Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships
PRESS RELEASE:
March 1, 2010
Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships
Receives 5 World Rankings!
The hosts of the Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival to be held in Lake County Florida October 22-24, 2010 have received an historical 5 World Rankings. Competitors at this event will be eligible to try out for the official team competing in Korea in 2011. Tournament Hosts, Richard Hackworth, Fred Parks and Gary Pointer of the American Dragon Martial Arts Academies said: "We are very excited to have the privelege of hosting such an historic event. Teams from 4 countries have already sent their letters of intent to compete. We are looking forward to a world class event that will set a new standard for professionalism in martial arts competition."
The Seoul, Korea based organizations of the Korean Hapkido Federation, Korea TangSooDo MooDukKwan Society, Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association, World Sword Arts Federation and the World Christian Martial Arts Federation, have all given the this event a World Ranking.
That means that competitors who win in the self defense division will be recognized as Hapkido World Champions, Those who win in Sparring and Forms are recognized as World Champions by the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association, Korea TangSooDo MooDukKwan Society and World Christian Martial Arts Federation. Those who win competing in weapons with the Sword will be recognized as a World Champion by the World Sword Arts Federation. Each of those winners will receive an official plaque declaring them a WORLD CHAMPION in their respective division.
This is the first time that any event in the USA has received a World Ranking from 5 major organizations. The winners of this event will be part of a team selection to compete in Korea in 2011. Official invitations will be sent to schools who have displayed the level of martial arts excellence and sportsmanship that is expected at this type of world class event.
History of Event
The Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships is a unique martial arts event in the state of Florida that combines competition in Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Judo and Jujitsu. The event is supported by martial arts vendors and offers seminars and demonstrations as part of the weekend's event. The attendance at these events has always been first class because of the excellent organizing committee, and has built an outstanding reputation for having the best judging and refereeing in the South East.
The Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships originated in 1994 when Grand Master Richard Hackworth hosted his first tournament in the state of Florida. This inaugural event had 410 competitors and over 700 spectators and was a Forms Only event. This kind of participation was unheard of for a first time tournament promoter. It was held in the Gotha Middle School Gym in Gotha, Florida. The highlights of the day were two demonstrations: A self defense demonstration by Shihan "Bulldog" Kelly performing empty hand techniques against a sword, followed by a demonstration of Taekwondo forms and breaking by the Korea Taekwondo Association Masters Team from Seoul, South Korea.
The second Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships was held in 1996 with over 200 divisions and included traditional forms, open forms, musical forms, weapons forms, continuous sparring and sports jujitsu sparring. The highlight of the event was a demonstration by the Korean National Childrens Team. This event had over 400 competitors and participants from as far away as New York and Pakistan.
The third Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships in 1998 that set a new record for participation with just under 500 competitors. Over 800 trophies were awarded that day with championship belts being awarded to the Grand Champions in Sparring. The demonstration that day was performed by a team of Grand Masters from the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association and by the Korean National Champion in Sparring.
After a twelve year absence from the tournament world, Grand Master Hackworth is back by popular demand with the 2010 Sunshine State Martial Arts Festival & Championships that is sure to be the finest event yet with seminars by Grand Masters of their respective arts and members of "Team Americas" World Martial Arts Show Team. The opening ceremonies will feature the debut performance of "Team Americas" new routine.
Because this event is a charity fund raiser for the Police Athletic League and the Save A Life Project USA all participants are expected to display the highest level of sportsmanship and courtesy. Etiquette and Respect are the fundamental qualities of true martial artists and we take pride in their display at our event. The Hosts of this year's event are Richard Hackworth, Gary Pointer and Fred Parks. The Tournament Directors are Danny & Theresa Zaino. The Organization Committee is made up of the team of Carl Stone, Gregory Glover and Gator Nationals Promoter, Charlie Lane. Don't miss this exciting event.
