Tag: #katatournament #invitational

2nd Annual Sensei Robert Robinson Memorial Tournament

by GH

It’s been just over a year since we lost Sensei Robert and had our 1st Annual Memorial Tournament to honor him by carrying on the tradition that he started for our club.

Our tournament this year will be held on Sunday, March 1st, 2026 starting at 10AM at the 187 Foothills Air Cadet hanger at the Foothills Regional Airport (formerly High River Regional Airport).

Everyone is welcome to attend, and we encourage all of our students to participate. This tournament is an excellent opportunity for students to conquer their nerves and have a great time showing off the skills they’ve been working so hard on in class to family and friends.

We attend a few tournaments each year as a club, and this tournament is a good opportunity to practice performing kata in preparation for both future tournaments, and for our annual gradings which will be coming up this spring for those who are ready to progress to their next belt level.

Tournament Details:

  • Sunday March 1, 2026
  • 9:30AM Sign In for Competitors
  • 10AM Tournament Start
  • Competitors bring or wear your Gi, bring a water bottle, and a snack – we usually go a bit over lunch, so you may want a snack for the morning (we will be providing some treats as well)
  • Fees – None – this tournament is free for all competitors!
  • Participants will be from the High River and Vulcan Tekka karate clubs
  • Draws will be divided into age and belt level categories (ex. K-12y, 13-18y, 18y+, White, Yellow, Blue, etc)
  • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will receive a medal in each draw category
  • Kata only

As always, please feel free to contact either Sensei Gillian or Sensei Travis if you have any questions or concerns!

Family Day Week & Resource Update

by GH

Family Day Week Class Schedule

Our training schedule for February includes the following dates to note:

Monday, February 16, 2026 – Family Day

  • We will be having this as an optional training day for anyone who wants to join Travis at the gym
  • Thursday, February 19th, 2026 – Regular Training Day

Resources for Students:

We have added a new video links page to the website with links to some of the YouTube videos we reference for the kata we train with for each belt level grading.

Kata Video Links

Upcoming Events

Also see our recent post for upcoming tournament and event dates in March and April – it’s going to be a busy spring season!

Upcoming Event Dates

Upcoming Event Dates

by GH

Here are some upcoming dates for the High River Karate Club that you will want to add to your calendar for March and April 2026!

Sensei Robert Robinson Memorial Tournament – 2nd Annual

  • Sunday, March 1, 2026
  • 10AM Start
  • 187 Foothills Air Cadets Hanger at the High River Airport
  • No Cost – KATA ONLY – Invitation Only (Sankaku Association Members)

seIwa kai tournament

  • Sunday, March 22, 2026
  • 9:30AM registration, 10AM start
  • Kata Only
  • Calgary – location TBC

Rob robinson memorial team roping event

  • Saturday, April 11, 2026
  • 2PM
  • High River Agricultural Society Grounds 64137 HWY-543 E, Foothills County, AB

Tournament Recap

by GH

Thank you to all of the competitors, spectators, judges and special guests who came to support the High River and Vulcan Tekka Karate Clubs at our first annual Sensei Robert Robinson Memorial Tournament!

At the tournament on March 2, 2025 – 20 competitors from the Vulcan Tekka and High River Karate clubs competed in individual and team kata. All of our participants demonstrated great physical ability, spirit (kime) and supportiveness for each other.

Thank you to Sensei Roberts family for attending as our special guests – it was wonderful to have you with us for the event.

Thank you Sensei Sue and Senpai Travis for the dedication to Sensei Robert which opened our event. Thank you to all of our black belt judges, including Senpai Serge and Sensei’s Lyle, Dot, and Sensei Blaine, who managed the tournament draws and supported our judges with competition protocol. It was an honor to present awards in recognition for dedication to the sport of Karate on behalf of Sensei Robert to Senpai Serge, Sensei Lyle, and Sensei Dorothy, for their many years of service in the High River Karate Club.

Thank you to all of our spectators who cheered on our competitors. We have collected a few photos from the event below. Please forward any you would like to add to Senpai Gillian at hurst.gillian@gmail.com

Grading & Seiwa Kai Tournament

by GH

*UPDATED With April 14 Seiwa Kai Tournament Photos*

On April 4th, the following karate ka students successfully graded for their next belt level!

Zack – Green Belt

Alexis – Brown Belt

Ryan – Brown Belt (Vulcan Tekka Club)

Congratulations to all of you for your successful testing and hard work!

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Seiwa Kai Karate Invitational Kata tournament last weekend! Everyone did really well competing against a large number of students (80+) from 4 different dojos and 2 different karate styles! More photos have been added below! Congratulations to Mark, who took home first place in his division, as well as the tournament championship trophy this year!

March 17th Kata Tournament

by GH
Judges and Competitors at the March 17th Kata Tournament at the High River Airport

Thank you to all of our competitors, spectators, and volunteers for another successful High River Karate and Vulcan Tekka Karate Club invitational kata tournament this year! New and returning competitors alike showed wonderful improvement in technique and great spirit! Congratulations to every one of our medalists and competitors – you all made us proud.

