It was Saturday, June 2, 2012. Japanese rock music played loudly on my car
stereo and the wind blew onto my face as I drove to Abel Villareal’s Karate
Tournament at the Givens Recreation Center in Austin, TX. I had just finished Enshin training in Pflugerville
and was eager to see Mr. Alvarado (whom I still think of as Alvarado Sensei). I thought perhaps, if it wasn’t too late, I’d
enter the sparring competition as well.
It would be my last chance to compete in a point sparring tournament
before I left for Okinawa, Japan, the birthplace of karate.
I have a brown belt in Soryu Karate, which makes it
difficult to find other women to spar.
At the last two tournaments, I fought in the black belt division because
there were no other available opponents.
I embraced this opportunity with enthusiasm and gained a great deal of
knowledge from it. The women I sparred
were quick and they hit pretty hard.
This time around, I felt more prepared and confident. I had done my homework and was ready for the
challenge.
Nelda Edwards, Secretary for the AOK, told me that I would
be able to fight in the black belt division after I had registered. I confirmed this with her before I paid the
$50 registration fee. I went to my
designated ring to inform the referees that I would be fighting up in the black
belt division. They all confirmed this
and also asked me if I would like to fight and exhibition match as a favor to a
fellow green belt, who was also in a similar situation. I happily agreed to fight her, but asked
three of the referees if it would affect my ability to compete in the black
belt division. They all said that it
would not, and reassured me that everything would be fine. And so I fought my match and won. When I went to turn in the form to Nelda
Edwards, she told me that I was not able to fight up anymore, due to the fact
that I just fought and exhibition match.
“No ma’am, I’m sorry,” I protested. “That is not what I was told by the three
referees in that ring.”
“Oh, well. They don’t
know the rules,” she said.
I again protested and this time was directed to Abel Villareal, the
director of the tournament. I explained
the situation to Mr. Villareal, and asked that he either allow me to compete,
or give me half of my money back ($25).
Mr. Villareal refused to give me my money back and refused to let me
fight.
By the way, here's a video of Mr. Villareal fighting, in case you'd like to view. I think this is him winning the World Kickboxing Title?...yeah. He's on the left:
As I watched the female black belts spar, something became
unmistakably clear to me. I was being
cheated. It is the AOK’s responsibility
to make sure their referees are well informed of the rules, regulations, and
procedures of the tournament. I deserved
to get my money back, but more than that, I deserved a chance to fight.
I even spoke, again with no solution or success, to Bob
Beasley (whose official title is Member
at Large...$$?). Mr. Beasley also stated
that competitors were not allowed to fight up into the next division, yet I was
permitted to do so twice before. Had I
not fought the exhibition match, I would have been allowed to do it a third
time. These are severe inconsistencies.
I wondered, “Why would a group of martial artists want to
stop an eager competitor from embracing the spirit of challenge?”
The fact is, this was no longer about keeping the true
spirit of martial arts alive. This was
about keeping the AOK’s pockets fat.
They did not care that an enthusiastic fighter was walking away with a
bitter taste in her mouth, that they had lied to her, that they refused to take
responsibility for not educating their referees and judges. They cared more about a measley $25 in their
bank accounts.
Why has it come to this?
Because no one is saying anything.
I spoke to a few others that day who had also felt cheated by the AOK in
one way or another. This is going to
stop. The AOK’S unethical actions are,
in no way, justifiable. Is this what we
are going to teach our children in martial arts? To cling for dear life to our own egos, even
when we know we are wrong? I am not
going to be quiet about this anymore.
There are people who will use martial arts solely for monetary gain,
without understanding its true essence.
But as for me, I am promptly disposing of all point sparring gear and
will seek truth in the heavy bag, in full contact training, and
kumite.
I ask you, AOK, do you have what it takes to meet in the ring, full contact?
You won’t have anywhere to hide.
Are you ready for the truth to be revealed? Ready or not, here it comes. People are becoming aware now, of what you
hoped they would never realize. We are
witnessing the de-evolution of martial arts, and practices such as yours are
primary contributors. Evolution can only
occur when we are ready to face our weaknesses and start living a life of
rigorous honesty.
I will be back, AOK. Be ready for the wake-up call of a lifetime.
OSU!
No comments:
Post a Comment