Following a strong showing at the Karate Canada National Championships, athletes from Cochrane’s Ippon Karate Dojo continue to achieve major milestones—solidifying the dojo’s place as one of Alberta’s premier martial arts schools.
Seniors Brooklyn Carter, Yuki McNeil, Carter Dawood, and Vincent Thottungal travelled to Monterrey, Mexico, to represent Canada at the Senior Pan-American Karate Championships, held May 22–25.
“That’s the most we’ve ever had at the seniors for our club,” said Sensei Adam Wackerhsauser, head coach of Ippon. “Every time we have people go to the Pan-American Championships, it’s always special because it’s such a difficult thing to achieve.”
History was made in the men’s team kata event, where McNeil, Dawood and Thottungal captured a bronze medal after defeating host country Mexico. It marked the first-ever senior men’s team kata medal for Karate Alberta at the Pan-American level.
“I was so excited to see that,” said Wackerhsauser. “The bronze medal match was against Mexico, and going up against the home team is always tough because of the advantage they have. But I’m proud the guys were able to pull it off in the finals.”
The team’s international success builds on their domestic dominance. Ippon recently claimed the top overall medal count at the Karate Alberta Provincial Championships for the fourth year in a row—crowning them provincial champions once again.
“We’ve got dedicated athletes that work really hard,” Wackerhsauser said. “They trust the coaching we’re doing. I try to design the best training programs I can, and we have people who help implement them—from top to bottom.”
The achievements added extra excitement to a major milestone for the dojo, which celebrated its 20th anniversary on May 17. The celebration brought together generations of Ippon students—past and present.
“It was amazing,” Wackerhsauser said. “Some of the guys from the first photo I ever took at the club were there. Now they’re married, some have kids, some even have grandchildren. The feeling is hard to describe—but I hope to see the 40th year too.”
Looking ahead, Vincent Thottungal, the reigning Canadian national champion in 16–17-year-old men’s kata, will once again represent Canada—this time at the Junior Pan-American Championships in Paraguay, set for Aug. 28–30.
