2008 Disneyland® Martial Arts Festival

Classical Japanese Okinawa Karate and Kobudo, which I coordinator ran really well with the Referee Leadership of Sensei David Crockett, the Classical Karate Referee Chair for Disney‘s Martial Arts Festival and former USANKF Referee Council Chairman. Our Referee corp is a diverse group of USANKF, AAU, and independent trained Sensei's all dedicated to the promotion of our way of Karate. No injuries, no accidents just a clean smoothly ran event.

We had the coach Sanauov Zhastalap of the Kazakhstan Karate do Federation brought in a young Team of 18 athletes to compete in the competition raising the bar pretty high with some of their young black belts. The competition provided a international flavor with the international flags and Team sweats garnered with their countries name on the back. Many athletes competing for the first time in their lives had the fortune to have professional Referees, Timekeepers, Scorekeepers, Staging support, and Registration support which help make our discipline quality and unique. All of our Referees wearing suits giving the professional atmosphere we are accustomed to at our national and international events.

We had the movie stars of Discovery Channel Fight Quest Doug Anderson and Jimmy Smith, who travel the world in search of the different martial arts of the world. I had a chance to meet and speak with both of these fine gentlemen and they talked about the many diversities of martial arts around the world. While walking around the 2008 Disneyland® Martial Arts Festival in Anaheim Convention Center they both mentioned the whole world of martial arts is right here. You have Japanese Okinawan Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Sports Grappling, Kung Fu, Filipino Stick Fighting, Tae Kwondo, along with Koshiki Bogu continuous Kumite. Both fight stars were absolutely impressed with the martial diversity under one banner, Disneyland® Martial Arts Festival. We had a chance to pose for a photo with USA NKF Sr. Team members Adam Tibon, Ronny Guzman, Disney ‘s Martial Arts Festival Co-Director Rob Hartman, and Sr. Coordinator Gene Tibon. We all had a great visit with the young stars and look forward to watching more of their travels around the world of martial arts.

What made this Disneyland® Martial Arts Festival event a historical event this was the first time there was a Magical Martial Arts Day at Disney's California Adventure® Park as a Part of Disneyland® Martial Arts Festival featuring a demonstration by the various martial arts discipline on the Disney's California Adventure® Hollywood Backlot Stage at 2:00pm, then at 4:00pm was a pre-parade march and demo just prior to the Disney's California Adventure® Park Parade. The athletes and families absolutely loved it!

Athletes from all over the country came in to participate. Sensei Hiroshi Allen, the host of the 2008 USANKF Junior Olympics and US Open brought his students in contributing to the outstanding competition. On another note the 2008 USANKF Junior Olympics is also a Classical Japanese Okinawa Karate and Kobudo an Official Qualifier as a part of the 2008 Disney Martial Arts Festival in Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort near Orlando, Florida Oct. 24-26, 2008. The top 10 in each division will qualify to compete in the Classical Japanese Okinawa Karate and Kobudo Grand Championship Finals like last year when many athletes won Grand Championships Disney’s Martial Arts Festival Crystal Awards. We look forward in seeing everybody compete in Las Vegas for a shot to go to the Classical Karate and Kobudo Finals, a part of the 2008 Disney‘s Martial Arts Festival

Thank you,
Gene Tibon
Sr. Coordinator
Classical Japanese Okinawa Karate & Kobudo
2008 Disney Martial Arts Festival in Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort near Orlando, Florida Oct. 24-26, 2008