Saturday, Oct. 26 was a big day for three students of Rocky Mountain Martial Arts Family Centre and their coaches, Joel Huncar and Keith Young.

Daniel Petryshen, Nova Bell, Leyton Davis and their coaches travelled through hurricane force winds and typical prairie fall driving conditions to test their mettle at the MAC Martial Arts International Tournament.

This time they left their boxing gloves aside and picked up their traditional Filipino Martial Arts weapons to fight with sticks and practice knives against opponents from all over Canada and other countries.  There were some last minute rule changes that completely went against the way the team had been preparing but the fighters still stepped up with enthusiasm.  These kids showed courage and adaptability.

Bell came away with a single stick third place trophy and Davis came back to Cranbrook with an impressive first place and third place trophy.  All three fighters showed amazing dedication and perseverance.  In the end even though Petryshen fought many hard battles he unfortunately did not place but showed skill and courage by fighting competitively through pain and injury, and while it is nice to come away with shiny trophies the fact that these kids showed bravery, sportsmanship and determination are more what their coaches are looking for.  All three made their coaches very proud.

The highlight for both coaches was witnessing a match between Bell and Davis that went back and forth in a long over time round because they ended the match tied. Many of the crowd thought this was possibly one of the best matches of the day.

All three fighters showed amazing sportsmanship, composure under pressure and passion for the rare and beautiful art of Arnis/Eskrima.  These kids are amazing athletes and ambassadors for their community and their gym.  Look for more to come in the future from these dedicated youth athletes.

Lead image: Nova Bell, Daniel Petryshen and Leyton Davis.  Photos submitted

Rocky Mountain Martial Arts Family Centre

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