Karate team bags podium finishes in Guam champs

CNMI Martial Arts Academy of Self-Defense-Kyokushinkai Karate Watanabe Dojo team made up of five martial artists bagged some podium finishes in their respective divisions in the 2025 Guam Full Contact Karate Championship at the iLearn Academy Charter School in Harmon, Guam last April 5.

Black belt and sensei Danny Banez went up against Guam’s Joseph Seremba and placed first in the Adult Senior Men's 60+ Openweight, while Dr. George Elias faced off against Guam’s Jonathan Basto and also placed first in the Adult Senior Men's 40-49 Openweight.

Young martial artist Zane Fujihara bagged a bronze and the Spirit Award in the Boys 9-11 division, while John Austin settled for silver against Guam’s Yuta Camacho in the Boys 14-16 division.

Atalig said the outcome was “very impressive.” This tournament, he said, was “a test of all the techniques that they practiced and used in the tournament. We are very thankful and fortunate that they got to go and try this opportunity.”

He said of Banez, who is off-island for vacation, “not only did he place first, they recognized him through Guam’s sensei Chris [Biolchino] as a third dan practitioner for Shinkyokushin karate. That’s big because his name is in the books now. The fact that sensei Danny was here for decades—more than 30 plus years and he committed his time and efforts here to this dojo. We all are really proud of him and he deserves all the best. He’s not stopping—I’m just here temporarily watching but it’s a great achievement for him and we’re proud of him and it’s an honor to know him and train under him.”

Atalig said he will also be getting his first dan next month. “It doesn’t mean I stop there. It means you have to keep pushing mentally and physically with your discipline. This is what martial arts is all about. It’s not just about how hard and how fast you can punch or kick.”

In an internet definition, "Dan" refers to the advanced ranking system for black belts, indicating increasing levels of skill and expertise. The term "dan" is Japanese for "step" or "degree," signifying the gradual progression through various black belt levels. Each dan rank, from Shodan (first dan) to higher levels, represents a distinct stage of mastery.

Then, on behalf of the dojo, Atalig said, “We really want to extend our big thanks to sensei Chris and the Shinkyokushin family there, not only for hosting us, but we had the opportunity to meet fighters from Mongolia, from Sri Lanka, and Japan. By participating in this tournament, it made us open our minds as far as competing on an international basis, so a big thanks to all the people that we met in the Guam tournament.”

Elias, who is the new surgeon for the CNMI’s only hospital, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., said he was very nervous about competing in a full contact karate competition with the team for the first time. Going up against Basto, he said it was “very intense… We basically went through the full three-minute round and by that three minutes, I was pretty exhausted. But, by the end of that, we ended up in a draw, so we had to do another round. Fortunately, we came out on top. He was a very, very strong competitor.”

“It was a great experience. Once the first punch and first kick landed, you tend to forget about all the nervousness and you just focus on your training. That’s basically what pulled me through the rest of that competition,” he said.

On his eventual win, he said, “I was ecstatic, I was elated—all the feelings all rolled up into one and it was a great feeling. And to be able to share that with the rest of the team and to be part of that winning team, that’s what added more to that feeling of great accomplishment.”

For 10-year-old orange belt Fujihira, he said of his third place and Spirit Award, “I felt happy because you know the feeling where you win something and you just want to scream? That’s how I felt.”

The experience of his first competition, he said, was “nerve-wracking.” Fujihira has been practicing karate since last year and said it’s “pretty fun” and said for people to “come try it.”

Austin, a 16-year-old yellow belt said of his second-place finish, “I did cry because I wanted to win, but I understand that I would have to train harder and be more tougher so that next time, it won’t happen again.”

The match against Brown belt Camacho, Austin said, “started alright. We were both exchanging punches then I soon started to get the upper hand by getting aggressive and pushing him back to the corner. But soon he managed to get out and landed a lucky punch on me.”

The lesson Austin got from that competition was, “even though someone might lose, it’s just how it goes. What’s important is that you never really lose because you always learn from something, like you can build from that flaw and try to become perfect.”

For Mileah Dowai, who was the only girl on the team, she said she was very nervous. She competed in the girls 10-12 orange belt division, but missed a podium finish. After her competition, she said she felt relieved. “During the competition, you feel so stressed, then after, you feel really relieved.”