Air Academy karate kids punch the competition to the ground at the PPCC karate tournament. The PPCC tournament was held on November 16, in which 5 students competed, earning an unprecedented six medals in five events.

David Palka:

Bronze medal in beginner Kata

Silver medal in intermediate Sparring

Kyle Valdespino:

Gold medal in intermediate Kata

Forrest Joyal:

Bronze medal in Beginner Sparring

Silver medal in Beginner Grappling

Christopher Kincaid:

competed in Kata

The five students who competed were matched against students from other karate schools from all over town as well as college students from the Pikes Peak Community College’s karate team. The karate kids at Air Academy have been practicing for this competition since the day school started.

The students competed in three types of events with varying levels of experience. The first event that the [most] students competed in is Kata. Kata is a choreographed display of skills, either by yourself or with a partner. It is one of the hardest events to get a grasp on, especially for students just starting out. However, subcategories of Kata are Karate and Judo, two of the most practiced forms of martial arts today. The second event that students competed in is sparring. Sparring is a form of combat that, unlike Kata, is free fighting. There is no choreography and the goal is make it to the end of the match to win. Grappling was the final events students competed in on Saturday the 16th. Grappling is a form of martial arts that displays one’s ability to overpower an opponent and gain a physical advantage, often by wresting an opponent to the ground. Grappling is very similar to wrestling in the sense that you don’t punch or kick your opponent.

Congratulations to the students of Air Academy’s own karate class for competing in the PPCC Karate Tournament and helping to define who we are.