The BC Team is excited to announce that there will be new divisions at the 2015 Karate Canada National Championships. Karate Canada has opened up new divisions for the 12 & 13 year olds. This will be a test event to see whether or not there is interest in the division.
To be eligible, the athletes will have to be 12 or 13 years old at the time of Nationals. There has been no word on whether or not the athletes will be allowed to compete at the Junior PanAms later in 2015, but if they are allowed, they would have to be 12 or 13 at the time of that event. As of right now it is not within Karate Canada’s LTAD model to have this age category compete internationally.
The BC Team is looking for recommendations from Dojo Instructors for athletes that would be age-eligible, ready and willing to compete at the upcoming National Championships in Richmond, BC, January 30th – February 1st, 2015.
We are asking Dojo Instructors to please write a short recommendation letter on each athlete they wish to recommend. We need to know why you would select this athlete, and list their results in the discipline you are applying for (Kata and/or Kumite). For kumite athletes, please send an accurate weight. The weight divisions will be Boys: -38kg, -48kg, and +48kg; Girls: -37kg, -43kg, and +43kg. Also, please include the Dojo Instructor’s email address and an email address where the athlete can be reached. Deadline for all recommendations is noon on Saturday, November 22nd. Please email all recommendations or questions to BC Team Coach Mike Ditson at mikeditson@icloud.com
All recommended athletes will be invited to train with the BC Team on November 29/30 at the Fortius Centre in Burnaby, and then compete in a selection tournament to determine their ranking for the spots available. The date and all details of the tournament are still being worked on, but likely will be held mid-December in the Lower Mainland. All details pertaining to the BC Team program and the 12/13 selection tournament will be emailed to the applicants after the November 22nd deadline. If there are not enough athletes to require a selection tournament it will be canceled and the ones that applied will be selected. You must have applied by the deadline to be considered.
Karate Canada will do the registration for these events in waves. Wave 1 is the top 2 athletes from each Province. If at the end of this period there are not at least 8 competitors in each division, then Karate Canada will open those divisions with wave 2. Wave 2 will be opening up those divisions to BC to top up with additional athletes. If there are still not 8, then it will be reopened up to all Provinces to add additional athletes in those divisions with less than 8 competitors. More information and the official Bulletin from Karate Canada will be posted on their website in the coming days.
