National karate titles come to Eagle

EAGLE – Students at James Lee’s School of Karate in Eagle brought home a record number of titles from the United States Karate Alliance National Tournament held in Albuquerque, N.M. last week.

In addition to the 48 first- through fourth-place finishes captured by the 31 students who went to Albuquerque, one member also won the tournament grand champion award.”I was very impressed by the talent, skill and dedication shown by all of our students at the tournament,” James Lee said.

“Most of the divisions averaged between 20 and 30 competitors from around the country, all of whom had to have top finishes in regional or state competitions to be at the nationals. I knew going into the tournament that we would have a strong showing from our school, and that definitely proved to be true.”

Julie Alt of Eagle turned in one of the most impressive performances of the tournament, winning first place in kata (technical movements and combinations) and first place in kumite (sparring). In addition, Julie captured the kata grand champion title, beating out all other first-place kata division winners in a final head-to-head competition. In recognition of her performance at the National Tournament and her overall skill, training and dedication to the school, Julie was promoted to third-degree brown belt at the end of the tournament.Vail, Colorado