10-Year-Old Westfield Karate Kid Wins US Capitol Classics Martial Arts Competition in Washington, D.C. Area

Westfield, N.J. (Aug. 12, 2013) – On Saturday, Aug. 3, Sean Canavan, 10, from Westfield earned a first-place kumite (sparring) championship title at the US Capitol Classics, one of the highest-ranked national martial arts competitions on the NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association) world tour. Held at the Gaylord Resort in National Harbor, Md., this weekend-long tournament features hundreds of competitors who represent the “best of the best” in karate from around the country.

For Sean, a karate student from Westfield dojo Karate N Motion (KNM), this is his first national-championship title. “I really want to thank my karate instructors, who have been training hard with me all summer,” said Sean, who will enter sixth grade at Edison Intermediate School in Westfield in September. “And, I’m proud that my KNM dojo friends also did well against some serious competition. We’re a tough group.”

Sean, who also placed fourth twice and fifth three times in other divisions, was one of five local competitors from his school at the tournament, including:

• Joseph Retinger, 10, from Westfield, earned two second place trophies -- in traditional kata and kumite.
• Maddy Covington, 12, from Westfield, earned a second place trophy in traditional kata and a third place in traditional weapons.
• Julia Plawker, 12, from Westfield, placed third in traditional kata and fifth in creative kata and traditional weapons. 
• Jonah Plawker, 8, from Westfield, placed fifth in traditional kata and weapons. 

“I’m proud of the hard work and perseverance of our young karate students,” said Shihan Alan Simms, 10th degree black belt, head instructor and owner of KNM. “Through their martial arts training, they are learning how to remain cool under pressure and to succeed when faced with tough odds. In Sean’s case, he’s small and doesn’t have the size advantage. But he earned this national championship title by preparing for it for months – and sticking with it even after getting knocked down by a larger competitor.”

Many of KNM’s karate students train five or six days a week with national karate champions as their instructors. The KNM team is already preparing for their next competition on Sept. 6-7 at the Twin Towers Classic in New York City. 

“Sensei Alan” as he’s known to his students, a member of both the World and International Black Belt Halls of Fame, is a frequent guest lecturer and presenter on many martial arts related topics. He holds the Ju-Dan rank, 10th degree black belt in American Goshi Shun karate and Honshi Dan, 10th degree, from the Japan Aiki-Bujutsu Federation. Sensei Alan has owned Karate N Motion since 2000. 

For more information, email Sensei Alan:  senseial@aol.com or visit www.karatenmotion.com.