If your ear has been to the ground or you’ve just been a frequent visitor to this site, you may have heard about the talented students at the Oku Damashi Martial Arts Dojo sweeping the WKC (The World Karate & Kickboxing Commission) in Edmonton and bringing home a total of 19 medals!
These proud students based on their stellar performance at the WKC also earned themselves a spot on Team Alberta and a chance to try out for Team Canada’s Karate team in Ottawa on May 20-22. If their winning streak holds up and they can earn their spot to represent Canada at the WKC World Championships in Killarney, Ireland.
The Oku Damaski Martial Arts Dojo is hosting a Tournament fundraiser to raise money for their trip to Ottawa. Owner-operator Tammy Thankachen explains,
“It is an in-house fundraiser. Normally tournaments are open to any style of martial art, any dojo that wants to attend and compete, but because it was short notice and we noticed that a lot of the kids in the community are very new to martial arts, we really wanted their first experience at a martial arts tournament to be fun and a learning experience.”
Thankachen hopes that this fundraiser will ease anxiety and build the confidence of her students as they go on to compete in Ottawa.
Derek Alce, the proud parent of Logan Alce who is going to Ottawa and has brought home medals in a recent Muay Thai tournament, is promoting and helping organize the fundraiser. He explains how the community came together to help with this fundraiser.
“So with the barbeque here, my brother went out and got some sponsors, cause my niece made Team Alberta. He went out and got sponsors, other parents went out and got door prizes, which is great, it's a great bunch of people. There are some places you go to, you end up kind of doing it by yourself or just a couple of you, right? But this weekend is not that. All the adults, even the adults whose kids aren't going, they're helping out too. Whether they're going to cook, set up, take down or sell tickets.”
Alce also empathized how this Dojo and its contributions to the community affect its students
“It benefits the kids, I really believe that you know. It teaches you discipline and it teaches you what's right and wrong and what to do in certain situations."
The fundraiser itself will take place on May 15th at noon at the Oku Damashi Martial Arts Dojo at its North Carseland location at 223072 Range Road 260, attendees can expect a raffle, some delicious BBQ and prizes!
Keep up to date with Oku Damashi Martial Arts on social media.
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