I opted to take the drive south to attend the tournament this year, rather than a nice cozy flight. My “Survivor” journey quickly resembled another reality show, “The Great Race.” Armed with a bad sense of direction, lack of sleep, and poor night vision, the expedition quickly took a turn for the worse… hampered by wrong turns, car accidents, detours and a navigation system that preferred the scenic route over any major highways, all contributing to a painful 15-hour drive. My co-pilots, the Hackman family from Canada, took the adventure in stride. Despite the traveling woes and obstacles, we did complete the first portion of the adventure and finally arrived in historic Savannah, Georgia just as competition got underway.

The Can-Am Conference has quickly gained a reputation for elaborate, over-the-top stage displays. The Kumite Classic (Pittsburgh) and Survivor (Georgia) both take great pride in producing an “event” rather than just running a tournament. The shows each invest thousands of dollars on their stage setup, a commitment and creative vision that is setting a new standard for competitions. Sparing no expense the Hyatt Regency took on a tribal theme, resembling an exotic island...flaming tiki torches, wooded huts, and bamboo accessories encompassed the entire competition area. With temperatures heating up near 100 degrees outside, the resort had all the characteristics of an oasis. 

The successful layout was courtesy of Corky Sikes’ Team Strikeforce. The crew worked tirelessly to help create an atmosphere that was true to a Survivor experience. Whether it was scorekeeping or building a stage, all the parents and students worked together like one big family. They each took pride and satisfaction in playing their role. We are all used to Southern hospitality, but I was even more impressed with the Southern work ethic. Folks like Jay Middleton spent days searching for palm trees and chopping them down to create the ring skirting. Helpful hands were everywhere as the Plunkett, Ursinola, and Boyette families were also hard at work. Now that a truly fun and professional atmosphere was set, it was time for Survivor to live up to its name as competitors and fans from all over North America accepted the challenge. 

Like most NBL National events, the action kicked off with the ever-entertaining self-defense divisions. Something that has always puzzled me is who actually gets the award for these victories. Lets face it, without the skilled partners (ukes) who get slammed, twisted, kicked, and otherwise abused, there would be no routine. Over the years Jeremy Elliot has perform hundreds of times as an uke, but I am convinced (now more that ever) that no uke has endured more pain in the ring. Joanne Elliot is credited with winning the Adult Choreographed Fight division, but there should be an asterisk next to the divisional winners also giving her partner recognition. In dramatic fashion, she smashed a kendo sword full speed across his face leaving him bloody, and in need of some medical attention. There were no tricks or gimmicks, its pure unadulterated sacrifice of the body. I for one think that the NBL should give world championship belts out to poor volunteers who really get beat up during these routines!

Competition is always fierce at national conference events, but Men’s Creative Weapons showcased a lineup reminiscent of the SuperGrands. It was a who’s who of past and present world champs including Edgar Cordova, Eric Wilson, Cody Hackman, Darrel Lewis, and Jerico Catura. Despite all the veteran adult competitors, it was junior world champion, Chad Cannon of Texas, making his adult debut, who turned heads. Noticeably absent from the competition scene most of the year, Cannon has been busy leading his local high school’s football team as a star cornerback. But football was the last thing on his mind, as he twisted his way through a wide array of ariel combinations that seemed to defy gravity. The rookie took it to the more experienced field with an impressive win for the GOP Team.

There were some outstanding forms competitors throughout the weekend and sometimes its not always those who place first that I feel are most impressive. I have to give props to Jeff Doss who stays true to karate and “old school” creative forms. Doss shies away from the gymnastics aspect of the game and instead showcases some incredible kicking combos accompanied with strong blocks and solid strikes. Lets face it, a karate form is supposed to be an “imaginary fight” and if you don’t have basics, chances are you lose the fight. Even though he did not find himself among the top of the leader board, I applaud his style.

The Junior Contemporary Forms Grand Championship ignited the southern crowd. Alex Pye brought the fans to their feet as the “rage” inspired, Gene Middleton, looked as if he had the total package and would pull ahead of the pack, but a miscue on a round off put him out of contention. The title would not go to the south, but instead to Michigan’s high flyer, Daniel Pitlock, who scored the first “10” of the nighttime finals and snatched the evening’s first grand championship. Middleton didn’t let the setback ruin his spirits, as he avenged his loss with a victory over the North’s Kevin Houser (Bourelly One) in the Junior Feather Weight Continuous Sparring Championship by a nail bitter score of 94-93. The Men’s Hard Creative and Hard Musical Forms champ, Darrel Lewis, donned the GOP uniform once again to face off against Female Hard Creative champion, Melissa “Apple” Sioson. Sioson made news earlier in day winning first place in Female Fly Weight division, a new endeavor for the popular forms champ. Not only did she win her fighting division, but she incorporated some of those fighting techniques into her very unique form. It was a great performance but the judges gave the edge to the trickster Lewis, and another win for GOP.

