MARS HILL, Maine — Grand Master Bill Graves can hardly believe it’s been 25 years since his first Summer Kick Off Karate and Ju-Jitsu tournament took place. Back in 1991, there were well over a dozen karate competitions in Maine, but now only five remain and Graves’ event is the only one north of Bangor. Entering into his 49th year studying and teaching martial arts, Graves is proud and happy to host an event for a quarter century.
Karate students and instructors from throughout New England New Brunswick and several dozen Maine Ketsugo and Karate (MKKA) practitioners from the 15 Maine dojos were on hand for the June tourney, which took place at the Central Aroostook Junior-Senior High School gym in late June.
Competition was keen for over 200 trophies in point sparring, Ju-Jitsu throwing, form kata, weapons kata and power impactor divisions. To assure fairness, each group was set up by age, height, weight, gender and belt levels, which connotes experience and time working out. Four corner referees and a head judge oversaw each of the six rings throughout the event, which ran steadily from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A large group of spectators were on hand to cheer and support friends, relatives, and even strangers who excelled in various events.
The Pee-Wee (age 5 to 12) competitors started the day with point fighting, then the juniors had a turn. Adult sparring in lower belt levels came next and then it was time for black belt divisions and the grand championship finals for the huge 4-1/2 foot, three-tiered ornate wood and gold adorned awards.
Sensei Malcolm Grant, a third degree and head instructor of the Perth-Andover dojo of Graves Ketsugo, won the age 35 and over Executive black belt fighting, edging out Sensei Buzzy Qualey of the Island Falls branch. Sixth degree Jerod Kingsbury of Mars Hill topped the 35- to 44-year-old black belt senior division and then fought Executive branch winner Grant for the grand championship, taking home the top award with a narrow one-point margin of victory.
Caribou twin brothers and first-degree black belts, Dylan and Dustin Coty, were the newest, youngest ranking senseis entered into the Ju-Jitsu pairs throwing competition. When the duo had completed their routine to wild cheering from the spectators, the five master-level judges added their approval by allotting scores a full point above the other teams. It was the first grand championship for either brother and a memorable win with giant twin trophies for twin partners.
Twenty one Graves’ students, a few from each of the eight dojos, enjoyed the unique accomplishment of winning two trophies. Most won a fighting and a Ju-Jitsu award, but a few combined impactor or kata trophies with their sparring win. Also among the competitors from Graves’ branches were several groups of family members who enjoy the self-defense, exercise and competition of martial arts as a group.
Kieran and Gwen Everett, brother and sister from the Perth-Andover New Brunswick class, tallied four awards. Each earn a trophy for finishing first in the Ju-Jitsu event. Gwen garnered first in junior girls green belt fighting while Kieran sparred his way to third in boys junior fighting.
The Hart family from Island Falls — Andy and daughters Sadie and Charlotte — all earned their first degree black belts in April, quite a feat in itself. At their first tournament as black belts, the trio tallied four trophies — a fighting first for Sadie, second place for Charlotte and their Dad accounted for a set of third-place trophies in sparring and Ju-Jitsu.
Siblings Nolan and Lily Coon, yellow belts in the Caribou class, took third place with their first even throwing routine in the novice Pee-Wee division. Also from the Caribou branch, brown belt Ashleigh Craig won second place in both her fighting and throwing matches while younger sister Lauren, a green belt, finished second with her partner Taylor Curtis in their Ju-Jitsu group.
Another family feat included Sensei Jerod Kingsbury who won the black belt Grand and his niece Mallory Kingsbury from the Mars Hill class. Not to be outdone, at her very first tourney, Mallory won first place in her sparring and her throwing divisions. It must be in her blood, since her father Chad, Jerod’s older brother, was also a black belt and head instructor with Graves’ branch in Mars Hill for a number of years. Joe Boyce and daughter Jackie Reed of the Houlton dojo also each won a trophy, both for second place. Joe’s came in sparring and Jackie’s in Ju-Jitsu.
The 25th annual Graves’ tournament ran smoothly and provided an exciting event for those participating as well as everyone watching. For a closer look at actual sparring and Ju-Jitsu competition recorded from the tourney or for more information on Graves’ Institute of Self Defense classes, locations and times, check out the Facebook page online or contact Sensei Bill Graves at 207-551-5777.
