Local Graves’ martial arts students shine in tournament

Martial arts students from several area branch dojos of Graves Institute of Self Defense won multiple trophies at a recent tournament held in Bucksport.
This event featured the usual point sparring and Ju-Jitsu competitions as well as a unique single-elimination team fighting event. Five-person teams composed of a random selection of youngsters, teenagers and adults, with belt levels ranging from white to brown belt, made up the 38 underbelt squads.
There were also 10 mixed gender black belt squads that fought their way to one final set of five champions, each taking home a huge four-foot high multi-tier trophy.
Two sets of awards were presented to the first- and second-place underbelt teams, with the huge trophies actually being as tall as a couple of the small 6- and 7-year-old winning team members.
For many participants, as well as spectators and family members in the stands, the most exciting and prestigious matches of the tournament proved to be the grand championship fights.
The Maine Ketsugo and Karate Association (MKKA) sponsors four tournaments throughout the state each year and maintains records of all the first, second and third-place finishes in each age, gender and belt level of point sparring.
At this recent tourney just those few winning fighters got to match kicking and striking tactics and techniques to vie for only one, best of the best, annual grand championship trophy in each age and experience division.
Graves’ students brought home 11 of the 24 available grands, as well as 31 other trophies from the open sparring and Ju-Jitsu groupings.
Sensei Malcolm Grant and Xavier Couturier from the Perth-Andover branch won in the senior men’s black belt and boys 13-16 green belt divisions respectively. Mitchell Albert of the Presque isle dojo and Cole Gray of Fort Fairfield’s branch of Graves’ Ketsugo also won their grand championship divisions.
Blake Vincent of Ashland topped the 8-10 year olds in white/yellow belt sparring, Noah Jackins of Houlton won the 14-16 boys brown belt sector and Paige O’Bar of the Caribou branch won all her fights in the girls 12-14 year old green belt matches.
Several of the Graves’ students accomplished the difficult feat of winning a trophy in both sparring and ju jitsu competitions.
Regional dojos offer weekly classes in the style of Ketsugo, a combination of karate, judo, ju jitsu, savate, aikido and self defense to students beginning at age 5, with several members in their 60s.
Interested individuals can check out Graves Institute of Self Defense on Facebook for more information and to see more photos and videos, or call Grandmaster Bill Graves at 551-5777 to arrange a visit to one of the area classes.