There are always a few upsets at the national level, and Mike Welsh of Canada’s Team United gets acknowledgment for a stunning win over the heavily favored CJ Corbin of South Carolina in point fighting. Shane Baker told me that Welsh is one guy to watch in the future as he is getting back into the competition scene. It was a wild 9-8 sudden death finish giving the Canadian some bragging rights. However, the party didn’t last long as he was defeated by teammate Richard Steckham who eventually would hold claim to the divisional title. Corbin, a consistent champion on the circuit, rebounded quickly by winning his continuous title 44-38 over Quinn Millie. In more sparring action, Anthony McGinnis (Team Alchemy) was able to defeat Patrick Wilkins of Michigan’s NWK, but Patrick’s brother Chris was able to overcome Billy Dietz (FX) to even up the score of one continuous title for the north and one for the south. Junior Middle Weight Continuous was set between Team Dragonfire’s Scot Bowman of London, Ontario and Team Fx’s Benjamin Ferguson. Bowman, a student of John Marshal has really developed into a national threat this season in all facets of competition. It was a valiant effort by both players, but Ferguson was able to hold off the aggressive Bowman. Richard Steckham, may be feeling a little over confident from his divisional win earlier in the day found himself a point down, 25-26 after round one with Andre Parrott (Team Langley). As Steckahm raised his game, so did Parrott trading punch for punch and kick for kick. When the points were tallied it gave Steckham a 49-45 victory but Parrott definitely gained some respect for his performance.

The Junior Boys Team’s finals showcased GOP versus Team FX. Both teams have been in this situation before, so the crowd expected excitement. Sage Northcutt, sporting a Superman symbol on his chest, took round one over Brice Ferguson 1-0. After round two the match was even 6-6. Anchors Chirs Ursinola and CJ Corbin would decide the fate of the team title. Ursinola fought smart and with a lot of heart, keeping the match at a dead heat. With only seconds on the clock Corbin scored a buzzer beater to give GOP an 11-9 victory. Junior Contemporary Weapons featured the Lewis brothers (Adam and Justin) versus Kristi Corbitt. Corbitt’s creative fan kata got the divisions only two “10’s” but a split panel of judges scored Justin Lewis’ bo staff the overall winner. The Adult Traditional Grand Championship featured Cody Hackman (Japanese) Mike Pustyak (Kenpo), Jerico Catura (Korean) and Apple Sioson (Female Japanese). Fueled by a healthy diet of “Poutine,” Hackman was on fire all weekend winning empty hand kata, traditional weapons, and completed the weekend by taking the Traditional Grands.

The Men’s Team Fighting showcased GOP versus Team B.O.S.S.. David Quenzel has put his heart into developing a strong group of national competitors on Team B.O.S.S. who have been impressive all season. The opening bout went back and forth between Coach Quenzel’s son Eli and Roberto Torres of Texas. The end result was a 4-4 tie after round one. GOP star, Bryan Young then clashed with Southern favorite Ryan Freeman. It seemed as if it would be another tie score, but in the last 10 seconds Young was able to score two quick blitzes to give GOP a 9-7 advantage. It all came down to the GOP’s namesake Chris Gallio versus Jeff Tiller. The final round was exciting, with plenty of noise from the coaches and crowd. It was an emotional finish as Gallio was able to run the clock out giving GOP a 14-13 win.

Some of the best bouts of the weekend came from the senior divisions. Eric Hensley of Team CKD took to the ring for the first time since he tore his hamstring at the 2005 Super Grands. You would have never suspected that he had endured such a major injury as he kicked through the very competitive path, capitalizing with a narrow victory over Team FX coach, Ron Ferguson. The Senior Grand came down to Marty Maye (DDX) and senior legend, Joey Shifflet (Team B.O.S.S.) . It was another classic match up this time giving Maye a 7-6 victory.

Rounding out the daytime eliminations, an impressive Ryan Gonzalez (DDX) of California defeated southern favorite Ryan Freeman (Team B.O.S.S.) setting the stage for some exciting Survivor grand championship rounds. After Andrew Caliban bowed out to Roberto Torres (GOP), Shane Baker (United/Str8up) faced off with Jason Holmes (GOP). Holmes was more mobile with Baker relying on his blistering speed. With a 6-6 score, it was a Baker blitz that would advance him. Nate Windsor (SMA) coached by Rick Lee battled Hakim Walker (NYC). It was another North vs. South nail bitter, as it was 5-5 after regulation. Walker cut the angle for a reverse punch and Windsor timed a defensive sidekick to win the bout. Jeff Tiller (B.O.S.S.) then was matched up with Ryan Gonzales (DDX). Controversy struck, as there were a number of technical difficulties with the clock. After arbitration it was set as a 7-7 score with 4 seconds on the clock. Tiller went for the win with a swooping kick, and Gonzales pulled the “up and under” backfist to score at the buzzer.

In the final four Baker found himself down early in the match against Roberto Torres, but his rule savvy coach, Chelsy Nash challenged a face hit on the ground that seemed to turn the tide. Baker had a new spark and took the match 6-4. Windsor and Gonzales put on yet another sudden death semi-final mêlée. The final clash posed 2 votes for Gonzales and 3 for Windsor setting up the overall final between Baker and Windsor. True to form, the final fight was electric. With 5 seconds on the clock, Windsor timed a roundhouse kick to lock down a 6-4 win and the Men’s Sparring Grand Championship.  

Corky Sikes may be a veteran on the NBL circuit, but this was his rookie season hosting a National event. His years of experience coaching and competing helped created a “competitor friendly” tournament that the entire South could be proud of. Throughout the weekend it was evident to become a “Survivor,” a champion must outtrain, outperform and outlast their competition. Sport karate’s finest will anxiously await the next, “episode.”