Youth aged five to 17 will participate in a Striker Series martial arts event at the Cowichan Community Centre on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We are hosting a continuous sparring event,” said Cheryl Hashimoto, representative of Striker Series.
The goal of Striker Series is to provide a platform for growth and experience to kids and youth from all different styles of stand up martial arts. It’s essentially to showcase the martial arts sports in a quasi-competition setting.
“We probably have, 10 clubs between here and Victoria I would guess,” Hashimoto said. “We’ve got 37 participants.”
This is the first of what organizers hope to be many events of its kind.
“We do want to host one in Victoria and we also want to host one up island and whether we go over to Vancouver is up in the air just now,” she said.
Hashimoto said by offering this opportunity to different schools and disciplines, “we are striving to create a space for them to not only display their athletic abilities, but also test their character and inspire peers within our community.”
Athletes will compete in karate-based semi-contact sparring events that operate in a round robin format “to ensure the highest amount of growth and experience.”
None of the matches are to be contested at full power, as athletes much limit their moves to 60 per cent power — sparring level.
“We believe everyone has a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to practice in a way that protects them and keeps them safe,” Hashimoto said. “As many martial art styles are now sanctioned by the Olympics, we believe that by encouraging and developing the younger athletes there is an opportunity to use this as a stepping stone for greater things to come.”