Eight (8) of us, young martial arts athletes from The Winnipeg Sikaran Arnis Academy travelled together with our families to Minneapolis, USA to compete at the Annual US Diamond Nationals and World Karate Championships on October 5 and 6, 2018.
All of us prepared and trained for this tournament all summer. We focused on hand forms, creative weapon forms, traditional weapon forms and point sparring.
The US Diamond Nationals is a very prestigious tournament. This is its 41st year and it has always been attended by more than 3000 martial arts competitors of different styles, belts and ages from all over North America. It is known as “The Tournament where the Best of the Best Meet and Compete.”
The eight WSAA members brought home 15 First place 5 feet trophies, 4 second place trophies and two third place trophies. All our divisions were huge; we all competed against an average of 14 competitors per event. It is indeed a big accomplishment for us, our team, our school and it is so rewarding to see how proud our parents and friends are.
Here are our standings:
Lee Angela Igne – 16 years old, 1st Degree Black Belt
•1st place in Creative Weapon Forms,
•1st place in Traditional Hand Forms and
•1st place in Point Sparring.
Lynn Igne – 12 years old – Brown Belt-Black Stripe
•1st place in Traditional Hand Forms,
•1st place in Point Sparring and
•2nd Place in Creative Weapon Forms
Miley Carino – 9 years old – Green Belt –
•1st place in Creative Weapon Forms,
•1st Place in Traditional Hand Forms and
•1st place in Traditional Weapon Forms
Competing at the US Diamond Nationals was indeed a good warm up for the three of us as members of Team Canada competing at the WKC World Karate Championships at the end of this month in Dublin, Ireland.
The other members of the Winnipeg Sikaran Arnis Academy who came home as Champions are:
Red Jr. Igne – 10 yrs old – Green Belt-Brown Stripe
•1st place – Traditional Hand Forms
•1st place – Point Sparring
•2nd place – Traditional Weapon Forms
Reilly Dayanghirang – 9 yrs old – Green Belt
•1st place – Traditional Hand Forms
•1st place – Traditional Weapon forms
•3rd place – Point Sparring
Kurt Orpilla – 10 yrs old – White Belt-Green Stripe
•1st place – point sparring
•2nd place – Traditional Hand Forms
•3rd place – Traditional Weapon Forms
Jayzelle Policarpio – 10 yrs old – White Belt, with only 3 months of training and this was her first experience in a tournament
•1st place – Traditional Weapon forms
•1st place – Traditional Hand Forms
•3rd place – Point Sparring
Cheesy Dayanghirang – 4 yrs old – White Belt, one of the members of our Little Warriors Program. This was also her first time competing in a tournament. She is now one of our youngest achievers. Cheesy competed in one event and she won
•3rd place – Traditional Hand Forms
We are very proud competing with the best of the best martial arts athletes. It was a good learning experience and it enhanced our skills and revives our goals to be better and strive harder while having fun. #ItsMoreFun #WinnipegSikaran.
We would like to thank our instructors and all our parents and friends and all the members of the WSAA Family for their loving support to all of us, because of them, we, THE WINNIPEG SIKARAN TEAM, SHINED LIKE DIAMONDS.
