Graves’ Ketsugo students team up to bring home tournament trophies

    Thirty-four students from several regional branches of Graves’ Institute of Self Defense traveled to Ellsworth recently to participate in the only Team Fighting Tournament in the state of Maine. Roughly 250 martial artists from throughout New England and New Brunswick submit applications and five-person teams are set up randomly using age, height, weight, and belt level as criteria.  Under belt teams are comprised of white, yellow, green, purple and brown belt youngsters and adults of all shapes and sizes, and black belt teams are selected using 1st to 6th degree senseis of varying ages and sizes as well.
    Teams are given numbers then pairs of teams are randomly called to fighting rings where the five members of opposing squads are matched as equally as possible by age, size and belt levels. Then each pair is called to center ring for a two-minute or two-point spar, and the points scored by each member are accumulated with the winning team moving on to the next round of the single-elimination event.
TROPHY WINNERS – Members of Graves Institute of Self Defense competed in a team fighting tournament in Ellsworth recently. Winners included, in front from left, Jon Emmert, Sara Boyer, Walter Mosher, Tasha Ponder, Kilynne Beaulieu and Malcolm Milligan. Back, Sensei Lucy Newbegin, Sensei John Sutherland (Instructor of the Year), Sensei Jay Peavey, Master Bill Graves, Sensei Malcolm Grant and Sensei Jay Holck.
    With over 40 under belt teams and 12 black belt teams, fighters have to win several highly contested rounds to reach the finals.
    All the first- and second-place lower belt team members and the five fighters of the first-place black belt teams win large awards. Championship trophies are large, four-foot tall, three-tiered, elaborately decorated prizes much sought after by fighters of all ages and levels. With only 15 total team fight trophies available, for a school to have one student on a winning team is rewarding; Graves’ students actually brought home six of the 15 large Team Fight Trophies.
    Sensei Lucy Newbegin, a first degree black belt from Caribou, was on the winning black belt team. On the first-place under belt team were Graves’ students Keegan Qualey and Kilynne Beaulieu, green belts from Island Falls and Mars Hill, respectively. On the second-place under belt team were Graves’ Ketsugo students Caribou brown belt Dylan Coty, Sara Boyer, a green belt junior who attends classes at the Presque Isle and Caribou dojos, and Tasha Ponder, a green belt from the Houlton branch.
    After team fights were completed, grand championship sparring took place to determine the number-one fighter in each age and belt level for the current year. Only students from the 20 Maine Ketsugo and Karate dojos (MKKA) who had finished first, second or third at one of the four annual MKKA tournaments got to compete for the one huge trophy awarded in each division. This annual competition is truly a best of the best contest.
    Of the 25 individual grand championship divisions for boys, girls, men and women from white belt through black belt, ages 5 through 67, area Graves’ martial artists claimed eight, almost a third of the trophies. A couple of local students accomplished the rare feat of winning both a team and an individual grand award.
    Dual trophy winners for team and individual point sparring included Boyer of Caribou and Ponder of Houlton. The six other grand championship winners include Sensei Jay Peavey of Mars Hill, Sensei Jay Holck of Houlton, Sensei Malcolm Grant of Perth-Andover, green belt Walter Mosher of Mars Hill, Malcolm Milligan, a green belt from Ashland, and white belt Jon Emmert of Caribou.
    Graves Institute of Self Defense has eight dojos throughout Aroostook and one in Perth-Andover, N.B., all are overseen by Grand Master Bill Graves and 18 area senseis and master level black belts. Classes are open to youngsters and adults who seek training in karate, judo, ju-jitsu, aidedo, and self defense and all students get to attend several tournaments each year to test their abilities and perhaps win awards.
    Anyone interested in Graves’ Ketsugo classes can call 764-1497.