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Knox’s Belush shines at nationals —————————————————- Story and photo by Pvt. 2 Tina Sosack Inside the turret staff writer ————————————————— One of the joys of being a parent is seeing your child succeed. That’s a joy that Staff Sgts. Joanne and Jim
Whitt experienced July 2 when their son, I3randen Belush, earned first, second,
and third place medals at the Amateur Athletic Union National Karate
Championship in Orlando, Belush, a 18-year-old Central Hardin sophomore, took a gold medal in kata, a silver medal in kobudo, and a bronze medal in kumite. Kata is a sequence of movements showing block an counter-attacked against multiple opponents. It’s scored on a 1-10 point system, similar to a gymnastics floor routine. Kobudo is kata with weapons, and kumite is a fighting competition with light to mild head and body contact. Belush has been a student at the Harris Martial Arts Dojo at the Elizabethtown Physical Fitness Center for al most two years. "At first I really didn’t want to do it ca wanted to be on the basketball team," Belush said. "But sin my sister was doing it, I decided to go ahead and get into it. According to Joanne if Belush, who trains three times a week, misses class, she and her husband never hear the end of it. "In the two years that be has been participating in, karate he’s probably only missed five classes," she said "That’s how much he’s into it now. If my and I are, tired and don’t feel like driving, he bugs us until finally take him. "I was trying to talk him into taking up Cross country also, but he wants to stick solely with karate." Although Belush came away with three medals at the nationals, he still thinks he could have done better. "I had three golds in the bag and I killed myself I Inst by a tenth of a point in kobudo be cause I lost my footing and slipped. I was beating the guy in kumite 2-0 and I let him come back and beat me. didn’t try my hardest like I should have." he said. His mother. on the other hand. thinks he did great. "He did awesome." she said. "I mean, he went to a national tournament and just killed them, especially in kata. Another person who thinks Belush did well at nationals is his karate instructor. John Harris. "I knew he would do good but I thought he would have dune better at kumite. because that’s kind of like a luck of the draw thing. Harris said. He is a very consistent student. So what are his goals for future According to Belush his next step is the Junior Nationals. "I couldn’t go this year be cause I was too young and I wasn’t in a high enough division." he said. "You have to be in the intermediate division and be 16 years old. But more than likely I will go next year." But ultimately Belush said, he has one major goal. "One day I want to walk into a tournament and, when people see me, they say. ‘Oh no. That Branden Belush. I hope I don’t have to fight him. |
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