Local martial artist takes two silvers at Canadian Nationals

NEWS RELEASE
LEGION HAP KI DO CLUB
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OTTAWA, ONT. - Legion Hap Ki Do Club Coach, Rudy W. Timmerman, is very happy to announce that Mac (Molly) MacDougall, a Legion Hap Ki Do student who earned her yellow belt just last month, competed at the World Karate Commission “Canadian Nationals”, and she earned a silver in sparring and a silver in forms competition. To win sliver in two divisions is awesome, but it is unheard of for a YELLOW Belt to place in a BLACK BELT competition.

It generally takes four to five years of hard training for a student to earn a Black Belt. In comparison, Mac has only trained in martial arts for about five months, and that is why her accomplishments at the Canadian Nationals are an unbelievable achievement. In fact, Mac has only competed in just THREE tournaments, winning Grand Champion at the Twin Sault last February, and again winning Grand Champion at the WKC National Qualifiers in Elliott Lake in March, 2019.  

The Elliott Lake win qualified Mac to compete at the Nationals; however, the Nationals only have Black Belts competing; hence, Mac was in for some tough competition in Ottawa. The two Silver Medals give Mac the opportunity to Compete at the WKC World Championships in Niagara Falls, New York next November.

Legion Hap Ki Do Club student takes top honours in Sault Michegan 

SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH. - On the same weekend, the Legion Hap Ki Do Club also attended the Icebreaker Championships at the Big Bear Arena in the Michigan Sault, and KJMS student Kyle MacDonald, who also trains at the Legion Hap Ki Do Club, won gold in forms, gold in weapons, gold in Junior Advanced Grappling, as well as the Grand Champion trophy in the Youth Black Belt Division.  

Unfortunately, Kyle got bopped in the nose during his sparring match for top honours. Because the blow on the nose teared up his eyes and impaired his vision, Coach Timmerman advised Kyle to withdraw from the competition. This left Kyle with a Silver in Sparring.

Legion Instructor Michael Paciocco earned a Bronze Medal for his performance in the Adult Black Belt Grappling division.

In all, the Legion Hap Ki Do Club had a great weekend, and the team will now begin to train for the annual Warrior Weekend competition and Awards Banquet. This event will be held on the August 16-18 weekend at the Royal Canadian Legion Banquet Hall, and local schools will compete against competitors from Michigan, Kentucky, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Ohio.  

The Warrior Weekend is a combination of events, and it begins on Friday with Black Belt testing, followed by a demonstration competition on Friday evening.

On Saturday, we will have a series of workshops beginning at 10 a.m., followed by the awards banquet, followed by more workshops on Sunday.  

The Legion Hap Ki Do Club cordially invites all martial arts students to join us in a fun packed weekend of competition and training. All are welcome to participate or spectate  

For more information, contact Grandmaster Rudy W. Timmerman at [email protected]

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