On November 29, 2025 Karate Manitoba hosted the 2025 Manitoba Provincial Open and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and thank those who made this event possible and such a success.
To the board members who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this event a reality. Yes, this was a one-day event, but the months leading up to it take a lot of work and coordination.
To the volunteers who showed up Friday night to help with the set up my sincere thanks.
To the volunteers who took care of the registration desk, the warm up area, the equipment, scorekeeping, the opening ceremonies and everything else in between, thank you.
To our team of officials, you did an amazing job, and when I see team that is what it was. You supported each other and ensured the athletes were fairly judged and the safety of each competitor who stepped onto the tatami was taken seriously.
To all the athletes who competed, your spirit, comradery, skill and love of the sport was on full display, and it was encouraging to see the talent we have here in Manitoba.
To the coaches and club instructors, thank you for all you do for your students and for bringing them to our tournament to compete and trusting us with your students wellbeing and safety.
To Sensei Saba’s students who performed an impromptu Team Kata – thank you for sharing this with everyone in attendance, we were all inspired and in awe of the skill of the athletes who performed it.
To the parents of the competitors, thank you so much for your time and commitment and for your support at these events.
To the out-of-town clubs, instructors, coaches, parents and competitors thank you for making the trip to Winnipeg so your students (children) were able to attend our event.
Lastly, thank you to everyone to stayed at the end to assist us with packing up the mats and equipment at the end of a day, some of you had a long drive home and yet stayed to help and it was very much appreciated.
As you can see there are many individuals and groups needed in order to make events like this possible and successful. If even one group is missing it affects the outcome, and makes it almost impossible to pull together a quality event. No person or group is less or more important to the running of such an event, it is a collaboration of efforts and the results speak for themselves. Each and every one of you had a hand in making this event a success, so thank you again.