Local karate school shines on national stage Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 22 2008 12:37 AM By Evan Mohl
Killeen Daily Herald

Manny DaCosta's Shotokan Karate School continues to shine on the national stage.

Over the weekend, 18 students from DaCosta's dojo off of Stan Schlueter Loop captured 20 medals at the USA National Karate-Do Federation 2008 national championships in Houston. In all, the school took home seven gold, five silver and eight bronze medals.

"I am not 100 percent surprised," Dacosta said of his students' achievement. "I always expect them to do well since we put a lot of hard work into this.

"I'm just really proud of everyone."

Christopher Wilm, 13, and 14-year old Shelby Martinez both took first place in kata (form) and kumite (sparing). Jaunzel Mullins, at age nine, earned first place in kumite. Sierra Vanwinkle won the gold in iaido, a traditional Japanese swordmanship event while capturing second place in kata and kumite.

At the 2008 Texas regional qualifier in Plano in May, the Shotokan Karate School took home 31 medals. Mullins and Vanwinkle each took home a gold in kumite and kata, respectively. Brianna James, 9, took home a gold in both kata and kumite while 6-year-old Jared Wilson became state champion in kata. Josh Browning, 14, Manuel Pecos, 14, and Ryan Belchor, 13, all finished in first in kata.

"We've been working really hard," DaCosta said. "I really give credit to the kids and their parents making the necessary sacrifices."

DaCosta places an emphasis on tradition when teaching, a strategy he says explains the Shotokan Karate School's success. Even though he's been in karate for more than 25 years, DaCosta travels throughout the country and even to Japan to keep up on the latest techniques.

Constant education and a focus on tradition is important.

"We really stick to basics," DaCosta said. "We travel all over to participate in seminars and international events. We try to collect ideas from the best in the world."

DaCosta, by the way, won second place in kumite at the national championships while also serving as a referee.

First inspired by Bruce Lee, DaCosta has been competing in karate since he was a young boy. After 21 years in the army, DaCosta started the Shotokan Karate School in 1997. The dojo offers many classes to both young and old, and will host a tournament in Killeen on Aug. 30. For more information, contact the school at (254) 368-2311.

Contact Evan Mohl at emohl@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7564.