My dojo hosted an annual youth karate tournament at a local high school gym a couple of weeks ago. I volunteered to work the concession stand. I figured my superior Walt Disney World Popcorn Vendor cash handling skills weren’t all that rusted. Anyways, I like watching karate competitions.
There were several things about this tournament that I really enjoyed:
- All the kids entered the gym floor to tunes like “Eye of the Tiger,” although 75% of them probably have never heard of Rocky.
- All kids were grouped by age, rank, and gender. Then, the kids were paired off to those of similar height. The two students did kata just once to the instructor’s count. They either got first place (best out of the two) or second. Both first and second got the same size medal (which was about a large as the palm of my hand). First was gold and second was silver.
- For sparring, the kids were grouped and paired off just like in kata. First place (winner of that one fight) got a decent size trophy. Second place got a slightly smaller trophy.
- All competitors got a trophy and a medal, regardless how they did.
It was really cool to see all the kids walk out of the gym as winners. Lord knows parents can get way too competitive sometimes. Just ask me about my 14 years playing soccer, 5 years refereeing, and 2 years as a soccer coach. The best thing I ever saw out on a soccer field was this u-10 girl ask her coach, “did we win?” immediately after I blew the whistle, ending the game. The coach asked her, “did you have fun?” the little girl said, “yes.” The coach replied, “Then you won!” The little girl ran off with the biggest grin on her face.
Comments
- Anonymous
June 03, 2004
I've always liked Sensai Dulce's tournaments, I thought he really ran them quite well.
It's kinda a shame that my dojo doesn't participate in them any more :( - Anonymous
June 03, 2004
I've always wondered if that sort of treatment doesn't set kids up for a fall later on in life. I mean, we don't always win. Someone has to lose, and you need to learn how to handle that at a young age. - Anonymous
June 04, 2004
I'd have to totally back Sara up on this one... I wholeheartedly believe that there are enough disappointments in life that they don’t need to be pushed even more on younger kids. Maybe things are different now, but when I was young I had to deal with teasing, fights, near-last picked in gym class, etc. It really helped when (however infrequently) I got a boost by coaches like that. - Anonymous
June 04, 2004
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
June 23, 2004
I think that coach has the right attitude. Having fun in life is more important than competing - especially under 10. Kids should be allowed to be kids. We restrict them all during the school day and give them about twice as much homework as when we were growing up. We make them compete in school. Shouldn't they have some joy in their lives.
It's all about what you consider "successful," too. What do you want people to say about you when you're gone? "S/He left his family well off, but they never saw him/her?" or "S/He made time for the family and was always there for them."