from the November, 2010 issue of Kiai!

My Tournament Experience

by Eli Leki-Albano

Before October 23rd I had never been to Honbu. I always talked about it with my friends and Senpai, but this year’s 34th anniversary tournament was the first time in eleven years that I finally plucked up the courage to make the trip. Even though the actual dojo remains uncharted ground for me, due mostly to traffic and bad timing, the tournament itself was a wonderful experience.

I met up with Senpai Alan and Sensei Wai at Hunter College on the day of the tournament and together we made our way down into the gym. There were a lot of people, but not as many as I had expected. Nidaime was one of the first people to greet us, shaking Wai’s and Alan’s hands before turning to me and saying, "You must be Eli, right? Welcome, we’re so happy to have you here." I was pleased to find that the paralysis that I dreaded would hold me upon meeting him did not come and said my osu easily and comfortably. Sensei Wai then took me to meet Kaicho. He also welcomed me with a smile, and although I was able to say my osu just as easily to him, the only thing I could think about was, "Man, what incredibly soft hands!"

I had assumed from the start that mostly everyone was going to be at a higher skill level than myself but I soon found that, just like Thousand Waves, there are people of every level of accomplishment there. I participated in kata, board breaking, and sparring and found that I did not feel intimidated or overwhelmed by anyone. Even when I lost my only sparring round six to two against Kyoshi David, I was proud of myself and content to enjoy the rest from a distance. Between Senpai Alan and me, coming out of the tournament having both placed second in our kata divisions, Alan winning the men’s heavyweight sparring competition, and me placing third in my breaking division, I feel as if we represented our Chicago home very well. If you’re one of those people on the fence about whether or not it is going to be fun or worth it, jump off and come join us next year because you will enjoy every second of it, I promise!

Osu!