Over the past two years I have been talking to Black Belts about the American Youth Sport Martial Arts Association (AYSMA). I have had several responses and questions. Some are about finances and how the AYSMA will make money. Many Black Belts ask me about giving "everyone" an award and having Black Belt divisions for the younger children. A few "producers" feel threatened, a few don't care and a few have already ask about "purchasing" an AYSMA "sanction" to add to his/her "tournament".
As the founder I want to make a few things clear. I am a competitor. I want the best for the competitors and their parents. I have been a regular competitor in Texas through the 80's and at one time or another won every tournament in Texas. Twice I won the "Triple Crown Award" from Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated Magazine back when Michael James was the editor, three times I won the "Golden Greek" award from the Amateur Organization of Karate back when Roy Kurban was "in charge". I won more first place awards in all the Black Belt divisions than anyone in Texas, for that period. I am the guy that when parents saw a judge making "bad calls" they ask me to speak to the promoter and have him removed. I gave away my trophies to the kids that lost their first match and offered encouragement to help with the loss. I traveled and competed in any where from 35 to 47 tournaments a year, sometimes competing on Saturday in Oklahoma at the NKC Finals and then Sunday at a collegiate tournament 300 miles south, back in Texas. I always paid my entry fee, then competed in two or three form divisions, then judged all day, then paid for a t-shirt and then fought at the end of the day. Even today at 48, I compete from time to time in all the divisions; empty hand forms, sparring, weapons and musical forms. I started back in 1971 and have been and always will be a competitor. In the past four or five years I have been interested in forming an organization that would focus more on the competitor, effectively balancing the competitors wants and needs, with the producers wants and needs.
That is why I have created the American Youth Sport Martial Arts Association. The AYSMA is a non-profit corporation formed to produce martial art tournaments, offering children and parents low cost entry fees, trophies for all competitors, safe facilities, qualified judges and college scholarships to the "top children" in the teenage Black Belt divisions. To put it simply the AYSMA wants the best for our children.
That is why the AYSMA offers trophies and awards to all children. The AYSMA has all beginning and intermediate sparring divisions for all children placed into groups of four, competing for first place, second place and two third places. For too long have the under-belt divisions had twenty, thirty and forty children competing for four trophies. The under-belts at AYSMA events are the children that deserve to have a "good day", the excitement and pressure the children are under "earn" them an award. The money, time and anxiety the parents have gone through have earned their children the right to have a "good day" competing. In the form divisions the children "compete" through and win a place in the "top four" positions, but the AYSMA still offers an award for competing in forms to all children. For those that ask why, my answer is they have earned it. The AYSMA is proud to announce that Cici's Pizza helps bring a good meal to your children after each event. All competitors receive coupons for a free pizza dinner. The AYSMA also intends to give each competitor a free t-shirt and two spectator tickets for the family to attend. Tournament producers I know ask me why the AYSMA does this, the answer is simple. The AYSMA is a non-profit corporation, we have wonderful sponsors and the children and parents deserve it.
The AYSMA currently offers Brown and Black Belt divisions for children as young as three, four and five years old. Many Black Belts think this is not a good idea and question the AYSMA on this. Personally in my class my curriculum does not allow for a child under the age of ten to be promoted to Black Belt. I respect and understand that many schools do promote children to Brown and Black Belt at young ages. It is not the place for the AYSMA to question their reasoning or their curriculum. It is the responsibility of the AYSMA to offer the division. If there are four-year-old Black Belt boys and girls the AYSMA will have sparring and form divisions for those competitors.
Starting in 2004 the AYSMA will have all Brown and Black Belt children of all ages "compete through" to the "top four" positions in sparring even if there are twenty children in the division, but the AYSMA will still award the children that are "out-pointed" with our traditional "15 inch" trophy just for competing. In the "forms" divisions they will have to "perform" to win an award as their will be no "competition" awards given to the children that do not make the "top four" positions. The AYSMA is trying to establish the Brown and Black Belts as the "premier" competitors at our tournaments. When the time comes for the AYSMA to rank competitors we will rank children all ages in the Brown and Black Belt divisions only. We will not rank the beginning and intermediate belt rank divisions. Our tournaments are designed for the under-belts to have a "relaxing" day competing. The AYSMA offer the Brown and Black Belts the opportunity to "put it on the line" in "spirited competition" for quality awards, accurate ratings and a college scholarship.
About making money, the AYSMA is a non-profit corporation registered in the state of Texas, we are seeking sponsors to help with the cost of "producing the event" and for college scholarships. The members that are involved in the AYSMA decision making process all have strong points or specialties that are different from one another, but we all want the best for the children and we know that the only way to put our children in college was to make the AYSMA a non-profit corporation. This ensures that all financial transactions will have to be reliable, paychecks will be small and our teenage competitors will go to college. The AYSMA will become the driving force in awarding college scholarships to children in martial arts. First consideration is extended to the first place competitors in the sparring divisions, then in the "forms" divisions and finally the AYSMA plans to offer "financial help" to children that don't win but meet "grade average" and "financial requirements". Our children deserve it.
The AYSMA does not consider itself in competition with any tournament sanctioning organization in America, nor poses any threat to the current "system" of producing "sport karate" tournaments. We produce tournaments for children only. We seek to have tournaments across America. Our "proving ground" here in Texas is a springboard. After developing our "process" and proving to sponsors that the American sport martial arts public is ready for the "kind" of tournament we offer, we will produce tournaments around America, probably in the larger cities. The AYSMA does intend to produce at least one event in Texas. Slowly we hope to build up to ten or even twenty events around America.
The AYSMA does not "sanction" other producer's tournaments. Part of the key to success for the AYSMA is to produce its own event. We have built a team to do this and everyone is anxious to get busy bringing fun, safe and economical tournaments to the American martial arts public. The AYSMA wants to enhance American Sport Martial Arts competition, not detract. We believe the way to do that is to offer the best to our children and their parents.
The AYSMA is not under the control of individuals looking to "make money". The AYSMA is under the control of individuals looking to "make it the best for our children and their families", to offer our children a safe floor and ample trophies, to give the parents an economical tournament and to make every AYSMA tournament a "good day" for the competitor and their parents.
For those people that ask why the AYSMA is doing this, its simple, the children and the parents deserve it!
Yours in the Martial Arts,Covert Blackledge