South Jersey Karate:
Karate Champs of All Ages Showcase Talent in Ocean City Tournament

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Kids from as young as 5 and upwards to their 50's gathered last weekend in Ocean City's Music Pier / Convention hall in an all day Karate Tournament that was sponsored by The Black Belt Karate Academy of Hi-Nella, NJ.

Participants from over a dozen schools in the region came to Ocean City New Jersey to take part in a Karate Tournament that featured events including; Weapons Skills, Breaking, Forms, Point Fighting and Olympic Tae-Kwan-Do Fighting.

Three-hundred twenty-two trophies were awarded to the winners of each of the events according to their age and belt groups, however everybody received a participation medal for all their performances.

To top off the tournament, several of the schools performed choreographed demonstrations during a nearly two hour show where the grand champions were awarded their trophies that stood seven feet tall. The show was mostly serious, however there was a brief bit of levity when Master Anthony (Tony) Giannini from the Hi-Nella school demonstrated the fighting skills of his Black Belt Club to the tune of “Kung Fu Fighting”.

The Finale was a demonstration in self discipline when the owner of The Black Belt Karate Academy, Master Christopher Cappella spread broken glass over a tarp and proceeded to walk, hop and lay down on these shards, and just when you thought that was it, he had one of his students jump up and down on top of a cinder block that had been placed on his abdomen, after that Master Tony used a 16 pound sledge hammer to break it while still on Master Chris’s stomach.

After all the hard work and hours upon hours it to took to put this all together, we look forward to next years Tournament.