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By LAUREN ROTH lroth@leader.net
Sunday, March 16, 2003 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE – Daniel Weisenbacher says he’s really not very good at
karate. But the Cranmore, N.J., 15-year-old travels around the eastern
seaboard because tournaments have an upbeat, energetic vibe.
“You come, you pay, you compete in anything you want,” explained his
friend Charles Morin, 16, who has retired from competition. He was a spectator
at the Wyoming Valley’s Mid-Atlantic Classics tournament Friday and Saturday
at Genetti Hotel & Convention Center.
“Then you chill,” added Weisenbacher, a first-degree black belt. “It’s
all about the chill.”
“You make so many friends going to tournaments,” said curly-haired Morin.
“That’s how it is. It’s dope.”
Weisenbacher said he didn’t get into karate by choice. “My mom was like
`You’re a wimp, go take karate so you don’t get beat up in school,’ ” said
the small-framed teen. Then he decided the sport was cool and stuck with it.
But for many of the about 300 competitors at the tournament, sponsored by
Huntzinger’s Karate for the third year, the sport has become a passion.
Children and adults from under 5 to over 40 competed in 197 divisions in
events such as breaking, weapons, forms and sparring. On the first level,
competitors face students of their own age, gender and belt rank.
More than 11 states and 80 forms of karate were represented at the
tournament, which features standardized World Cup rules and feeds into a
national competition in Washington, D.C., in February 2004.
The grand championship competition Saturday night opened with raucous,
black-lit performances by Huntzinger students, featuring glow-in-the-dark
weapons including fan, bo, kama, nunchuck and whip. Rhythmic music played in
the background for most of the night’s events.
Grand Championship competitors won their divisions, then won runoffs to
reach the top level. Competitors’ names were called before each faced the
judges so the audience could cheer for everyone.
Each student wore a version of the standard karate uniform, or “gi,” and
respectfully introduced themselves to the five judges before beginning. Many
of the weapons and forms competitions included spins, backflips, high kicks
held for several seconds, and on one occasion a split so perfectly held it
inspired cheers.
After the scores were tallied, including the occasional 10 for black belts,
the judges stood for the naming of the champion. And at least once, the
multi-tiered trophy was taller than its winner.