Armour to test mettle at Pan-Am karate championships

BY CHRISTY MARSTERS

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Karateka Duncan Armour was first to score in the final fight at the Canadian Nationals in New Brunswick July 3-5 and rode that early success to the podium. He won the goal medal match, which required double overtime to resolve.

Now the Windsor Karate Club all-star and seven other elite karate athletes from throughout Nova Scotia will travel to Santiago, Chile to represent Canada while competing internationally at the Pan-American Jr. Karate Championships Sept. 4-7.

“Preparing for big fights is always kind of nerve-wracking because there are all sorts of competitors,” Armour said. “But you just have to take it one point at a time.”

Division points collected throughout the season determine who can qualify for the Canadian Nationals and only the top two performances from there, in each of the weight and age categories, are chosen for the Pan-American Jr. Karate Championships.

“It’s important to keep working and getting better,” Duncan said. “It takes a lot of practice to really focus on what you’re going to do in different fights by visualizing the matches.”

The goal going into the championships is to work on basic strategies used for any other fight and repeat the good efforts made at Nationals, Duncan said. “Either way, knowing my family is there makes it easier for me because they’ll always be there.”

A real family affair

Karen Armour, Duncan’s mother, is always at ringside with her son and she acts also as one of his assistant coaches with San Fung German and Greg DaRos. Mitchell German will also travel to Santiago as the leading karate coach for Nova Scotia.

“Mitchell German’s expertise has brought great improvements to the entire sport of karate in this province,” Karen said. “The whole sport is reaching new heights in Nova Scotia.”

It was wonderful to see Duncan do so well, Karen said. “He was absolutely outstanding. And it was nice to see him have his own limelight. He’s always compared to his brother.”

All of the Armour children have taken an interest in karate. Ian Armour, Duncan’s older brother, is also involved in the sport competitively. This year he came second in the 18-20 years old kumite (sparring), third in the men’s kumite and third in the team kumite.

Gail Armour, Duncan’s younger sister, was also successful, placing third in the team kumite. Dougal Armour, Duncan’s eldest brother, practices non-competitive karate.

“Karate is a lifestyle and has really become a family affair,” Karen said. “We just became very passionate about it and this helps in training because we kind of push each other.”

President Dave Kelly of the Nova Scotia Karate Association says it’s a real achievement to have so many eager athletes from this province pushing through karate competitions with success. “This is an all-time high for the Nova Scotia Karate Association to have eight of 45 Canadian athletes chosen to represent Canada at this tournament (in Chile).”

Steven Kelly from Windsor Junction, Vincent Doucet from Clare, Sonya Heleno from Shelburne, Ashley McIntyre from Kentville, Lara Barron from Nine Mile River, Eric Landry from Bedford, Justine Kelly from Windsor Junction and Duncan Armour from Windsor have all qualified to compete at the Pan-American Jr. Karate Championships.