Evans Traditional Karate/Kobudo Tournament 

August 28, 1999 -- Our studio was fortunate to have been invited to compete at this first annual event held in Sacramento, California.  The promoters, Sensei Tim Evans and his wife, Kim, were the most gracious of hosts and worked to make this the success it was.  A sincere Domo Arigato Goziemasu to the Evans family for a very enjoyable day.

Among the highlights:  

• A 1st place kata title for Julia Ai Bernardy in a tough division that included black belt competitors and other more advanced students. Julia had to win via a tie-breaker with a male black belt.  In each instance she performed extremely well and received a well-earned Gold medal.  Julia also competed in sparring and finished with a silver medal.   
• Nathan Dunn competed in both forms and sparring, winning a 1st place with the Naifanchi Shodan kata, a form he only just recently began practicing.  Although he did not place in  kumite,  Nathan's performance in the sparring division was also admirable.  
• Christina Machiko Bernardy won a Bronze medal in sparring and also performed Itosu-no-Chinto kata in a very competitive division. Most notable was the fact that Christina competed with 12 to 14 year-olds even though she could have entered a younger division.  
• Pedro Bernardy competed in kata, individual and team sparring, and also demonstrated tonfa kata from the Matayoshi system of kobudo.  He won a gold medal in kata and a silver medal in team sparring.  
• Of most importance was the chance to meet many quality martial artists and their families in a friendly and enjoyable setting.  Again, our thanks to the Evans family and dojo for their outstanding efforts.  We look forward to their next event. 

Congratulations to all of these competitors!