by Scott Gracia This is the day of the competition, October 12th! We were all hanging out and some were practicing, but since we had arrived 2 days earlier, I had already thrown a few thousand knives and figured "it wasn't gonna get any better". Plus my arm was sore and I didn't want to push it :-) I know I always talk about how great the people are at these events but I have to do it again. I got to talk with all sorts of people! Some who had been throwing for years and others who were just now thinking about giving it a try. From the seasoned veterans, to the kids competing for their first time, they were all smiling and ready for some throwing! Once the event got under way it seemed like it had a mind of its own! There were 4 separate ranges being used and they all had score keepers, judges, and many competitors waiting to throw. (It seemed to run on its own but I know a ton of hardwork went into this and the people at Bakido really deserve a round of applause. So you! in the computer chair... start clapping :-))) QUALIFYING Each competitor threw 5 knives from each distance (8 feet - 1/2 spin, 12 feet - 1 spin, 15 feet - 1 1/2 spins, 18 feet - 2 spins and 21 feet for 2 1/2 spins). When everyone finished, the scores were tallied and after a few "throw-offs" the competitors were divided into 3 categories: Novice, Intermediate and Expert. The way they decided was simple. If there were 30 people who threw to qualify, the top 10 scores/throwers would be in the Expert category, the middle 10 were placed in the Intermediate and the last 10 were in the Novice category. Nice and simple. I ended up in the Intermediate category! I always say that I'm not the greatest thrower by any means, but when you're around this many friends, who love to throw, it all just comes together! I was really surpised how well I did at the event! You may be able to see this in the pictures of me with the smile etched in my face :-) After the knife event, we threw tomahawks 1, 1 1/2 and 2 spins and spears from 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 feet! It was a fun-filled day and literally thousands of "things" were thrown by some of the biggest names currently involved in the sport! And I got to be a part of it! Now tell me, how can that not be the coolest day ever? :-) I can't wait to hang out and throw with everyone again next year! And hopefully we'll see many new faces too that want to take part in some fun!!! Following are some pictures from that day. Enjoy!!! (I'd like to give a big thanks to Rick Lemberg, Todd Abrams, Joe Darrah and Mike Bainton for sharing their pictures with me to post on this page. Thanks guys!!!) COMPLETE SCORES ARE POSTED AFTER THE PICTURES Steve Poldrack, Todd Abrams and Kyle Cowan. Rick Lemberg, Kyle Cowan and Larry Czekaj. Steve Poldrack, John Aaron Castro and Larry Czekaj. Mike Kolisch, Scott Gracia and Larry Czekaj. Chuck (Walking Eagle) Weems, Mike Bainton and Todd Abrams. Jimmy Dees, Chuck Weems and Ron Thomas. Mike Bainton, Pat Minter and Jim Tanner. Micah Posada, Pat Minter and Roy (Moses) Neal. Roy Neal, Pat Minter and Jim Tanner. From the Juniors Division, this is Royce Morales (Overall Winner) with his first prize swords! Congratulations to everyone involved and a special thanks to Mike Bainton, Audrey West, Mike Snowden and everyone else involved in making this great idea a reality!!! AND NOW ON TO SOME SCORES FROM THE EVENTS... KNIFE THROWING (ADULT MALE - AGE 16 AND UP 20 Knives From Each - Half Spin, Full Spin, 1 1/2 Spins, 2 Spins, 2 1/2 Spins.) Pat Minter - 203 Michael Bainton - 201 Jim Tanner - 184 Micah Posada - 176 Joe Darrah - 167 Roy Neal - 160 Jimmy Dees - 155 Scott Gracia - 148 Todd Abrams - 147 Paul Elliott - 142 Larry Czekaj - 137 Mike Kolisch - 117 John Aaron Castro - 108 David Fettig - 108 Steve Poldrack - 103 Chuck Weems - 101 Rick Lemberg - 88 Ron Thomas - 85 Kyle Cowan - 76 Russell Weber - 71 Houston Carrigton - 68 Randy Beard - 68 Gregg Howling Wolf - 36 KNIFE THROWING DIVISIONS AND PLACES ADVANCED Pat Minter - 1st