Page 54 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 128

54 Issue #128 September 2023 www.sportsenergynews.com

Mid-60s Wildcats
KARATE KOMMENTS Championships. In 1966 the Wildcats
By Jim Riddell
went undefeated, winning all twenty
everal players from the mid- 60’s regular season games, then won playoff
By Jim Riddell, SCornwall Wildcats Lacrosse team matches against Morrisburg, Cornwall
got together recently, renewing old Mustangs, and Ottawa to win the ELA
Seaway Karate Club friendships.In 1964 the Wildcats Championships. The Wildcats then
advanced through the ELA Play- defeated the Toronto Dixie Beehives to
downs, losing to Fergus in the Ontario win the Ontario Championships.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD IN KARATE
ere we are, in the autumn of 2023, and parents are now in the annual process
Hof registering their children for sports and activities for the school year. The
parents of children that are being enrolled in karate classes today were children
themselves when the martial arts began gaining acceptance as a mainstream
sport in this area. Although a few of these parents may at some time have been
involved in a martial art, the majority of them were concentrating on hockey,
soccer, basketball, and various other more traditional sports.
Karate can be a difficult sport for some children without proper support from their
parents. For a child to succeed at karate and eventually earn that coveted Black
Belt requires perseverance over a period of many years. There are often slumps
to get through, and children do not yet have the life experience to understand that
by pushing forward they will achieve their goals. The necessary repetition and
refinement of kata do not make sense to some children who are used to learning
something and then quickly move on.
Jackie McLennan, Brian Hein, Chuck Li (team Captain),Ron Thompson,

The self-defense and sparring drills, even though there is no contact, may seem Lionel Quenneville, Richard Herrington and Alan Herrington.
a bit frightening to some children. It is easier for parents to give informed Photo Submitted
encouragement in a sport that they themselves have previously participated in THEME: CRACKERJACKS Answer page

and have a good understanding of. A parent without a martial art background may THEME: CRACKERJACKS • Answers
initially lack understanding of technical details and methodology of instruction.
Parents should always feel free to talk with their child’s instructor before or after 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
class – questions are always welcome. C A S H K O J A K C A N T

At Seaway Karate we view this interaction as a ‘partnership with parents,’ which 14 15 16
gives us a better understanding of your child’s needs or concerns which can be A C H E E R A S E A Q U A

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addressed to help facilitate their development. Behind every child that climbs R H O D R A C O N R U N S
the karate ranks and eventually earns the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt) 20 21 22
after several years of training, are parents possessing the same attributes needed Y O U D O N T K N O W J A C K
by the child to achieve that rank – discipline, focus, commitment, sacrifice, and 23 24 25
perseverance. Here are a few tips for karate parents that may be helpful. S O T A N O I E H A P
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1) Attend as many classes as possible. With a parent present a child usually tries E A T N B E C L I P
R
extra hard to impress. You will learn a few things about the art and become “karate 31 32 33 34 35 36

literate” enough to be able to help your child. B A C K R I T A N K A R A
2) Don’t judge your child’s performance – leave that up to the instructors. The 37 38 39 40
supportive parent must stay positive. A correction by the instructor is taken on A L O E 42 B O H R S E N O S
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its technical merit, while criticism from a parent can negatively affect the child’s C O N V E Y E E R R E N T
progress and development. Stay complimentary, focus on fun, and stay committed 45 46 47

to goals. H O N O R S P S A S

3) Video your child’s kata and technique – review the video pointing out only the 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
positives. The child will discover on their own the areas that can use improvement. E R G C U E P L A Y A
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4) Reinforcement at home – the physical skills learned by children are important, J A C K O F A L L T R A D E S
but not as valuable as the life skills – focus, discipline, perseverance, and 59 60 61
leadership. Using time away from karate to positively reinforce these is a great A N T I R I P E R P O T S

way to support your child. 62 A T A 63 C E 64 B I E

T
A
O N I
5) Help your child have fun – a parent’s encouragement and positive attitude are 65 66 67
instrumental in ensuring that your child has fun in class. The art of karate is a O X O N G E T T Y Z E S T
blending of fun and serious training - help your child achieve the proper balance.
Puzzle by Douglas Taillon Crossword on page 53