Chito Ryu Karate Sensei Scott Hutcheson captured gold and silver at the 2016 Karate Provincial Championships in Richmond on the weekend.
Hutcheson traveled to the Olympic Oval with the newly sanctioned Team Kootenay, which consisted of Beaver Valley Chito Ryu karate student Meagan Campsall and himself. The slight but potent Kootenay team joined nearly 500 competitors from ages six to 59 to compete in the event.
“We are now able to represent ourselves as our own Zone where we once were joined with the Okanagan/Thompson region and had to travel to qualify for the provincials,” said Hutcheson in an email. “KarateBC has adopted the same region system as the BC Winter Games and we can now represent for ourselves now.”
Hutcheson looked to win a third straight weapons kata in Men’s Masters Black Belt but a late entry foiled his prospects. Bayoneta Emerson of Abbotsford’s Isshin Ryu karate performed a mesmerizing Bo Kata that edged out Hutcheson for the gold.
“He (Emerson) did an incredible Sai Kata as a demo before our event and we all knew our event would be a battle. He performed an exciting Bo Kata none of us had ever seen; a rare Okinawan Kata performed beautifully and was worth seeing first hand. He edged me out from the gold by a mere tenth of a point so a silver medal this year is what we brought back to represent our Dojo and the Kootenays.”
But Hutcheson would come back in the kata. After being deadlocked with another competitor following their final round of katas, Hutcheson and his rival were put through the motions again to determine once and for all the victor.
“Our division tied equally in our match wins and losses so when they went to the number of flags won to break the ties it was also tied - a provincial first. So they added a couple judges and we dueled again.”
Hutcheson emerged undefeated in the second round to unanimously claim the gold.
J. L. Crowe student Campsall also performed well, placing fifth in Kata and Bo Staff weapons kata.
“In Meagan’s Kata Division she easily performed the best Seisan Kata I’ve ever seen her do against an equally executed Seinchin Kata losing her match (to the eventual winner) by a single flag,” said Hutcheson.
Sensei Hutcheson teaches karate at both the Beaver Valley and Rossland Chito Ryu Karate Dojos.