Ten year old Kael Zelisko recently participated in the Children’s World Cup, which ran in conjunction with the 2018 World Traditional Karate-Do Championships that took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland from October 22-28. Zelisko, who is a green belt, brought home a bronze and silver medal from the competition.
For Zelisko, the competition was a bit of a challenge, but overall, was a great opportunity and provided him with a chance to meet people from all around the world. “Doing karate makes me feel good on the inside. Karate is not about learning how to fight someone just because you don’t like them or anything like that. Karate is about self-defense. My sensei told me to never attack somebody first,” Zelisko explained. Having started karate at four years old, Zelisko has never looked back and has plans to become a sensei when he grows up.
The Martensville classes currently consist of approximately 40 students between the ages of 5 and 15. Led by Sensei Don Crowe, the classes focus on self-defense, life skills and physical fitness with emphasis on development of one’s character. As a member of the Saskatchewan Karate Association, the local class provides students with an opportunity to compete at Provincial, National and International Tournaments as well as allows them to participate in seminars and training sessions with instructors from around the world. Crowe, who has been training since January of 2001 and has a 3rd degree black belt, has approximately ten years of international competition experience himself. “Karate is a great way for kids to learn discipline. It is about learning how to show up, try hard, work in a group, show respect to one another and so much more. I am so proud of Kael and all of his classmates were very excited to see his medals and hear about his experience when he got back,” Crowe said.
