Pittsburg Karate Tournament Day 2

Jacob wearing his yellow belt one stripe (he just earned this the week before)!!
Jacob getting ready to do his kata.

Jacob sparring!

I had to add this picture in. I think all the kids that came from Belton brought their Nintendo DS. This is a picture of Jacob and one of his friends in the hotel before the banquet. Before I took this picture, there was 4 kids laying next to each other like they are, and one more laying across their laps - all playing the DS! It was pretty cute and neat to see the friendships building!

Jacob and the other kids from Belton posing with Shihan Fumio Demura!

Day 2 of our trip was the actual tournament. Jacob did very well considering his age. He competed in team kata, individual kata, and kumite (sparring). He met his team for the first time Friday night, so they didn't have too much time to practice. It was all for fun and learning. His team did pretty good for being a new team. Jacob did not place for individual kata, however he got a participation medal. He knows his kata very well, but he tends to get in a hurry and speeds through it and sometimes gets a little sloppy. He was a little disappointed for not "winning" a trophy, but it was a very good learning experience for him. I think he understood that he needs to practice even more and to concentrate on his moves. For kumite, he placed 4th. This was probably out of 8-10 kids. I feel he did very well in this event. Most of the kids he competed with are a year or so older then he is. I think kumite is one of his favorite events. I'll be uploading a couple videos showing his events. I'm very proud of Jacob for trying hard. It was a long weekend, and he really kept up with everything.

After the tournament, that evening, there was a banquet for the students and families. It was nice seeing everyone dressed up a little and all together. Jacob had fun sitting with the other students from Belton, and they all got a picture together and one with Shihan Fumio Demura (he was the stunt double for Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid). It was a nice evening!