Haley’s Spring Classic Tournament in Chico, CABy Janie Burstein

Members of the Honbu Dojo traveled to Chico, California for the Haley’s Spring Classic Karate

Tournament held at Butte College on April 27, 2013.

My husband, Robert Burstein, and I took this opportunity to pack up the motorcycle and ride

down. The weather, and the company, could not have been more perfect. We really needed this!

We arrived at the Oxford Suites Hotel parking lot at the same time as Wolfgang and his parents,

Curtis and Tara. Wolf’s Grandparents and Aunt drove in next. They made the trip down from Oregon to

watch Wolf compete. It is always nice meeting family members of our friends at the dojo! Since we had

some time to relax before everyone else arrived, we decided to take advantage of the pool and hot tub.

The weather was hot so the water was divine….there is no better way to end a ride! The Hill family met

up with us at the pool and we enjoyed visiting with them and catching up. Even though we see our dojo

families every week, we rarely sit down and visit like we do on these trips.

In time Soke, Asia and Christine arrived, followed by the Jim, Misty and Cross. We all walked

across the street to the Olive Garden and met up with Sensei Pat Haley and his lovely fiancée Barbara

for a fun-filled dinner. Now if you haven’t spent time with Sensei Pat you don’t know how hysterically

funny he can be, nor do you know what you’re in for. True to form, he jumped right in and left our newest

dojo members, who are first time competitors, wondering what possessed them to come in the first

place. Of course he promised to “spotlight” them in the ring….literally. Promised them a loud introduction

over the P.A. system and strong and capable competitors for Kumite. I don’t know about them, but in

my mind I actually saw a darkened room with an actual spotlight focused on them. He’s that good. Well

their faces transformed from blank stares to nervous, eye searching uneasiness. All the while he just

kept smiling, telling jokes, and leaving the next day’s events up to their wildest imaginations.

After dinner we retired to the room and all of us settled in. To save expenses we bunked 5 to a

room. Soke was kind enough to share his quarters with Robert and me, and Christine and Asia. We

all fell into our nightly routines, oblivious to the others in the room. It was like we had all lived together

before! We all took polite turns using the bathroom, then crawled into our respective beds and fell asleep.

Or at least I did. I found out the next morning that the fact that the room was located directly above the

pool and hot tub area was not an ideal location. Now I fell asleep immediately, but the loud noises

downstairs kept everyone else awake. I heard later that Soke, in his very diplomatic manner, spent the

better part of the night calling room service, politely explaining to them on four occasions that we had

athletes in the room who needed to compete the next day at a tournament and were in need of a good

night’s sleep. I don’t know what time they all finally got to sleep.

Wake-up call at 6:00 a.m. Orderly and polite bathroom procession. Packed up our belongings

and off we went to our complimentary buffet breakfast! Amazingly, the hotel coffee was actually very

good. No really…. it was. Life is full of simple pleasures! We enjoyed scrambled eggs, link sausage,

potatoes, oatmeal, fresh fruit, bagels and yogurt: not necessarily in that order. Sated and smug, we

loaded into our respective vehicles and caravaned along a pastoral drive to Butte College. And we had

yet another day of perfect, clear, warm weather….life is good! We are all ready to leave that cold

weather behind.

We were greeted at the college by old dojo friends, familiar faces we see only at Karate events.

It’s always great seeing Sensei Tony Altieri and his wife Monica, and their students from Truckee, Ne-

vada. I recognized some of the students and staff from Sensei Haley’s team as well. There were

around 150 athletes competing, so it was a full house in the gym. There were four rings running con-

A nice dinner with Sensei Haley at the Olive Garden after a long drive to Chico, California.

secutively, so there was a lot of action. The children’s division went first, then the women’s division,

and finally the men’s divisions. Kata first, Kumite after lunch.

Watching our athletes compete is always fun and exciting. We all lined up to show our support,

and the coaching team of Sensei Jim, Sempai Misty and Sempai Robert was right there on the sidelines

in the ring to lend support, calm nerves and give timely tips and motivation. During the warm-ups be-

forehand, their coaching tips had been vital and important. It was time to compete!

During competition it is always interesting to see the different styles of Karate and the different

rules of each tournament. It is interesting to see the strategies competitors from other dojos use. Com-

peting outside of our dojo stretches our athlete’s boundaries, and makes the experience makes for a

more well-rounded karateka. All the competitors I saw were gracious whether they won or lost – this

universal goodwill keeps the sport enjoyable.

I asked some of the members of our dojo to tell me their impressions of the tournament, and

what they think they may have learned:

Christine: “I found it overwhelming at first. It was exciting – I could feel the excitement in the air! I

wasn’t prepared to Kumite, I hadn’t signed up for that. I was caught off guard [when I was told I would

be competing] and was extremely scared and nervous. After Kata I felt better since I did well in that. In

time I found out I was sparring in the finals against my dojomate Asia, so that was good. My performance

was disappointing though as I was warned for excessive contact. This made me resolve to train in Ku-

mite more. Control is important. Overall I felt is was a great experience!”

Asia: “It was a great experience. It was fun watching others compete. I was so excited and nervous

while I was waiting to compete. I was glad to see how tournaments were run, and now I know what to

expect next time. Things will change. When I competed I was not as nervous as I expected to be. I

was able to focus and have a calm state of mind during my competition. I met other dojo’s students

and got to know our own Honbu Dojo people better on this trip. I always like getting to know people

better! And I am now exhausted, but am looking forward to the next competition!”

Cross: “I learned you have to be focused no matter what. Even if you don’t get a medal you still won

because you did it. When I got on the mat I felt nervous, but then I got used to it and it felt like home!

I loved it!”

Sebastian: “It was different at this tournament. We were not allowed to touch the head when we were

sparring. That is different from what we do. I learned other styles have different order of belts too. I

had a fun time”

Sensei Jim : “The kids stepped up well, but just like in any tournament, it’s good to see where we can

improve.”

Sempai Misty: “It was a good tournament. The coaching staff takes their job seriously. We feel it is an

opportunity for athletes and officials to gain experience. This is not a “qualifier”, it’s a fun experience”

Soke Saito, and all of us who attended, want to thank Sensei Haley for hosting this tournament,

and for his kind hospitality!

MATC members anxiously awaiting for their event to begin with family members, coaches and supporters.

Coaches Jim Hamilton and Robert Burstein prepares Asia and Christine for their Kumite bouts.

Elise steadies her nerves waiting for her Kata event to begin.

Cross analyzing the situation along with coaches Jim and Robert.

Sebastian wins with his Ananko performance.

Christine wins the gold against some tough brown belts.

Asia wins Gold and Christine Silver in Kumite. Wolfgang takes the bronze in Kata.

Misty coaching with total focus and awareness.

Medal PlacementGold Silver Bronze

Christine Takaoka - Kata KumiteAsia Kearney - Kumite KataSebastian Gattey - Kata

KumiteMatthias Gattey - KataCross Thornton - KataWolfgang Hill - Kata

KumiteElise Gattey - Kata