The Four Bruce Lees from Hornlee
Four brilliant karatekas from Hornlee has found themselves rewarded for their hard work, by being selected as part of the South African ISKA team to travel to America in June next year.
The International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the US but also operates in a number of countries around the world, including South Africa.
They have a wide range of programmes around the country that are affiliated with the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
One such programme is Destiny, the annual ISKA National championships. These championships are attended by teams from all over the world, with an average attendance of about 1 100 competitors and several thousand spectators over two days of competition, according to the ISKA website.
It is open to juniors and seniors of all ages and belt groups, competing in weight and age groups. There are a total of four divisions: Beginner (white & yellow), Novice (orange & green), Intermediate (blue & purple), and Advanced (brown & black belt).
Destiny 2019 took place on 28 and 29 September, and the local dojo, Knysna Shotokan Karate Cobras, had seven representatives at the national championships, who had qualified through provincials earlier this year.
Of these seven, four were selected as part of the SA team that will be taken to Orlando, Florida in June next year as part of the ISKA’s annual USA tour to take part in the 2020 ISKA World Championships. They are Sebastiaan Lawrence (Beginner, boys 8-9 years category), Jeronimo Payle (Intermediate, boys 12-13), Dreogan Ruiters (Intermediate, boys 12-13), and their sensei Shedwin Arries (Advanced, men 18-35).
While the group has already been selected and registered for the tour, all that remains is for them to secure the necessary funding to embark on a trip that could change their lives.
Sensei Shedwin Arries has also been selected to represent SA.
Sebastiaan Lawrence, Jeronimo Payle, and Dreogan Innis.
Read a previous article here: Four karateka score place in the national team
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Source: Knysna Plett Herald News