The 3rd Otosan International Karate Cup
By Bill Bly
Sensei Javier Mantilla hosted the 3rd Otosan event in New York City. Gauchos Gym in the Bronx was a convenient location where more than 250 competitors were in attendance. New York karate events consistently attract 220 plus competitors so it was not a surprise to see the venue full with a large number of spectators on hand to enthusiastically cheer on the athletes.
There were more than a dozen countries in attendances as we could see athletes from Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela. An event in NYC that attracts international competitors is a great opportunity for local athletes to test their skills against some of the best from other countries.
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Beginning with World Champion medalist Antonio Diaz performing a spectacular demonstration on the kata Supar enpi the event was off to a dramatic start. Antonio Diaz had recently won the Paris Open one of the top event s worldwide. Diaz is from Venezuela and trained early on with Javier Mantilla. In 1996 they competed together in Sun City South Africa at the World Championship performing team kata. Ironically that was Javier’s last competition and Antonio’s first. We can see this is a friendship that has with stood the test of time. A special thanks to Gerard Vegara for putting together this video. He is one of many supportive parents that are creating wonderful media for us all to enjoy telling the story of events they attend with their children. His daughter Destiny is an excellent competitor and charming young lady. Also on hand was Ozzie Cepero with his son Alejandro who may have started the video revolution on Youtube highlighting youth competition inspiring others around the world. |
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There were a remarkable number of high-ranking officials in attendance. The event moved smoothly through the children’s divisions for kata, kobudo and kumite. However once the adult black belt divisions began the event to on a new look. A large number of elite athletes were in attendance with teams from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Canada and USA the event was high-spirited.
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The WKF is considering a new set of rules and they made they were seen here for the first time in the Americas. For kumite the three judges were to score points using the flags and the referee would stop the match to award the score. The referee no longer would score the points, as his task was to assess penalties. The configuration changed slightly with one judge across from the referee and the other two in the corners behind the referee where the coaches sat previously. The referee could move freely around the tatami as opposed to where prior they could only move a small radius to the right and left.
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From a spectators point of view scoring seemed a bit more obvious minus the many confusing gestures currently in use. The referee not scoring points but rather scoring penalties made this a bit more like boxing. Athletes had mixed reactions, as it seemed harder to score a point especially with the referee who has the best view not being able to give a score.
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Please Note: we will be adding video to this article as it becomes available! |
It would seem the rules would take some getting use to if they were put into play. The referee’s job will have to be a strong one to control the match. The judges will need to be sharp to score the point. As athletes push themselves repeatedly to score with no result, intensity and frustration can cause the contact to escalate again something the referee will need to manage. At this event this modified set of rules provided for exciting matches. If the rules are put into place we will see how the sensei, coach and athletes will develop a strategy for success.
Overall the Otosan Cup was a great event. Congratulations to Javier Mantilla for making it all come together. NYC and the Bronx was a great location as there are so many athletes that can take advantage of this type of event. The venue was convenient for us a seven minute drive from our home.
We left at 6 PM with some of team events on their way. We heard that there was a bit of raucous as a match became heated and the fans were on the floor as most of the tatami had been picked up. After issues of contact a fan got into the ring and a bit of a melee ensued. No karateka, competitor or sensei wishes to see this type of nonsense. The fans need to be policed a challenge at any event. Athletes expect things to get heated from time to time after all it is a competition and afterwards they should bow to each other and on the side shake hands and remember it is just a competition base on traditions. It is unfortunate that those that do not practice the art are unlikely to understand the sport. Briam Ramrup pointed out that incident occured between US an DR teams stating "We both shook hands and hugged it out and there was no bad blood afterwards."
