Former Student to compete in karate national tournament

By: Jamison Wagner, Staff Reporter

Scott Gampert, a former Engineering major, will head to the Amateur Athletics Union karate national tour­nament this summer.

The tournament, held in Cincinnati, Ohio June 26 through 30, will host thou­sands of martial artists from across the nation.

Gampert swept the black belt divi­sion of the regional Amateur Athletics Union karate tourna­ment in March, win­ning five medals and securing himself a spot at the larger competition, he said.

“It feels good to win, but seeing all the different contend­ers; I wonder, ‘What did I do better than them? What did they do worse than me?’ I think about how I can compete better next time,” he said.

This will be the fourth degree black belt’s second national tournament; Gampert’s first was two years ago in Florida, he said.

Gampert gives much of the credit for his victory to his karate school and the advice the instruc­tors have given him over the years.

“You have to learn to stay relaxed; don’t try to force a tech­nique. Let the tech­nique flow; you have to work on your speed and not on power. It does not matter that you hit hard; it mat­ters that you make contact fast,” he said.

The main objective of the regional tour­nament is to promote friendly competition, Shihan Ray Barrera Jr., the tournament’s orga­nizer, said. The AAU is a non-profit volunteer sports organization founded in 1888. For more information on the AAU competitions, visit aausports.org.

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