By SHELDON LONGLEY, NG Sports Editor

sheldon@nasguard.com

In terms of the competitors, and even in terms of crowd support, the Bahamas Karate Federation (BKF) had to be quite pleased with the turnout at the final karate show of the year in Freeport, Grand Bahama on Saturday October 14.

According to federation Vice President, and Chief Instructor of the Bahamas Karate Academy (BKA), Elrick McKinney, more than 150 young students in over a dozen local clubs took part in the one-day extravaganza, and friends and family turned out in large numbers to support the athletes.

"The support from the crowd in Freeport was tremendous. There were clubs from Abaco, three clubs out of Freeport, and the others were from Nassau. All of the kids were excited, and they looked forward to competing and closing the year out on a strong foot. All of them performed well particularly Morshanna Johnson and Kai Sampson, who were outstanding in their age categories."

Johnson and Sampson were each awarded $500 scholarships as the youngest top performers in Kata and Kumite during the St. Paul's Methodist College/Cable Bahamas Cares Invitational Karate Tournament on October 14. According to McKinney, they beat out some stiff competition to capture first place prizes in their respective age groups for Kata and Kumite.

Tracey Stubbs, who has been competing on a regular basis for the past three years but who has been involved in the sport since the second grade, said that she sees Karate as a lot of fun and a chance to develop a good character and learn discipline.

"For me, it's more like a stress reliever. I don't see myself stopping it because it's a big part of my life," she said. "It helps to improve my attitude and the way I look at people. It keeps you keep calm - it teaches you humility and how to be strong within yourself. It's all about building good character," she added.

Stubbs, who won the 18 and Over Kata and Kumite titles at the St. Paul's tournament, said that the most important lesson that she has learned over the years has actually been how to control one's temper and how to walk away from fights.

"With me, my concentration is really on control," she said. "It's not how hard you can hit someone that matters, but when you know that you have the ability to hit someone and defend yourself, that is the most powerful tool. It's a self-gratifying thing," she added.

Stubbs said that she was very encouraged to see the large numbers of competitors who turned up for the event, but would particularly like to see more competitors in her division.

"I enjoyed myself. I just wish for more competition," she said. "Only three people in my category showed up, and I would like to see more female competitors. There are some out there but they just don't like to compete."

As far as the young kids are concerned, instructor McKinney said that they are really progressing.

"It actually helps them to grow so that when they progress in the sport, they can represent The Bahamas in international events," said McKinney. "From my point of view, the entire year went well. Hopefully, it will continue to grow in the years to come."

In the open male team Kata category, the St. Paul's Shotokhan B team emerged victorious, and they were followed by the Bahamas Japan Karate Association Shotokhan and the St. Paul's Shotokhan A team. In the open female category, the BKA emerged victorious, and they were followed by St. Paul's Shotokhan. In addition, a number of competitors were able to win both their respective Kata and Kumite divisions.

The first federation event in 2007 will be held on January 20, also in Freeport, Grand Bahama. McKinney said that they are aiming for about 500-700 competitors in all of their events next year, and also to schedule and conduct more seminars for judges and referees.