SPORTS

Ocean State Grand Nationals return after 2 years away

AIDAN CAHILL & DANIEL FRANCHETTI
Posted 4/5/22

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the 40th Ocean State Grand National Karate Championships, a regional tournament which is part of the larger North American Sport Karate Association World …

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SPORTS

Ocean State Grand Nationals return after 2 years away

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After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the 40th Ocean State Grand National Karate Championships, a regional tournament which is part of the larger North American Sport Karate Association World Tour, will be held between April 8-10 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick hosted by Don and Christine Rodrigues. Viewing is open to the general public with admission prices varying based on the day with the lowest cost being only $20 per admission. Special guest Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, World Champion and Hall of Fame member in the karate community, will be appearing.

This year’s competition is the first one since then and will be bigger than ever. Competitors from 35 states and seven countries will be in attendance competing for over $20,000 in cash prizes, “the most prize money anyone has given out.” The most anticipated event is the “super fights” with the highest reward of $3000 for the winner.

Additionally, the school with the most representatives will receive a new 82” 4K Samsung Crystal UHD Smart TV. Many of the awards are presented in the form of medals because, as Don put it, “it’s difficult to take trophies onto a plane so the black belts are excited when the medals come out.” The events are generally divided by age with another division based on general belt rank: black belt, junior black belt, and underbelt. Each group has a variety of different events such as fighting, performing with traditional weapons, and performing traditional coordinated forms in which they can demonstrate their skills, creativity, and endurance.

Don Rodrigues is also celebrating 55 years of his own career in karate on April 12. He started in 1967 at the age of 12. He recalled that the earlier days of karate were much different compared to the modern platform. Protective padding was nearly non-existent and most of the participants at that time were adults. The demographic changed in 1984 with the release of the Karate Kid which sparked a new surge of younger students.

Don has operated his karate school for 35 years. During this time he became famous as he entered the Karate Hall of Fame in 1998, headed the World Association of Kickboxing Organization USA for twenty-five years, and met Chuck Norris on several occasions. Don’s wife, Christine Bannon-Rodrigues, is also highly-regarded in the karate community. She has been “noted as being one of the greatest kickers in martial arts,” having been promoted in over 40 magazines, as well as having been inducted into the Karate Hall of Fame in 1989, and performing as a stunt-double in productions such as The Next Karate Kid (1994), Mortal Kombat Conquest (1998), and Underdog (2007).

As Don put it, “[Karate] is not all about kicking and punching, but discipline.” Beyond being physically fit and performing well, there is an expectation of discipline and respect as well as responsibility, “a family that kicks together sticks together.”

This became evident during the pandemic. Don kept holding classes except he did so on Zoom and with the help of his many black belt students. When asked about the reason people should invest in self-defense training and karate,  Don recalled a story from his time on a radio show which he estimates to have occurred 30 years ago. The host remarked, “You’ve done this for 20 years and never had to use it?” Don tactfully replied, “Do you have car insurance?” The host replied that she did have car insurance which she had not needed to use and rebutted, “How do you know [your training] will work?” Don simply replied, “well, go ahead and attack me.”

Don would like to thank his sponsors: City of Warwick, Ocean State Collision Center, Female Fighters Matter Too, Century Martial Arts, Virtual Fight Tour, and Team Paul Mitchell. Without them, the event would not be as grandiose as it currently is. The event will be running over the weekend starting in the afternoon of Friday, April 8 and concluding on Sunday, April 10. Competitors from four countries and more than 25 states will be competing. To give a perspective of the economic impact on the area, Rodrigues said as of last week more than 600 hotel room nights had been booked in the region as a result of the tournament. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit www.oceanstategrandnational.net.

Grand Nationals, karate

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