Area karate club sends 12 athletes to Buenos Aires for Junior PKF Championships
Illinois Shotokan Karate Clubs is proud to announce that 12 of their students will be heading to Buenos Aires, Argentina to compete in the Junior Panamerican Karate Federation Championships Aug. 21-27, 2017.
The ISKC students who will be competing are Junior USA Team members. According to ISKC founder John DiPasquale, to reach the skill level necessary to qualify for the USA team, students must make a serious commitment to karate, as well as continually display discipline through ongoing training.
The athletes' names, ages, residences include:
• Madison Malone, 16, Mount Prospect;
• Ann Hsieh, 19, Hoffman Estates;
• Nolan O'Rear, 17, Naperville;
• Thomas Pappalardo, 18, Naperville;
• Gianna Pelzer, 14, Naperville;
• Magdalena Zucek, 14, Libertyville;
• Marco Garcia, 14, Roselle;
• Logan Turney, 13, St. Charles;
• Ellora Jaggi, 19, Oak Park;
• Allison Watts, 17, Oak Park;
• Skylar Lingl, 17, Carpentersville;
• Matthew Cihlar, 12, Clarendon Hills.
Each athlete trains at one of the following Illinois Shotokan Karate Club locations: Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Schaumburg, Gurnee, Hanover Park, Geneva, Oak Park and Dundee.
Two of this year's competitors are returning to the championship competition.
In the 2016 championships in Ecuador, Pelzer received a gold medal, and Malone received a bronze, both in Kumite fighting.
ISKC provides karate instruction programs for both children and adults in 75 park districts throughout the Chicago area. For more information, visit www.iskc.com/locations/ or call (800) 458-9797.
ABOUT ILLINOIS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUBS
Founded by John DiPasquale in 1978, Illinois Shotokan Karate Club is headquartered in Palatine, Illinois and has grown to serve 75 park districts around the Chicago area. The club offers recreational weekly classes for children and adults taught by knowledgeable instructors, as well as opportunities to compete. In addition to four local tournaments hosted by ISKC each year, the club also offers the opportunity for students to compete in national and international tournaments.
DiPasquale is a four-time national champion and former United States Team coach. Sensei DiPasquale was the only actively teaching karate coach in the country to have been named to the 27-member national faculty of the American Coaching Effectiveness Program.