Calexico karate students perform well in national tournament
CALEXICO — While most local athletes train with the goal of winning an Imperial Valley League title or a CIF championship, Ruben Canedo, shihan of Seiden Kai gym here, has always encouraged his athletes to set their sights even higher.
Since he first established his karate gym here 11 years ago, Canedo has sent at least three athletes each year to compete in the annual USA Karate National Championships and Team Trails.
“I tell my kids, ‘We’re not going to be worried about beating Brawley; we gotta beat the nation.’” Canedo said. “We gotta beat Chicago. We gotta beat New York. We gotta beat Hawaii. We gotta beat Texas. With that, these kids are learning about the sports world in another level. While here, everybody thinks it’s all about high school and beating Brawley.”
This “nationwide” mentality has seemingly helped his athletes, as each year at least one Seiden Kai student has returned with a medal from the national competition.
This year, a total of five local athletes, which was the highest number ever from the gym, competed in this year’s national competition, which was held July 12 to July 15 in Reno, Nev.
Calexico residents Nalani Ibarra, 8, Isabella Neujahr, 9, Zianya Louie, 15, Julio Romero, 16, and Leonardo Castro, 22, returned home with a collective amount of five bronze medals and one silver medal from the national competition.
“I was very happy because we’re always afraid of having people not interested in going to nationals because nationals is a very hard competition,” Canedo said. “It’s best of the best nationwide. It’s the top people from each state, so could you imagine going to a national and coming back with a medal. It’s very hard.”
The shihan also mentioned that the cost of going to the national competition has stopped a lot of athletes from attending.
“Five is the most I’ve sent to a national because it’s so expensive,” Canedo said. “We’re super, super lucky if we have a national in our state. California doesn’t normally host the national. Normally, the nationals are held back east. For us to travel all the way over there is thousands of dollars. So we were lucky this year to have it in Reno.”
The five local students reached the nationals after finishing well in a recent state qualifier competition.
Ibarra, Neujahr, Louie, Romero and Castro competed among 2,200 other athletes in their respective age groups in the national competition.
The five local athletes demonstrated their skills in kata (forms), kobudo (weapons) or kumiteor (fighting).
Ibarra and Neujahr both competed in the national competition for the first time, and both finished in fifth place in the kata event.
Ibarra also finished in third place with a bronze medal in the kumite event.
“I felt that I did good,” Ibarra said. “If I didn’t win anything that’s OK because I at least tried, and I went and I tried my best.”
Neujahr, who finished in fifth place for both the kata and kumite events, said she believed the tournament was a good learning experience.
“I felt sad when I got fifth place, but it’s OK because it’s my first time and I tried my best, and I learned from my mistakes,” Neujahr said.
Both girls said that they’ve already begun training in hopes of qualifying for next year’s national competition.
“Karate is part of my life,” Neujahr said. “I like karate, and I just want to keep going until I’m a black belt.”
This year was Castro’s third year going to nationals, and it was his most special year yet, as he competed in the black belt division for the first time.
“It was my first time competing as a black belt, so for me to win a medal in the black belt division, I feel very proud of myself,” Castro, who finished with a silver medal in kobudo and bronze in kata, said. “But I know I can do better to get the gold, and that’s what I’m going to do next year.”
In Romero’s fourth year competing in the nationals, he was able to finish with a bronze medal in kata and fifth place in kobudo.
“I’ve learned that each year it just gets harder and better,” Romero said. “It’s kind of hard to compete there because everyone wants the gold. I’ve learned that when you lose and when you win, you should feel proud of yourself and enjoy the moment that you’re there. And when you come back, you train harder and smarter.
Romero and Louie were the only two athletes of the local group this year to try their hand in the team trails. Those who qualify in the team trials get to be a part of Team USA in the 2020 Olympics.
It was Louie’s sixth time going to nationals, and her second year participating in the team trails.
“Now that I lost in the competition, I’m going to come back and train harder,” Louie, who finished in the semifinal round of the trials this year, said. “Julio and I, we want to make the team, and hopefully all three of us can make it to the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.”