Ontario hosted the first amateur kickboxing tournament in the province's history. This premiere event brought together over 65 athletes from 16 gyms from across Ontario and Quebec, and from as far away as Newfoundland.

43 bouts were held over the two day event. The competition focused on prenovice and novice class athletes, with a priority on giving new athletes the opportunity to gain competitive experience. A number of clubs brought many junior and intermediate aged athletes as well. These young athletes are the future of the sport and the quality of competition displayed in those bouts impressed many of the senior athletes.

The second of the three competition brackets was the Saturday evening show. A number of special guests were in attendance at this amateur kickboxing gala. These included - Jean Yves Theriault - Canadian Kickboxing Legend, Jim Flood - Founder of the Canadian Kickboxing Association, Bruce Greenburg - President of SOHO Hotels, Rick Joslin - Former professional athlete and professional kickboxing referee, Richard Lortie - President of TOPTEN Canada, Amer Mustafa - President of the Kickboxing Ontario, and Barb Stewart - Sport Consultant with the Ministry of Health Promotion. The President of the Ontario-PSO, Amer Mustafa, requested Ms. Stewart to lead a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the first amateur kickboxing event in Ontario. Ms. Stewart has been a great supporter to the Ontario PSO application for amateur kickboxing. Her advocacy and guidence lead to the acceptance of amateur kickboxing in Ontario.

The officials team was led by Amanda Worehle and consisted of 5 Level III and two Level II officials. This team worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure that all bouts were run in a safe and controlled manner. In addition to the officials team, the 4-man medical team organized by Gus Kandilias took great care of all participating athletes. Of the many bouts over the two days, there was lots of action between evenly matched athletes. At the end of the tournament, the following awards were presented:

Junior Athlete - Rega Jihad - Ottawa

Female Athlete - Theodora Pisiolis - Toronto

Male Athlete - Adam Kane - Ottawa

People's Choice Athlete - Marco Capobianco - Oakville

Best Supporting Club - 8 Limb Muay Thai (St. Johns, NFLD)

Most Competitive Club - KICKJITSU (Oakville, ONT)

There were two title bouts held at the KO Challenge. The first was between top Canadian intermediate, Ross Mylett (TAZ) and up-and-coming athlete Tyler Asseltine (Impact Zone). These two young men displayed great effort and a strong desire to walk away with the first ever intermediate provincial title. The kicking skills and strategy of Asseltine was superior during the bout and the Kingston athlete was victorious and crowned champion. This is certainly not the only time these two athletes will meet in the ring, before they start making waves in the senior division.

The second title at the KO Challenge was between John Nash (TAZ) and Sonny Jandu (KICKJITSU). Jandu was a replacement when the original Nash opponent, Rene Gratton from Montreal had to withdraw due to unexpected accident that required stitches. Jandu came into the bout with significant experience having competed across Canada and the USA. He was also on the Canadian National team in 2002 that went to South Africa.

Nash is considered one of veterans of the sport with over 25 bouts to his young 19 years of age. Nash showed great skills and tactics throughout the 5 round title bout. The audience was surprised by the determined Jandu as he showed great heart and skills against the strong Nash. Jandu was coached by National team coach - Brad Fowler - who made Jandu focus on a smart strategy of rushing him at the beginning of each round. This surprised Nash and made him cautious. Both athletes showed excellent kickboxing and also great respect towards each other.

The decision was unanimous with John Nash being crowned the new Canadian Welterweight Champion. While happy with his victory, Nash has already requested CASK to organized title defenses with the top two athletes in the division - Rene Gratton and Ryan Burgess. Both athletes have defeated Nash in previous bouts, and the young athletes wishes to compete the best in the division. The welterweight division looks like one of the most competitive division in CASK, with many exciting matchups for 2007.

