On July 5th, 2008, The Ontario Karate Team made its way to Saint John, NB in an effort to take gold at the National Black Belt Karate Championships. On the team was Andrew McAdam-Wong of Markham, Ontario.

Andrew is a part of the Team Kata division with Eitan and Ariel Zohar who are from Goulding Karate. The team was the underdog as they were expected to be beaten by the experienced powerhouse of the Team Quebec. La Belle Province has always been a dominant figure in the sport of Karate in Canada and they have traditionally enrolled a strong team. This year was no exception. In this division, as predicted, the battle for gold was between Quebec and Ontario.

Both teams performed the kata Unsu of the Shotokan style of Karate. Team Kata events have 2 components. One is the synchronized performance of the kata and the other is the performance routine of its self-defense application. They are judged on synchronization, difficulty, rhythm, and understanding of the kata techniques. Putting together a team from 2 clubs and 2 different styles is hard enough but have to develop a winning routine in only 3 months and juggling the logistics of travel and exam studying is an enormous challenge.

Even with these difficulties, Andrew, Eitan, and Ariel pulled off the unthinkable by taking gold. This position of being a Canadian Champion has opened the doors to many new possibilities for these young athletes. The team is now a part of Team Canada and with be competing this September at the Jr. Pan American Karate Championships in Santiago, Chile.

Congratulations boys on a job well done.

Ontario Karate Team 16/17 – Click here for more home videos

Team Quebec 16/17 Team Kata – For more amazing video clips, click here