Martial arts season opens today at Campion

THE local martial arts season opens this morning with the Everlast Jamaica Taekwon-do Academy Open at Campion College Auditorium, starting at 9 a.m.

The popular Jamaica Taekwon-Do High School League will be the morning's first event, featuring defending champions Calabar High, led by Trevor Webb Jr, Jamaica College, St George's College, Excelsior High, Cornwall College, Thompson Town High and Wolmer's Boys'.

Sabumnim Trevor Webb, yesterday confirmed participation from seven organisations, plus his own Jamaica Taekwon-Do Academy, which will have fighters coming in from schools in St Thomas, Clarendon, St Mary and Montego Bay to join their Corporate Area counterparts.

Webb named Ningen Karate, Rising Sun, Shai-Tai Kick-boxing, Jamaica Taekwon-Do Association, Esmo Taekwon-Do, Seido Karate and Zendo Karate as confirmed participants.

"We will have grand championships for coloured belts - 11-and-under, 12-16 and 17-and-over. This is the first time this will happen in Jamaica.

"Each coloured belt group will have sparring and patterns. I am giving the youngsters the opportunity to participate more in patterns, which will decide who wins the grand championship for each coloured belt grup," he explained.

"We will have the usual grand championships among black belts, male and female, plus we're also doing a special patterns event in memory of Harry Chin-Hing, the Harry Chin-Hing Memorial Cup.

"In this event, all the grand champions, coloured belts included, will go after that cup, which will be decided by patterns. We will also have the usual weapons division," he added.