UPDATED – more fantastic photos added to the gallery below, courtesy of Sherry Top – thank you!

Upcoming Tournament Updates

by GH

Thank you to everyone who came out to participate in our High River and Vulcan Tekka Karata Kata tournament last weekend!

An update with photos from the event will be published soon, but in the meantime, we wanted to update you on two upcoming tournaments that are coming up fast in April…

Participants at the 2023 Seiwakai Karate Tournament in Calgary

Siewakai Goodwill Karate Invitational Tournament 2024

This year’s kata only ‘for fun’ tournament will take place on Sunday, April 14th, 2024 at the Guardian Angel School (20 Aspen Hills Drive SW, Calgary, AB). Check-in for participants starts at 9:30AM with the tournament kicking off at 10AM, ending approximately 2:30PM (estimated).

Fees are $35 per division, and $35 per kata team. Divisions are divided by belt colors and ages for both individual kata and team kata. See registration form for more details.

Forms and fees for the event need to be returned to Sensei Robert by our class on April 4th. A copy of the registration form is available below and we will be sending them home with students as well this week.

Seiwakai Goodwill 2024 Registration FormDownload
Senpai Travis preparing for Kata competition at the 2023 Karate Alberta Tournament

Karate Alberta Provincial Tournament

This year’s Karate Alberta Provincial Tournament in Calgary will be held on Sunday, April 28th, 2024 at the West Island College school (7410 Blackfoot Trail SE, Calgary, AB). This tournament is an opportunity to compete in kata and / or kumite (sparring) against students from all over the province, who train in different styles of karate than our own. It is a great opportunity to learn more about our sport and gain confidence in a competition environment.

Tournament begins at 9AM sharp, with typically white belts beginning the tournament divisions, moving into color belts, and brown/black belts last. The day does tend to go into the late afternoon if you are in the higher belt categories.

Fees are $50/person Single (Kata or Kumite), $20/person for a second event (Kata or Kumite), and $21/team for Team Kata.

Students wishing to participate in kumite (sparring) must have their own sparring gear including blue AND red gloves, foot and shin protectors, mouth guards and groin protectors (cup).

Registration is due April 18th, so we ask that you give Sensei Robert confirmation of your intent to compete at the tournament, and your registration fee, by Thursday, April 11th so that he can enter everyone from our class as a Dojo the weekend before the deadline.

Stay tuned for photos from last weekend’s tournament as well – have fun and keep training!

Upcoming Tournament Details

by GH

The High River and Vulcan Tekka Karate Club invitational Kata tournament will be held at the 187 Foothills Royal Canadian Air Cadet’s hanger at the High River Regional Airport south of High River, AB on Sunday, March 17th starting at 10AM.

Location:

High River Regional Airport – 187 Foothills Air Cadet’s Hanger

Date:

Sunday, March 17th, 2024

Time:

10AM Start

Tournament Rules:

This tournament is an opportunity for all students in the Vulcan Tekka and High River Karate Clubs to practice performing their karate kata’s in front of an audience. It does not include sparring (kumite) and is JUST FOR FUN. Parents, family members, and friends are all welcome to attend. There is no fee for participants or spectators.

Keep an eye out for more detailed information to come for other upcoming tournaments :

  • Sunday, April 14th, 2024 – Seiwa Kai Karate Invitational Kata Tournament – Calgary – This is a ‘for fun’ Kata only tournament. There is typically a fee to participate.
  • Sunday, April 28th, 2024 – Karate Alberta Tournament – Calgary – This tournament features athletes from across Alberta and includes Kata, Team Kata, and Kumite event categories. There is a fee to participate. Anyone doing Kumite (sparring) requires a set of both red and blue pads, mouth-guard and protective cup.

UPDATED Save the Date – Tournament Sunday, March 17th & No Class Family Day February 19th

by GH

The High River Karate Club will be hosting our annual invitational Kata tournament in conjunction with the Vulcan Tekka Karate Club this upcoming SUNDAY, March 17th 2024 at the Air Cadets hanger at the High River Regional Airport south of High River.

Details to be confirmed closer to March – watch this page for updates. The tournament will feature students from both the High River and Vulcan Tekka Karate clubs performing kata demonstrations. No sparring.

This tournament is a great opportunity for family and friends to come out and see what our students have been working on, so please plan to attend!

ALSO NOTE: NO CLASS MONDAY FEB 19th, 2024 FOR THE FAMILY DAY HOLIDAY. We will resume training on Thursday, February 22nd.

Seiwa Kai Tournament

by GH

Congratulations to all participants at the Seiwa Kai Invitational Kata tournament in Calgary on April 2, 2023!

Students from the High River and Vulcan Tekka Karate Clubs participated in the tournament, which saw approximately 70 competitors gather at the Guardian Angel school in Calgary.

The event was a great learning experience for those who were able to attend – an opportunity to perform kata in front of an audience and see participants performing a different style of karate (Goju Ryu), which has different structure and form.

Thank you to Doug Smerek and the Seiwa Kai Karate club for inviting us to participate!