Once again, Team Legacy did very well! We had 11 fighters compete. Although we would like the entire team to compete at each tournament, this was a very good turnout! The first team member to compete was Yannis. Yannis won his first fight. He proved that he really does have a back kick now because he threw several and scored! Unfortunately Yannis lost his second match in overtime. Under pressure, he forgot some of the drills and strategy that we worked on in class and resorted to banging away. With a bit more practice and focus on the task at hand, we are confident Yannis will continue to grow and improve.
Kyle was second. He lost his first match. An early head shot set his game off track and he couldn't really get it back together in time. Evan was next. This was the first tournament for Evan as a team member. His opponent was quite a bit larger than him and an early cut kick made Evan a bit apprehensive. He threw several great combinations like a hop in side kick, back kick combo but was not close enough to his opponent to score. Keep up the good work Evan and it will work!
Andrew was the first teenager to compete. He won his match 15-6 but forgot to block his head allowing several head shots to score. Andrew's aggression and motion lead to his gold medal.
Kyla had two matches. She won her first match 8-1 in the first round. She lost her second 8-5 for silver. Kyla had difficulty getting her shots in for some reason. Her opponent took her off her game and Kyla had a bit of trouble finding it again; but, overall, Kyla fought well.
Nicole had one match. Her opponent was very aggressive and made it hard for Nicole to get in any shots. With better timing, we think that Nicole will be able to handle such aggressive opponents easily. She lost her match 13-16 for silver.
There was just one other girl in Kelsey's division. Kelsey was determined to do well at this tournament since she was rather displeased with her performance at the last one. Her opponent was shorter than her so she knew she had to watch for the inside game and play to the outside, keeping her opponent at bay. The girl proved to be rather adept at the inside game and took Kelsey by surprise several times. However, Kelsey listened to the instructions from Master De Los Reyes and did what he asked her to do, something Kelsey was determined to do at this tournament. Her timing was fantastic and her head was in the match the entire time. Toward the end of the match it was very close and regular time ended with the score tied at 14. Master De Los Reyes gave her instructions during the break and Kelsey performed them perfectly, getting the first point and the gold medal, her first in the black belt division. Great job Kelsey!
Britt also had one match. Her opponent was much heavier but Britt might have been the taller one. By the end of the first round, Britt was down by several points. She seemed tentative an unwilling to go after her opponent. The second round was a different story! Britt "woke up" as she put it and started going after points. At the end of the second round the score was tied at 19. The last round saw the girls trading the lead a couple of times. Earning point for point. Britt slowed her opponent down with a head shot that knocked the girls head gear off! Unfortunately Britt connected with her opponent after Kal-yo so the points were waived. Britt pulled off the win for gold at 30-27.
Will and Rashid were in the same division for this tournament. Because Will and Rashid train together, they despise fighting each other at tournaments. There were 4 in their division so they each had an opponent to beat before they would meet in the ring. Rashid was up first. His opponent was at least a foot taller! The guy scored with a down kick several times (many to the body!). Then, realizing that they guy had little more than a down kick, Rashid changed tactics and took away the down kick. He dodged and circled his opponent creating openings and taking advantage of them. It was delightful to watch. Rashid even push kicked his opponent into the scoring table! An exciting moment to be sure. The rings were only 6 m x 6 m, a bit small for 18-32 year old males! Rashid beat his opponent by a score of 17-14.
Will fought the same guy Rashid beat in the final round at the USAT Qualifier in March. Will needed no reminders that they guy's reverse hook kicks are dangerous. Using the "Will strategy" he picked apart his opponent and found his weaknesses. Will's timing was impeccable! He scored with such perfect timing on more than one occasion that it came to mind that perhaps he was telepathic! Will seemed to know what his opponent was going to do before he did it and countered perfectly! Really amazing to watch. Will did have one slip up and got hit with a reverse hook kick. Fortunately it was not at full force. Will returned a hook kick of his own and scored. The match ended by the gap rule in the third round. Will and Rashid would now face each other.
Before they went out the the floor, as soon as they were placed in the same division, Will and Rashid agreed that should they have to fight each other, it would be a sudden death round only. First point wins. Several seconds into the match they both attempted to score. Will's foot connected first. Will won gold; Rashid, silver.
Our team manager, Kristie, also fought at this tournament. She doesn't typically fight at away tournaments but she felt the need for more ring time this year and threw in her hat. Fortunately there was one other lady who was brave enough to sign up! Kristie and Master De Los Reyes had been working for several weeks on an appropriate game plan and Kristie was eager to try it out. With her game plan in hand, Kristie entered the ring. It didn't take but a few seconds into the match to see that the her opponent was clearly less prepared than she was. Kristie dominated the fight and won 10-2 at the end of the first round, barely breaking a sweat. She was pleased that she won but felt somewhat cheated! It was simply too easy a win and she didn't get to try all she wanted. Perhaps next time...
Our final take was 3 bronze, 3 silver, and 5 golds. Congratulations to all who participated. Keep up the good work!
Good job everyone, keep up the good work!
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