Sports Update
IKF women are
a world apartThe federation's athletes dominate
By Catherine Toth
national and world competitions
Special to the Star-BulletinThe notion that "girls just wanna have fun" doesn't apply to the female members of the International Karate Federation's national team.
They want to win too.
"You have to admire them," IKF sensei Glenn West said. "We work really hard to ensure them victory.
"They go through various forms of corrections given in various degrees and circumstances, and they all seem to use that as a stepping stone to benefit their own skills in martial arts."
The IKF will compete this week at the Amateur Athletic Union National Championship in Orlando, Fla. More than 2,000 participants from 50 states will take part.
In the women's competition, one federation -- the IKF -- stands above the rest.
"It's an incredible amount of time these kids put in," West said. "You really see the difference in the quality of our martial arts, of our craft, compared to others. A lot of other dojos have really built up their quality of martial arts to compete at our level and because of that, sensei Chuzu Kotaka (IKF founder) always has them doing more and more. It's easy to become a champion, but it's difficult to remain a champion."
Somehow the IKF has found a way to remain on top. When they first competed in the AAU National Championship in 1988, IKF athletes broke all existing records in every category -- kata, kumite and weapons -- and division. Since then, the organization has consistently brought home both national and world titles in male and female events. At last year's tournament alone, IKF competitors collected approximately 150 medals, 110 of which were gold.
"They are very committed and train harder, in my opinion, than other schools," AAU executive director of martial arts Adrian Ellis said. "Not only are they great competitors, but they're great people. They have set the standard in karate on the Mainland and in the world."
The women in IKF are exceptional.
In 1997, the AAU awarded IKF competitor Maile Chinen the Female Athlete of the Year award. She is also the reigning kumite Grand Champion.
In last year's Junior Olympics, teammate Shannon Nishi was honored with the prestigious Joel Ferrel Award for most outstanding athlete in karate. She is also a national and world champion in her division.
At age 17, Elise Au has already won several national and world titles with majority of her medals being gold. All three earned their black belts before they were teen-agers.
"Karate makes girls stronger," Nishi said. "It brings out more confidence in them and overall, it makes them tougher. Guys won't mess with them."
Nishi, who will be an eighth-grader next year at Mid Pacific Institute, earned her black belt at age 8. Since then she has competed and won at several junior national and world championships. She swept last year's nationals, winning gold medals in every category in her division.
"Shannon is one of the best junior competitors in the nation," West said. "You probably can't find a better junior competitor around, male or female."
"Karate is hard, but it's always giving me competition," said Nishi, who also competes in soccer, softball and basketball. "It keeps me out of trouble and it has taught me discipline."
Teammate Au, a junior at Punahou School, also enjoys the intense competition karate offers.
"I always want to go to a higher level," said Au, who started at IKF at age 5. "This is what I love to do."
Au is considered one of IKF's rising stars.
"That's money right there," West said. "She's got intense concentration and desire. She has something in her that wants to be good, that makes her want to perform in this sport and do it well. She has an excellent chance to capture all the golds in her division."
Another up-and-coming competitor is Eimi Kurita, a 9-year-old brown belt who walked away with three gold medals at last year's nationals in her age division. This is only her second year of competition.
"I will win because I train a lot," Kurita said. "I practice every day, sometimes with my brother (Masakazu) at home."
Although the IKF has many young members like Kurita, it also showcases older competitors who put in just as many, if not more, hours than their younger teammates and who manage to walk away victorious as well.
"I think, for myself, (karate) has given me a very strong feeling of family and of my children -- who also compete -- and I working together," national team member April Ambard said. "I've never been on a team before so I think that's the most exciting thing. Everybody is so supportive here and they treat me, an older member, just as strongly as they treat the younger and better ones. Everybody helps each other and that's the best feeling for me."
West emphasizes that medals and championships are nice, but of greater importance is a competitor's ability to relate karate's applications to everyday life.
"We like to think of the gold medal as being the ultimate achievement we can gain," he said, "but ... the ultimate achievement is the gains the students make in their skills and discipline and how it affects them.
"We get more compliments about our students' attitudes and behavior than we do about how well they do at the tournament, which is really nice. When you think about karate, ... it's really about the things you take outside the dojo, the confidence, the improvement in your condition, self-esteem and concentration. The things you take outside the dojo really show what you're learning."
Father likes
By Catherine Toth
what he sees in his
world champion son
Special to the Star-BulletinBeing the only son of renowned karate sensei and International Karate Federation founder Chuzo Kotaka is hard enough.
Having to compete in the upcoming Amateur Athletic Union National Champion-ship as the 10-time defending national and three-time defending world champion at age 20 is unfathomable.
George Kotaka has been competing in karate since he was 3 years old. He earned his black belt at age 10 and has since won the national title in his division every year.
"I think he's the greatest karate athlete I have ever seen in my life," AAU executive director of martial arts Adrian Ellis said. "He's the most dominant athlete in the world."
He has won national and world titles in kumite, kata and weapons categories and was named the AAU Male Athlete of the Year in 1997. He also has earned World Karate Organization titles and is the defending national Grand Champion in kumite.
Although his national team members and senseis believe he has developed a great skill through his hard work and dedication, Kotaka credits his success to the organization.
"It starts from the top, from (my dad)," he said. "They stress the basics and when you have good basics, you can go on to anything. We train really hard every day, but it's just that we have a lot of good instructors. It's a well-organized federation."
Kotaka's father, Chuzo, said he is most proud of the way his son has been a positive role model to the other students.
"He sets a very good example for the students," he said. "They have good discipline, attention and respect for other people. In most sports, when an athlete becomes a champion, they become like a movie star. But in karate, they become humble. I'm very proud."
Elisha Au carries isle banner in public links
KAPALUA, Maui -- It might not be exactly correct to say that Waikoloa's Elisha Au is carrying Hawaii's colors in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.True, she's the lone Hawaii entrant remaining going into into Saturday's quarterfinals at the Kapalua Bay course.
''It's nice to win a tournament at home, especially a major tournament likethis'' Au said. But scratch her and she bleeds University of Washington purple and gold.
The 19-year-old Au created the biggest stir in the 22nd publinx which began match-play competition Friday. She eliminated defending champion Jo Jo Robertson of Roswell, N.M., 3 and 2, in the afternoon's second round.
Trying to become the first to win thenational publinx three times, Robertson beat Honolulu's Kathy Cho, 4 and 2. Au, the 36-hole medalist, won her opening morning match handily, 5 and 4, over Denver's Celia Collins.
That set up the pairing between the tournament's medalist and defending champion. Despite being initially nervous, Au never flinched and looked more like the veteran than Robertson, who'll be a fifth-year senior at Oklahoma State.
''I was confident and comfortable with my game and knew that winning was a possibility,'' said Au, a 1996 Kamehameha School graduate who won the state title that year.
See expanded coverage in Saturday's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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