Adrian Schafer gets a hug and show off her medal after winning Silver in Girls Orange Belt Forms competition at the World Tang Soo Do Association’s U.S. National Karate Championship.
On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 9, Elmhurst Tang Soo Do joined more than 800 other competitors at the World Tang Soo Do Association’s U.S. National Karate Championship at the Kalahari Resorts in The Poconos, Pa. This event was especially meaningful following the cancellation of the World Championships in 2020 due to COVID-19, as the first major competition held by the World Tang Soo Do Association since the start of the pandemic.
One of the highlights of the competition was the promotion of Grandmaster William Strong to 9th degree Black Belt the highest rank in the system in recognition of his more than 50 years of practicing and promoting the Art of Tang Soo Do (Karate).
Due to the pandemic Elmhurst Tang Soo Do’s travel team was small this year. Six competitors accompanied Masters Michael Inoshita and Holly Inoshita to National Championship, and they returned with 12 medals. Several Elmhurst Tang Soo Do students were in the running for the National Championship including Connor Campbell, Michael Shafer and Jade Inoshita by acquiring 20 or more points in their bracket but came up short of winning the National Title.
The individual results are as follows (all competed in the 14- to 17-year-old category):
Michael Shafer: Silver Forms, Silver Weapons, Silver Sparring Boys 2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belt Division (24 points).
Connor Campbell: Bronze Forms, Bronze Weapons, Gold Sparring Boys 2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belt Division (20 points).
Jade Inoshita: Gold Forms, Gold Weapons Girls 2nd Degree Black Belt Division (20 points).
Magnus Mikhail: Bronze Forms, Bronze Weapons Boys Blue Belt Division (10 points).
Luc Pesenti: Silver Sparring Mens 3rd Degree Black Belt Division (8 points).
Adrian Shafer: Silver Forms Girls Orange Belt Division (8 points).
Elmhurst Tang Soo Do is looking forward to its return to the World Championships in 2022 and hope to contend for a World Championship Cup.
