04/28/2025
Another Platinum Open Martial Arts Championship is in the books! I'm not even sure where to begin. This weekend was awesome! We stayed on schedule both days, had a great turnout and the level of talent was through the roof! I want to thank everyone involved in making the Platinum Open Martial Arts Championship a success! If I miss anyone, please forgive me as there are so many integral parts that make it all happen.
First of all, HUGE congratulations to all our competitors. Whether you walked away with awards or not, you should all be proud of yourselves. The competition this weekend was fierce! There were some stacked divisions (11+ in over 18 men's Black belt kata and weapons at a regional tournament?! Wow!). There were some great fights and close matches. There were no easy wins in any divisions this year. Kudos to you all!
Judges and scorekeepers worked for two days straight and blew through division after division and made sure everything stayed on track. I can't thank you enough for be so generous with your time and talents to help our little tournament be a success.
To Mike Scott and his team for taking care of not only supplying mats and computers, but also getting the rings up and running so they would be ready to go for competition. You are an amazing group to say the least!
Carrie Garrett and Lori Davis-Simpson killed it at registration, as usual. The team up there was lean this year, but, as always, Carrie kept it running and got competitors and spectators through the door quickly and efficiently. Special thank you goes to Karen Sagasu for helping get reg up and running until the rest of the team arrived.
To support staff, Drew Baum, Jenn Straw, Jackson Williams, and Alek Eshnaur (and I'm sure others I'm forgetting) - Thank you for making sure rings were stocked, the door was watched and generally being at our beck and call. It can be chaotic - especially for non-karate folks - so thanks for being there and going above and beyond.
My medic and wonderful daughter, Kendall Eshnaur, kept a watchful eye on the rings, helped out where she was needed and, fortunately, didn't have any medical incidents this weekend. Thank you so much for being there for us and keeping everyone safe.
The official Platinum Open Pit Master, JD Simpson, made some amazing food for the staff and volunteers. We are officially a fresh BBQ tournament from now on!
The dream team of coordinating, Joey Perry and Hollie Perry - Thanks for keeping everything monitored, making changes in real-time and generally keeping things running smoothly. You are the heart of Pro-Mac and have made this journey possible. We can't thank you enough!
The seminar lead by Sam Brumme and Abi Rogers was great! I can’t count the number of people who commented on how much fun they had. You are both solid leaders and Team Heartland is lucky to have you! Thanks for making the long trip!
My amazing wife and partner in chaos, Debra Smith Baum - As if overseeing registration and scorekeepers and handling logistics wasn't enough of a job, she keeps me sane (as much as possible). She's the voice of reason and my beacon in the storm. The Platinum Open would not happen without her. I love you!
Last, and far from least, the coaches that are putting in countless hours preparing their students for competition, the families who are paying, packing and driving competitors from tournament to tournament so they can live their dream, and the spectators who are always always there to cheer and encourage - We can not thank you enough for coming out. filling the divisions with spectacular talent, and making all of our competitors feel seen and supported. You all give the energy that make the Platinum Open the electric event it has become. Thank you for being there!
We are taking this week to recover and realign be we start looking at 2026. Again, thank you all so much! YOU are what make the Platinum Open Martial Arts Championship a success! See you next year!!