Place Mike Bainton - 2nd Place Jim Tanner - 3rd Place INTERMEDIATE Scott Gracia - 1st Place Larry Czekaj - 2nd Place Mike Kolisch - 3rd Place 31 NOVICE Ron Thomas - 1st Place Steve Poldrack - 2nd Place Kyle Cowan - 3rd Place TOMAHAWK THROWING (ADULT MALE - AGE 16 AND UP Tomahawk Competitions - 15 Hawks from 1 spin, 1 1/2 spins, and 2 spins.) Pat Minter - 91 Roy Neal - 80 Micah Posada - 78 Mike Kolisch - 74 Jim Tanner - 72 Todd Abrams - 70 Joe Darrah - 66 Chuck Weems - 58 Kyle Cowan - 58 Mike Bainton - 54 Jimmy Dees - 53 Scott Gracia - 50 Rick Lemberg - 48 Larry Czekaj - 44 Steve Poldrack - 42 Ron Thomas - 42 John Aaron Castro - 28 Paul Alliott - 18 Dave Fettig - 15 HAWK THROWING DIVISIONS AND PLACES ADVANCED Pat Minter - 1st Place Roy Neal - 2nd Place Micah Posada - 3rd Place INTERMEDIATE Todd Abrams - 1st Place Chuck Weems - 2nd Place Mike Bainton - 3rd Place NOVICE Kyle Cowan - 1st Place Rick Lemberg - 2nd Place Larry Czekaj - 3rd Place SPEAR THROWING (ADULT MALE - AGE 16 AND UP Spear Competitions - 15 Spears from 8 feet, 12 feet, 15 feet, 18 feet, 21 feet and 24 feet.) Roy Neal - 112 Pat Minter - 111 Jim Tanner - 101 Micah Posada - 99 Joe Darrah - 98 Todd Abrams - 97 Jimmy Dees - 96 Chuck Weems - 90 Mike Bainton - 87 Larry Czekaj - 77 Steve Poldrack - 76 Ron Thomas - 73 John Aaron Castro - 71 Mike Kolisch - 70 Scott Gracia - 69 Randy Beard - 65 Dave Fettif - 62 Rick Lemberg - 57 Paul Elliott - 53 Kyle Cowan and John O'neal - 50 SPEAR THROWING DIVISIONS AND PLACES ADVANCED Roy Neal - 1st Place Pat Minter - 2nd Place Jim Tanner - 3rd Place INTERMEDIATE Jimmy Dees - 1st Place Chuck Weems - 2nd Place Ron Thomas - 3rd Place NOVICE Larry Czekaj - 1st Place Steve Poldrack - 2nd Place John Aaron Castro - 3rd Place (Knife, Hawk and Spear scores combined) KNIFE THROWING FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD Youth Division: Christopher Villalpando - 69 James Tanner - 68 Erik Conrad - 43 Shane Deforest - 43 Junior Division: Royce Morales - 34 Sean Weber - 28 Brandon Cramer - 18 Cameron Hoyal - 10 TOMAHAWK THROWING Youth Division: Christopher Villalpando - 24 James Tanner - 16 Erik Conrad - 7 Junior Division: Brandon Cramer - 18 Royce Morales - 14 Cameron Hoyal - 12 Sean Weber - 10 SPEAR THROWING Youth Division: James Tanner - 46 Chris Villalpando - 38 Erik Conrad - 21 Junior Division: Royce Morales - 72 Brandon Cramer - 48 Sean Weber - 44 Cameron Hoyal - 29 YOUTH OVERALL Chris Villalpando - 1st Place James Tanner - 2nd Place Erik Conrad - 3rd Place JUNIOR OVERALL Royce Morales - 1st Place Brandon Cramer - 2nd Place Sean Weber - 3rd Place ======================================= Dear Participant: We are pleased to announce the Second Annual Central United States Knife Throwing Championship. You and your guests are hereby cordially invited to participate and/or attend our Tournament on October 12 and 13, 2003. Saturday evening, October 11, 2003 we will be holding an induction ceremony for the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame inductees. The cost of attendance to the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame Banquet will be announced. Everyone is welcome to attend. I am personally looking forward to seeing you and your guests at the Second Annual Central United States Knife Throwing Championship. To find out more info about the events, like the rules, regulations, target distances, number of throws, daily itenerary and even registration forms, just click the following link and "Open" or "Save" the file. It will open up in Microsoft Word: and Registration Forms Thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope to see you here in October! Sensei Michael J. Bainton Ph.D. South Austin Karate 10203 Old Manchaca Rd., Austin, Texas 78748 (512)280-0611 www.bakido.com To find out more info about the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame, you can visit www.knifethrowershalloffame.com or contact Mike Bainton directly! It's free, and there's no obligation. |
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