls beginner.

Christina Meier – Silver medal in 10-girls beginner.

Kimberly Meier – Silver medal in 12-girls novice.

In Pan-American Karatedo Federation (PKF) Team Trials, our squad of four (Kirstin, Nick D. RJ and Vadim) all fought well in their respective kilo divisions. Both DiStefano and Bronisevsky captured Bronze medals. RJ Porzio, suffering from a mild concussion from his loss to the eventual Gold medalist, lost his Bronze medal match. RJ won the respect of all at his ring by gutting out his match despite being not fully recovered from the heel contact to his skull by an overzealous hook kick. In fact, the champion defeated every opponent by wide margins except in his bout with RJ.

Vadim Moskalenko was also very poised for a fighting competing plagued with three injuries: a dislocated finger, a bone-bruised heel, and a very recent, draining stomach virus that zapped him of much of his usually stamina.

Coach Sensei Robert Bronisevsky noted, “If Vadim wasn’t in as superb condition as he was – due to his preparation for nationals – he wouldn’t have been able to complete his matches without running out of air.”

In Okinawan Kata, the results are as follows:

Brianne Oliva – 9 & under girl beginner/novice – Gold.

Michael O’Brien – 9 & under boys beginner/novice – 5th Place.

Hassan Diarra – 9 & under boys beginner/novice – 4th Place.

Alfred Alava – 9 & under boys beginner/novice – Silver.

Martin Alava – 9 & under boys beginner/novice – Bronze.

Nicolas Meringolo – 9 & under boys intermediate/advanced – Gold. Note about the level and prowess of his competition: Nicolas bested 11-time national champion (USA-NKF and the AAU) Alejandro Cepera of Miami, Florida. Alejandro is an extremely talented, formidable opponent who challenged Nicolas to his limits.

Catherine “Cat” Zerbo – 9 & under girls beginner/novice – Silver.

Corinne Rosita – 10 ~ 12 girls beginner/novice – 4th Place.

Christina Meier – 10 ~ 12 girls beginner/novice – 5th Place.

Kimberly Meier – 10 ~ 12 girls beginner/novice – Bronze.

Kassandra Vallejo – 10 ~ 12 girls beginner/novice – 6th Place.

Robert Rosita – 10 ~ 12 boys intermediate/advanced – Gold. Robby bested a large field with more than a half dozen current and former National Kata Champions. As in his 12-boys intermediate division, he drew an early start but held on to the lead throughout the field due to his blazing speed and precision movements.

Coach Sensei Mike Buttermark said, “Robby’s performances were very dynamic! That’s what it takes to win; dynamic performance and the proper kata selection.”

Kirstin Bronisevsky – 10 ~ 12 girls intermediate/advanced – 4th Place.

Day Three’s medal count was 9 total: 3 Gold; 2 Silver; and 4 Bronze. This was not counting the resulting finals matches from Saturday’s elimination bouts: 4 Gold and 2 Silver.

Points of View:

Each athlete’s preparation was paramount to keeping them healthy, safe and overwhelming successful. They never ran out of stamina and they were each more able to be clear-minded while competing.

They were knowledgeable about the rules of competition.

They were professional in their conduct in all phases of competition. They commanded the respect of their peers and the tournament officials. Even our athletes who did not medal were extremely positive about their performances and results.

Kata selection was better suited for each division than in years past. They were very dynamic and exact.

Parental behavior was exceptional. Everyone cheered for one another and supported each athlete to the fullest. This is what we were striving for.

Priorities were correct: all business until the competition was completed – then play!

Fundraising was not fully utilized by the team members.

Team sponsorship was better than years past.

Competition rules are evolving to conform to Olympic (future) formatting. I.e. Kilo breakdowns for kumite are becoming more Olympic retrofitted.

Kumite rules are evolving to create a more level competitive playing field internationally. I.e. head contact with kicks.

Kata selection is becoming broader scoped. You must consider kata outside of your core system that complement the athlete’s strengths and still have credibility amongst the officials.

Sensei TJ Johnson earned his USA-NKF B-Level Referee License in Houston.

Sensei Robert Bronisevsky was invited to the Pan-American Karatedo Federation (PKF) Junior Championships in Chile this fall as part of the American delegation.

Sensei Michael Buttermark earned his National Coaches Certification in Houston.

We are still waiting to hear if Nick DiStefano will be named to the USA Karate Team for the PKF Junior Championships in Chile.

All three TKC senior instructors agree that this team surpassed our expectations by a huge margin. [We are realistically mindful that the nation’s economic state (recession, or near-recession) impacted participation at nationals. This year’s number of competitors was down to 1,300 with over 5,000 matches contested. Regardless, the level of proficiency was very high for those who attended – our athletes performed exemplary at all levels: beginner, novice, intermediate and advanced.]

Total Medal Count for Team TKC:

GOLD = 16

SILVER = 8

BRONZE = 7

TOTAL MEDALS = 31

TOP-10 Finishes = 56


TKC's current National Championship medal count is 156 and growing!!! Anyone in the New York/New Jersey region interested in our program should contact Sensei Mike Buttermark at: 718.981-3139.