June 10, 2009 — Seasoned masters in their 70s and novices yet to reach their teens will square off in intense international martial arts competition as the Fourth Annual King Cobra Tae Kwon Do "Battle at the Beach" International Open Martial Arts Tournament kicks off this weekend.
About 120 students and masters representing more than a dozen martial arts schools are competing in the two-day extravaganza, with several teams arriving from Puerto Rico, one from the Dominican Republic and a few teams from St. Thomas. About 80 percent of the competitors will come from St. Croix, tournament director Fermin Rodriguez said Wednesday at a press conference. The tournament was organized by Rodriguez and Sen. Terrence "Positive" Nelson, the master sensei of King Cobra Tae Kwon Do on St. Croix, along with the help of many volunteers.
"This tournament is probably the best weekend event going on St. Croix," said Liz Goggins, a tournament volunteer, at Wednesday's press conference. "It's only $8 in advance and your ticket gets you in both days; Saturday and Sunday."
Three demonstration and sparring rings will be set up on the floor of the Good Hope School gymnasium, each with a table of judges scoring the competitors in real time.
When it is all over, both the women's and men's Grand Championship Black Belt winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize and a six-foot trophy.
The competition is one of the biggest and best in the region, Nelson said.
"It is big, it is growing, and is accepted and soon enough it will be a rated tournament," he said. "It is regarded as one of the best."
Martial arts can benefit young athletes on several levels, Nelson said.
"It is a help to young men and women to stay out of trouble. The intense discipline that is developed by martial arts has helped me in my own life," he said, recounting how he first took up martial arts in college because of tension and the possibility of a fight between different groups of students on campus.
"I joined martial arts because I wanted to be able to fight off three or four people if I were to be attacked," Nelson said. "But I learned a lot more than just how to punch and kick. Martial arts gave me the confidence to speak in front of an audience for the first time. Martial arts took me over the hurdle."
Competition is open, meaning it is not limited to tae kwon do but allows jiu jitsu, karate and all other martial arts.
The ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, with competition in the afternoon. On Saturday, younger and less experienced fighters will compete, with competitors ages 4 to 16 at all levels of skill and adults up to the level of brown belt. Sunday the most accomplished martial artists, those with red and black belts, will compete.
The grand championship fights should take place around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Rodriguez said.
Many of the school's masters are seasoned veterans like St. Croix's own Arthur Dennery, a 10th degree black belt. Dennery is one of the highest level black belts on St. Croix and in the Caribbean. He is a member of the International Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Fame and has been teaching martial arts for almost 50 years.
Several highly regarded masters will give demonstrations between competition Sunday, with a special appearance by Grand Master Ronald Van Clief, a 10th degree black belt who starred in the Hong Kong martial arts movie "The Black Dragon" and who helped choreograph some of Bruce Lee's movies. Entry is $10 at the Good Hope gymnasium door or $8 in advance. Tickets are good for the entire tournament. Competitor registration information and advance tickets can be obtained by contacting Rodriquez at (340) 643-2265, or sending e-mail to fermin1952@yahoo.com, Lynn Fricke at (340) 626-9385, e-mail lmfricke@hotmail.com, Eustace James at (340) 712-2365 or Lucy George at (340) 643-4689.
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