Tournament Coverage
I want to congratulate those who competed in the recent Pacific Rim Tournament in Primm, NV. It was great to get together with old friends and make new ones. I was especially impressed with the quality of the competition, particularly in the Junior (under 18 yrs old) Black Belt division. There were approximately 12 young men and women in the kata division alone. The skill and intensity that was displayed by this group of young people was some of the best I've seen in a while. Our own Sempai Gilberto Alejo put on an impressive demonstration in all 3 of the events he competed in, but unfortunately the competition was so intense that he only took home one 3rd place trophy. Other outstanding performances included the following;

Phil Smith 1st Kata 4th Kumite
Elisa Gemik 1St Kumite
Janet Aldana 3rd Kumite
Polina Ivanova 2nd Kumite
Polina Ivanova & Megan Medley 4th Black Belt Showmanship

Yours truly also took home a 2nd place trophy in Black Belt Forms with an old kata called Kumiche and a 3rd place in Black Belt Weapons for Seiki Jo.
All in all, we attended, we competed, we left our mark, and we had fun.