Martial arts tournament draws hundreds of competitors

SAN BENITO — Children and teens wearing traditional martial arts uniforms sat patiently on the Veterans Memorial Academy gym floor as parents and spectators watched competitors intently from the bleachers.

The Bei Shaolin Open Invitational began Saturday at 9 a.m. as martial artists demonstrated their skills with various weapons, said Scott Kimak, owner of Bei Shaolin Kung Fu and promoter of the event.

There were approximately 210 competitors and more than 500 spectators at the fourth annual tournament that is open to all styles of martial arts, Kimak said.

The participants competed in forms, which are a sequence of movements put together to demonstrate their abilities, weapons forms, a category in which competitors demonstrate their knowledge of use of weapons, and sparring, Kimak said.

Ed Downs Elementary student Kayla Gutierrez has been involved in martial arts for three years, and demonstrated her skills using a staff for judges, she said.

She also demonstrated her forms and sparred — her favorite event — at the tournament, she said.

She said learning about martial arts has been fun and she’s met plenty of new friends through the sport.

“I also get to let out all of my anger if I’m mad,” Gutierrez said.

Jose Vasquez, 9, a student at Fred Booth Elementary in San Benito, is a purple belt and has been practicing martial arts for two years, he said.

“I just like doing Kung Fu,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez hopes to continue practicing and competing until he earns his black belt, he said.

“He doesn’t want to miss any tournament,” his father, Jose Alberto Vasquez, Sr., said.

His mother, Myrna, said that exercise and discipline are two positive aspects of the sport, and that her son immediately became enthusiastic about the sport.

“He was a state champion last year for his division,” Myrna Vasquez said.

Jose Vasquez first started practicing martial arts at the San Benito ISD After School program, where Kimak teaches groups of students five days a week in addition to running Bei Shaolin Kung Fu.

Jack Garcia, the district’s after school program director, said the program enriches the students’ lives through academic and recreational activities.

“We are really honored to sponsor the event at the Veterans Memorial Academy,” Garcia said. “We have beautiful facilities here.”

Kimak said the sport teaches the students about discipline and sportsmanship, keeps them healthy and gives them knowledge on how to protect themselves.

Casey and Basilia Lopez, of McAllen, were at the tournament with their three children, Lorenzo, 4, Victoria, 10, and Vanessa, 8. All were competing.

It was Lorenzo’s first time at a tournament, his parents said.

They enjoy attending tournaments as a family, Basilia Lopez said.

“I’m hoping we can use this as a tool to advance him to other sports in the future,” Casey Lopez said.

The sport teaches the children how to have balance, hand-eye coordination and how to use their bodies, Casey Lopez said.

There was also a gymnastics demonstration by students from South Motion Gymnastics in Harlingen.

The children tumbled their way over mats stretched out across the gym floor.

“You’ll see a lot of martial arts and gymnastics together now,” Kimak said.

Adam Adame, the director at South Motion Gymnastics, who used to teach women’s competitive gymnastics, said students can learn and benefit from both gymnastics and martial arts, and give and take from each sport.

After each division competed, the first place winners received 6-foot-tall trophies and all competitors younger than 11 years old received a participation trophy.