A team of 75 students from Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai brought home 125 trophies from the 2008 Traditional Martial Arts Winter Classic Tournament held recently in Denton.

            The group competed in possibly Denton’s first-ever traditional martial arts tournament that attracted competitors from all over north Texas and Oklahoma.

            Competitors also got to experience a seminar conducted by Hanshi William H. Duessel, a ninth degree black belt who received his black belt in Isshinryu personally from the founder, Master Tatsuo Shimabuku in 1964.

            Hanshi Duessel, who is the highest-ranking black belt in the Isshinryu World Karate Association in the United States, demonstrated some basic techniques that are helpful to students of all styles in the martial arts as well as the proper way to execute kicks and some self-defense techniques he developed.

            Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai, which has locations in Plano, Coppell, Denton, Flower Mound, Southlake and Wylie, hosted the tournament and seminar. Hanshi Duessel is the teacher of TIKK president and 8th degree black belt Kyoshi Robert Kristensen.

            Following are the tournament results of students from TIKK’s Plano dojo:

Black Belt Divisions

                                Kata                Kumite            Weapons

Carol Gue                    3^rd                    2^nd                    4^th

Kent Kirkpatrick          2^nd                    1^st                    ---

Advanced Divisions

                                   Kata                Kumite

Andrew Black              3^rd                    1^st

Tracy Dickey                3^rd                    2^nd

Taylor Casale               4^th                    2^nd

Steve Kroll                   3^rd                    2^nd

Caleb Stanley               ---                    4^th

Intermediate Divisions

                                   Kata                Kumite

Maggie Butterfield        1^st                    4^th

Beginner Divisions

                                   Kata                Kumite

Robert Casale              3rd                   4th

            For more information, call (972)315-1358 or visit www.txikk.com.