U.S. Open Updates!
Kacey Anderson, Emily Pearn and Haley Gallina all arrived in Las Vegas safely for the US Open! The USAT has reported that 59 different nations, thirteen 2008 Beijing Olympians and seventeen confirmed National teams are registered to compete. For the first time in the history of the U.S. Open, USAT has approved the use of LaJust Electronic Body Protectors as a scoring system for the 14-17 year old and Senior Divisions. The Electronic Body Protectors require significant power to be registered on the sensor in order for a point to score. There are three referees positioned at each ring to manually score head kicks only.
Emily began our US Open experience this year in the 14-17 year old division on Friday, February 13th. Emily sparred an athlete from Mexico and lost 0-1. She competed well but her points were not registering. This is a new experience for us all – our strategy in future matches will be to look for points to the head in order to rely on “man instead of machine!” She will also be competing in the Senior Division on Saturday and we look forward to hearing the results…stay tuned!
Haley Gallina drew a bye for her first match in the 14-17 year old division. This is Haley’s first international competition and when she came to ABBC she had limited tournament experience. Competing with the best in the world will give her a taste of high level competition and gauge her progress! Haley’s second match was against a girl from the US and they both fought extremely well! Haley lost with a final score of 1-8. She is looking forward to the Senior Division tomorrow…good luck Haley!
This is Kacey Anderson’s fourth US Open and in the previous three she won a total of two matches. Kacey has worked extremely hard and her “heart” paid off! There were 32 girls in Kacey’s division and she needed to win five matches for a gold medal.
1st match vs. Korea – Kacey wins 8-0
2nd match vs. California – Kacey wins 1-0
3rd match vs. Equador – Kacey wins 4-1
4th match vs. New Jersey – Kacey lost (-1)-2
KACEY WINS BRONZE MEDAL!! THIS IS HER FIRST INTERNATIONAL MEDAL!! WAY TO GO KACEY!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! You competed with “heart” to win BRONZE!!
We look forward to hearing how each of these phenomenal athletes perform in the Senior division later today and tomorrow! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!
The 2009 US Open hosted over 2000 black belts from all over the world fighting for Gold, and the level of competition is unprecedented. There have been several exciting matches and we are thrilled to be a part of this amazing event!
Emily Pearn competed in the Senior Division (Adults age 18-32) on Saturday afternoon. Her first match was against an athlete from Nepal. Nepal bowed out due to an injury. Emily competed with an Australian Team Member in her 2nd match. It was an intense battle and ended 1-1; Emily was victorious in sudden death! Congratulations Emily! Now Emily faces an outstanding athlete from Aruba who in a previous competition defeated Charlotte Craig (2008 US Olympian). This was a difficult match-up for her because the Aruban athlete was incredibly ring savvy and confident. Emily gave it her all but fell short in the end. We are incredibly proud of Emily’s gutsy performance and can’t wait to hear how she does with the AAU National Team at the Dutch Open in March! Good Luck Emily!
Kacey Anderson and Haley Gallina were called to their rings at the exact same time on Sunday afternoon so Master Al asked his good friend Master Medina to coach Kacey while he coached Haley!
Kacey sparred a woman from Canada a few inches taller and she was a counter fighter. After the first round the score was 1-1, at the end of the second round it was 2-2. Kacey managed the match well but at the end of the third round Canada won 5-2. Great job Kacey!
Haley Gallina was matched with an athlete from Russia who was significantly taller than she was. Haley was up by one point at the end of the first round! The score was tied in the second round and then Haley lost a point for holding. Final score at the end of round three was Russia-7, Haley-1. Outstanding effort Haley!
This was the first international tournament that these girls were able compete in both the 14-17 year old Junior Division as well as the 18-32 Senior Division. We are so proud of their commitment to competition and improving their skills! This was an excellent experience for everyone!
