Two Langara kendokas take third place in their divisions
Kendo Club members say they are happy with the results
By Danauca Dory
Langara Kendo Club members placed at the Steveston Taikai on Feb. 8.
Steveston’s Taikai is one of the largest Taikai in North America, bringing together teams from B.C. to Hawaii. Kendo is a traditional Japanese martial art that uses protective armour and bamboo swords.
Due to an injury, Langara club president David Wu said he was not expecting to place at the Taikai. The club has spent most of the semester training beginners, leaving little time to practice for themselves.
“We are the underdogs and we will try and do as best as possible,” Wu said, before the tournament.
However, Wu came in third for the 1 Kyu division. He said he is incredibly happy with the results and hopes to be able to improve from here.
Anthony Lee, a computer science major at Langara, came in third in the unranked 0 Kyu division.
“I learned a lot from my opponent, definitely my faults,” Lee said. Before the tournament, Lee said he was looking to place. Although proud of his win, Lee said he believes that he can always improve and learn from his mistakes.
The club has been spending a lot of time this year helping beginners learn the art of Kendo, which leaves them with less time to practice. Still, both Wu and Lee placed in their division.
Although the kendokas, the word for people who practice kendo, did very well in the individual tournaments, Langara College did not place during the team matches.
The Langara Kendo Club was formed in 2012, in order to create a space for people to learn about Kendo for beginners and those with experience.
This is true for Leslie Law, a former student at Langara who remains a member of the Langara Kendo Club. She said that she found about Kendo through the college’s website and has been doing it off and on for the last four and a half years.
“I’m excited [for the Taikai] because I want to learn different techniques from other schools,” Law said.
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