Graves Institute of Self Defense students from the ages of 5 to 55 brought home a ton of trophies from a recent Karate and Ju-Jitsu Tournament held in Houlton.
Martial artists from area branch schools run by 9th degree Ketsugo Master Bill Graves competed in point fighting, form kata, weapons kata, ju-jitsu and power impactor categories. Seventy six divisions were contested during the day-long event and to ensure fairness, each was set up according to sex, age, weight, height and experience level, which is signified by belt color. Novice karate students are white or yellow belts, intermediate are green and purple belts with about two years experience, brown belts are advanced student with three to four years of lessons, and with 5-25 years of practice are the experts wearing black belts of various levels from one to 10 degrees.
Six huge black belt grand championship trophies, each five feet high with three tiers and ornate figures and engraving, were sponsored by various local businesses.
Sensei Valerie Sullivan, a 1st degree black belt in the Presque Isle and Perth-Andover dojos, won the senior women’s fighting division, then bested the open women’s division winner to bring home her first-ever grand championship as a black belt.
Sensei Jerod Kingsbury, a fifth-degree black belt in the Mars Hill and Presque Isle branches, came out on top of all other lightweight and heavyweight fighters to garner his first-ever black belt grand as well. Soon after, Kingsbury paired with fellow fifth-degree Sensei Chris Cronkhite to demonstrate and elaborate throwing routine which outscored seven other pairs to win a second huge trophy for Kingsbury and also one for Cronkhite.
Several lower belt level Graves’ students also enjoyed outstanding efforts at the Houlton tourney by taking home a pair of trophies each. Among the dual winners were brown belts Malcolm Grant and John Sanders and green belts Sara Boyer, Amanda Charette and Aleesha Campbell. There were event a couple of winning family pairs, including mother and daughter Peggy and Aleesha Campbell of Fort Fairfield and dad and step-daughter Sensei John Sutherland and Julia Smith.