The success of the tournament format of the KO Challenge will hopefully encourage other event coordinators and provincial affiliates to organize similar events. 'Having tournaments such as this one is essential for the growth and development of amateur kickboxing in Canada. We have historically focused on single bout events - the old 'fight cards.' By providing more of these type of events we allow a greater number of athletes, especially the novices and kids, to gain valuable competitive experience. I think we in the amateur kickboxing sector need to look at sports such as soccer and hockey and ask ourselves how we can build our sport towards the level of these. I believe if can happen - but we need to look outside the traditional way we have viewed our sport and competitions,' stated Muzammal Nawaz after the event.

CASK in conjuction with EC Promotions have launched a print series of motivational posters featuring prominent Canadian kickboxers. The first series is now complete and the next two series is being developed.

If we can start promoting our athletes within our industry and also outside, we can start building a greater general public interest in our greatest asset - the athlete! Our upcoming series of prints are focusing on top female and junior athletes, both of which represent the fastest growing component in our sport. We will have posters featuring Canadians such as World Kickboxing Champion - Jackie Lachapelle, top Professional athlete and National team coach - Brad Fowler, and top juniors like Ross Mylet and John Nash!' commented Muzammal Nawaz, founder of the project.

The first two series of the prints are now complete and ready for distribution and sales. The prints will be first unveiled at the KO Challenge Championships in Ontario on November 25/26. One series of prints feature training footage, while the second competition footage.

The photography comes from SnapShot Pictures, a growing photography company in the sports sector. The poster designs and motivational quotes were inspired by PATHWAYS - an educational publishing company in Toronto.

Clubs or individuals wishing to order any prints from the first two series can do so by contacting the CASK website. Clubs wishing to purchase them for sales within their club, are offered a discounted rate. Prints are shipped with 10 business days. The posters can be ordered in three sizes - small (8x10), medium (10x14) or large (size varies). The cost breakdown for website purchases are: Small prints - $20, Medium - $30, Large ($45-$60). Prints can be plaque-mounted for a small additional fee.

CASK will be using this print series as a fundraiser for its competitive program - firstly to raise money for national teams travelling internationally for competitions in 2007. The posters can be ordered in three sizes - small (8 1/2 x 11) medium (11x17) or large (20x25).

These will make great gifts for your favorite athlete, the dedicated coach, your greatest fan, or just for yourself. Order your prints early and support our Canadian athletes at the same time!

Below are samples of the 8 prints now available in the first two series. The next three series will be ready by early 2007.

The 9th annual Canada Cup Continuous Sparring Championship (Light Contact Kickboxing) was again held at the beautiful Mississauga Convention Center. This event has become Canada's premiere continuous competition regularly bringing together athletes from across the USA, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

Many of today's top full contact champions gained their first competitive experience at this annual event. Past champions have included Jackie Lachapelle (World Kickboxing Champion and National Boxing Champion), John Nash (North American Kickboxing Champion), Sandy Pembroke (WKA World Championship Gold Medalist), Holly Deacon (WPKA World Championships medalist), and Bradley Macvicar (WPKA World championship Gold medalist).

In this event close to 100 talented athletes participated representing 17 different clubs. The most active clubs at the 2006 edition of the Canada Cup were:

Macvicar Karate International - Windsor
Nomad Kickboxing - Ottawa
Impact Zone - Kingston
Ontario Kickboxing Institute - Brockville
Black Belt Institute - Toronto

There were many competitive bouts in all divisions - however the bulk of the heavy competition could be seen amongst the juniors and women. The growth of the Canada Cup has resulted in many juniors gaining valuable years of experience and becoming seasoned competitors at an early age. The many competitors in the women's divisions also demonstrated very good technical abilities and control throughout the day.

A great thanks is due to the many volunteer officials that worked hard all day to ensure a safe and organized event. The officials were dressed in the new CASK official attire (black pants, shirt and blazer) making the event more professional. Due to the hard work of these individuals the event started on time and was completed by 3:00pm. A special thanks also goes out to the volunteer parents and friends from KICKJITSU, TAZ, and Macvicars who assisted in the administration of the event.

The plans are in the works to host two continuous events in 2007 - so keep on top of the Events Page on the website!