Campbell part of N.B. gold rush at karate nats
SAINT JOHN - Four of New Brunswick's finest martial artists will be gunning for gold Saturday at the national karate championships.
Kate Campbell, a 17-year-old from New Maryland, will face Ontario's Ada Bratic of Ontario for the gold medal in junior girls kumite (fighting), while the trio of Gabriel Gates, Marcel Rochon and Brian O'Brien will take on Quebec for the junior men's team kumite title.
Both battles figure to be difficult for the New Brunswick athletes. Campbell is squaring off against an older competitor in the 21-year-old Bratic, and the New Brunswick men's team must win every fight in the team competition against Quebec.
"She's probably one of the best in the western hemisphere,'' said Campbell, whose bout is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.
"I'm excited to fight her. I'm shorter, so I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. I'll just do my best. You can't get better unless you fight people who are better than you.''
By virtue of securing a berth in the final, Campbell is positioned to qualify for the junior Pan-Am Games later this year in Chile. She's already represented her country two years ago in Curacao.
"It was a learning experience,'' Campbell said. "I came back feeling so much better, just having been there and watched all these incredible fighters from all over the world.''
The competition also allowed Campbell to learn things away from the ring.
"I found myself actually missing my parents,'' she said. "I didn't know that about me. I guess I finally discovered how big of a role they've played in my karate.''
All that experience helped Campbell get to where she is now, and that's a pretty special place in this region. She's won five straight Maritime kumite championships and she's undefeated this year.
"I'm probably a defensive fighter,'' she said. "I wait for them to come in, just because I am short. But when they come in, then I go.'' Campbell, who recently graduated from Fredericton High School, will attend the University of New Brunswick in the fall. She's enrolled in a compound arts and science degree.
"This year, (karate) will possibly be different. I might not have as much time to train. This was possibly my blowout year, but at the same time, I've heard a lot of people just stick with it, and I want to. It's basically a part of me.''
Campbell said competing at home is both fun and stressful.
"It's kind of exciting, but I don't really like the added pressure. I don't really tell my friends where I'm competing and when. I just have my family here and my team, and that's basically all you need.'' That team includes just 18 athletes, something Campbell feels is beneficial to the overall effort.
"With the bigger teams, a lot of the people don't even know their own teammates. Since we have a small team, it's almost like a little family. We're so close and we all know each another. It just makes it that much more supportive.
"We've got a really good medal-to-person ratio. It's really good and we definitely help one another through.''
The men's junior kumite team is hoping that team spirit will help defeat Quebec.
"We have to win every fight,'' said Rochon, an 18-year-old from Hampton. "It's a lot of pressure, since they have five (fighters), but we're going to use strategy to make our chances better, but I can't let that (strategy) out.'' O'Brien, a 20-year-old from Saint John, said preparation will be key.
"There's no room for error,'' he said. "If we lose a fight, we lose (the team competition). If we tie, we lose. We have to win all three of our fights.'' Gates, a 20-year-old from Belleisle, isn't overcome by the odds.
"As long as we keep the pressure on the other guys and keep focused, I think we can do it,'' he said. "It's going to be really close.''
Quebec is one of the country's top karate provinces, something that adds to their mystique.
"Their tournaments to qualify for nationals are like a mini-nationals,'' O'Brien said. "They get the best out of a huge province. All their competitors are excellent.'' Still, the New Brunswick trio embraces the David-versus-Goliath scenario. Winning the team competition, like the Biblical battle, would be talked about for a long time.
"It would be huge,'' said Gates, the men's team captain.
Rochon, who recently graduated from Hampton High School, has already enjoyed a strong showing at the nationals, placing third overall in the under-75 kilogram 18-20 men's kumite on Thursday. O'Brien and Gates, both recent graduates of NBCC-Saint John, qualified for the nationals through tournaments.
All three feel an extra sense of pride competing on home turf.
"New Brunswick has a small team compared with the other teams,'' Rochon said. "When we get everyone here, we can show the country what Saint John and New Brunswick as a whole can offer to karate in Canada. I think we have a lot to offer.''
O'Brien said having the nationals at homes means a lot to everyone involved.
"Family and friends can come watch and it gets our athletes more pumped up,'' he said. "We've traveled all around and a lot of (supporters) can't go because of the costs. Since it's here, they finally get the chance to watch us and support us, and that gets us going.''
Meanwhile, the senior competition kicks off today at 8 a.m. The finals for both juniors and seniors begin on Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by the open recreational division competition at 12 noon.
The national junior training camp runs Sunday and Monday at Saint John High School from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on both days.
More Sports
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
