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Arksey off to Vegas, Brazil with Team Canada karate squad

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EMMA ARKSEY of the Comox Valley (left) shows off silver medal she won at 2011 national championships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investing in a season of hard training has paid big dividends for Emma Arksey.

The Courtenay-Comox Shito-ryu Seikokai black belt has earned a spot on Team Canada and will be travelling to Las Vegas, Nevada on April 22-24 for the USA Open karate tournament and to Fortaleza, Brazil on Aug. 28 to Sept. 4 for the Junior Pan Am Championships.

Arksey's road to national prominence began when she qualified for the Zone 6 (Vancouver Island) team in Nanaimo. She then headed to the B.C. Provincials in Vancouver in January. After defeating a series of competitors, she finished third in kata (a pre-arranged sequence of karate movements against fictitious opponents), narrowly losing to the reigning provincial champion.

Gaining confidence, Arksey defeated another provincial and national champion to finish second in kumite (free sparring, or fighting). Success at the Provincials allowed her the opportunity to compete for a place on Team BC.

After training with other prospective members from across the province, a selection tournament was held in Vancouver. To be eligible for Team BC Arksey had to finish in the top three  in kata and top two in kumite. She was successful on both fronts, finishing third in kata and first in kumite.

Arksey was now eligible to represent B.C. at the National Black Belt Karate Championship in St. Hyacinthe, Que. After a few training sessions with the B.C. team (and a few senior national champions) in Vancouver they set off for Quebec. Once there they trained as a team, getting accustomed to the coaches, other team members and also acclimatizing to the tournament surrounding prior to the March 18-20 competition.

Arksey was accompanied by her friend, mentor and coach Pam Ross of Courtenay-Comox Shito-ryu. Ross has a wealth of knowledge and experience as she has competed at the national and international level for the last 13 years. She has been a gold medalist on the national stage and has competed at the Pan Am championships in Brazil.

In an unusual twist, the national tournament directors decided to hold the sparring events prior to the kata competition. Arksey was fortunate to have Ross in her corner to keep her focussed and to help contend with nerves and the unpredictability of a national-level event.

After winning her initial fight, Arksey squared off against the 2010 national champion from Quebec, where she lost a hard fought and very close bout. She then defeated an opponent from Ontario to earn a bronze medal on the first day of Nationals.

The second day brought a renewed focus as Arskey was up against a strong field of competitors in kata. Riding the wave of emotion from the previous day, Arksey defeated competitors from Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec to earn a berth in the final against a fellow competitor from B.C.

They both performed superempai in the final. Arksey’s more traditional form of kata succumbed to the more stylized (flair-based) kata of her competitor and she was defeated three flags to two.

Her silver medal in kata earned Arskey an invite to participate as a junior (under 18) member of Team Canada. As a member of Team Canada, karate for Arksey has taken on a life of its own. Between Las Vegas and Brazil, she will participate in various tournaments and training over the spring and summer months.

Arksey thanks her fellow karate-ka from the Comox and Courtenay Shito-ryu karate clubs for their overwhelming support. She is especially grateful to the direction and guidance provided by her senseis Brenda Bombini and Todd Robertson over the last 10 years.

As a member of the Zone 6 team she has been guided by the eminently capable hands and minds of Vancouver Island coaches Ross of Courtenay, Roy Tippenhaeur and Chad Edberg of Campbell River, and Kraig Devlin of Victoria. As a Team Canada coach, Devlin has provided valued direction and the training regimen he has developed specifically for Arksey is greatly appreciated.

Any success is directly attributed to the insights, level of dedication and skills of the coaches. Arksey feels truly fortunate and very much indebted to the unwavering support and direction provided by Ross (and other supporters, especially Christy Woods).

Arksey's path in karate is eerily similar to the success Ross has enjoyed; first medal at the Black Belt National Championship in St. Hyacinthe and first Pan Am championship in Brazil.

Should any businesses or individuals wish to support Arksey in her karate endeavours it would be greatly appreciated. Contact rarksey@hotmail.com or 250-339-7160.