Martial Arts Champions Buzz at Disney

When asked how he managed to keep the multitude of competitors moving at the tournament, Sklar replied:  “Every year we strive to make this experience better not only for the competitors and our guests who travel from all over the world, but to the parents & spectators as well.  Disney is a great organization which really supports our sport and the alliance  has been second to none, the association between Kick International, Tiger Claw and Disney has proven to be a winning team." 

Photo by event staff
Dave Sklar (red) and Harry Bergollo (black gi top) discuss rules

Sklar further pointed out: "But we could not have made any of this possible without the dedicated men and women which makes up the amazing Kick International Team.  Our referees, coordinators, scorekeepers and volunteers are the ones who create magical moments for these competitors by making everyone feel like a champion.  They understand the hard work these competitors put into their training because they were once in their shoes and that dedication along with their professionalism makes all of this possible”.

Friday was the beginning of the Tiger Claw Elite Championships.  This Best of the Best competition pitted Black Belts who had finished 1st or 2nd in their divisions from around the country against each other to decide who would become National Champion.  As the name of the competition implies, these were some of the most exciting competitors anyone has ever seen, from the 9 and under divisions to the 40+ division. 

Photo by Harry Bergollo
Johnna V Willis, Timothy Murphy, Zachary Bergollo & Nikolas Bergollo

The Tiger Claw featured categories that included Traditional Weapons, Open Weapons, Forms (Kata) in different disciplines like TKD, Kempo, Wushu, Karate, and others.  Of course the sparring was, as always, a thing of beauty for those who love the contact portion of our sport.