Students finish strong at karate open
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Eighteen different schools competed for top honors at the 12th annual South Alabama Karate Open Sat., June 19 at Straughn High School.
Competitors from a six-state area attended and competed in different belt divisions.
Four students won the black belt championship in the youth, adult weapons, women’s and men’s fighting.
The black belt grand champions were youth black belt champion Sherman Peek of Montgomery; adult black belt kata champion Natalie Hale of Andalusia; women’s black belt fighting champion Sharon Joyner of Jay, Fla.; and adult men’s black belt fighting grand champion Rick Murray of Atlanta.
Andalusia’s Isshinryu karate class finished with 23 first places, including three black belt grand championships.
The following is a list of the competitors that finished in the top five of their respective belt division: Allen Butler — first place black belt weapons, second place black belt kata, first place black belt fighting and first place musical kata; Curtis Butts — fourth place black belt weapons and kata; Hale — first place black belt weapons and kata; Joyner — second place black belt weapons and kata, first place black belt fighting; Hogan Nichols — first place black belt weapons and kata, second place black belt fighting; Rex Butler — third place brown belt weapons and kata; Rexanne Butler — third place brown belt kata and fourth place brown belt fighting; Diamond Sasser — first place brown belt weapons, kata and fighting; Kyle Thornton — first place brown belt weapons, kata and third place brown belt fighting; Reese Burkhardt — first place green belt weapons, kata and fighting; Elijah Bush — second place green belt fighting; Cheyenne Dugger — second place green belt fighting; Marie Josey — third place green belt fighting; Colin Marcum — first place green belt weapons and fourth place green belt fighting; Kassidy Mears — first place green belt fighting; Rusty Mears — fourth place green belt weapons, second place green belt kata and fourth place green belt fighting; Alex Myrick — second place green belt weapons and kata, first place green belt fighting; Tyler Myrick — third place green belt weapons and kata, first place green belt fighting; Abigail Thomas — first place green belt fighting; Will Thomas — second place green belt fighting; Wyatt Thomas — second place green belt weapons and fighting; John Allen Wise — third place green belt fighting; Austin Arnold — third place white/yellow belt fighting; Johnny Robert Boles — third place white/yellow belt kata; Matthew Faircloth — third place white/yellow belt weapons, fourth place white/yellow belt kata and first place white/yellow belt fighting; Abram Guilford — first place white/yellow belt weapons, second place white/yellow belt kata and fighting; Tyler Martin — second place white/yellow belt fighting; Addison Mount — fourth place white/yellow belt kata and fighting; and Dev Patel — third place white/yellow belt fighting.