05/21/2026
This past weekend was an incredible experience for our club. Junior Nationals took place over three days in Edmonton, bringing together some of the top young karate athletes from across Canada. Every one of our athletes represented themselves, our club, and Saskatchewan extremely well.
We especially want to recognize Emanuel Montano, who competed at his first ever Karate Canada National Championship. This was also a major milestone for our club, as it marked the first time we have had an athlete compete at a Karate Canada national level event. Emanuel represented our club with professionalism, determination, and a great attitude all weekend long. His performance reflected not only his dedication, but also the opportunities that can come from being part of our local program here in Lumsden.
This weekend was also significant for Coach Matthew, who attended the event as an official and successfully earned his National Judge B certification in both Kata and Kumite. Having nationally certified officials involved in our local program helps raise the level of training and experience we can provide our athletes at home.
One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was Team Saskatchewan winning gold in Team Kata. Because of that result, the athletes will now represent Team Canada at the PKF Pan-American Karate Championships in Costa Rica this August, along with other future international events. Moments like this show that athletes from small communities can absolutely reach the national and international stage with the right environment, support, and work ethic.
After the tournament, the athletes also had the opportunity to take part in a one-day Team Canada training camp led directly by Team Canada coaches. Athletes from across the country trained together, learned from some of the best coaches in Canada, and continued building relationships with teammates and competitors from coast to coast.
These experiences are about much more than just competition. They are about growth, confidence, friendships, networking, and building lifelong connections within the karate community. You never know where those relationships may lead in the future, whether through sport, coaching, officiating, or life in general.
What makes us most proud is that these opportunities are available right here through our local club in Lumsden. We are working hard to build a program that gives local athletes the chance to grow from community-level training all the way to provincial, national, and even international competition.
This weekend also wraps up the first year of our sport karate program, and we could not be happier with the progress our athletes have made in such a short period of time. In just one season, we have already seen our athletes step onto the national stage, train with Team Canada coaches, and help earn opportunities to compete internationally. The future of our club is incredibly exciting, and we have some very special announcements coming soon about where we are headed next.
This weekend was another reminder that this is only the beginning, and we could not be prouder of everyone involved.
