13 Suburban Karate Athletes Compete at Olympic Training Center for a Spot on the USA Karate Team

Thirteen karate athletes from Illinois Shotokan Karate Clubs qualified for the opportunity to fight for a spot on the Senior National Karate Team in a tournament on January 18-19. Earning a spot on the Senior National Team allows athletes to travel around the world competing and representing the United States of America. In order to gain that coveted position, the ISKC athletes had to first prove themselves in a trial tournament at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Sensei and ISKC founder, John DiPasquale and ISKC Coach Brian Mertel accompanied their athletes to Colorado and were looking forward to watching them compete against some of the best karate athletes in the USA who were also vying for a spot.

All 13 of these students have trained with Illinois Shotokan Karate Clubs since they were young - some as little as four years old and DiPasquale says that it takes dedication and perseverance to compete at this level in karate.

"Seeing your athletes dedicate so much time towards achieving a goal that they have had since they were little, and getting to watch them compete not only at a national level, but at the Olympic Training Center, is really special, and exciting!" DiPasquale said.

The 13 students who traveled to Olympic Training Center to fight for a spot on the Senior Team this year were:

· Skylar Lingl, 18 yrs., Trains in Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg & Palatine

· Cirrus Lingl, 20 yrs., Trains in Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg & Palatine

· Noah Frisvold, 29 yrs., Trains in Palatine & Schaumburg

· William Gatch, 31 yrs., Trains in Palatine

· Kassidy Mahoney, 19 yrs., Trains in Naperville, Hoffman Estates & Geneva

· Ann Hsieh, 20 yrs., Trains in Hoffman Estates & Vernon Hills

· Ellora Jaggi, 20 yrs., Trains in Schaumburg & Hoffman Estates

· Linus Jens, 19 yrs., Trains in Geneva, Schaumburg, and Hoffman Estates

· Madison Malone, 18 yrs., Trains in Hoffman Estates & Schaumburg

· Zachary Moseley, 18 yrs., Trains in Schaumburg & Hoffman Estates

· Nolan O'Rear, 19 yrs., Trains in Hoffman Estates & Schaumburg

· Thomas Pappalardo, 19 yrs., Trains in Schaumburg, Naperville & Bolingbrook

· Erica Simmerman, 16 yrs., Trains in Wheaton, Naperville, Hoffman Estates & Hickory Hills

"This year, we had a record number of athletes qualify," Coach Mertel said. "Of the 13 that attended, four of our athletes secured a spot on the team to represent their karate dojo as well as their country this year. It's a big deal."

Cirrus Lingl and Noah Frisvold, both took 1st place, and Madison Malone and Skylar Lingl took 2nd place, all earning a spot to represent the United States of America on the Senior Karate Team.

For more information about Illinois Shotokan Karate Clubs and its 70+ Park District karate program, please visit iskc.com/info, or call 800-458-9797.