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FROM STAFF REPORTS

SELMA ­– The Selma Karate Academy team, which brought home 16 medals from international competition this summer, is preparing for an intense Leadership Training Camp Nov. 1, under the direction of Kwan Jang Grand Master John St. James Nim of Atlanta.

Members of Tiger Den Karate team in Hattiesburg will join the Selma students for the one-day training camp.

“We’re looking forward to an excellent training for the Academy students,” Sr. Kathy said. “They will learn many basics key to sparring.”

The Selma team showed good form and training at the International Atlantic-Pacific Tang Soo Do Federation International Championships in Dallas this summer.  Students earned from one to three medals each as they competed in the ancient art of Tang Soo Do, an “old School” form of karate that emphasizes tradition, philosophy, culture and history as well as physical techniques.

“I am really proud of our students because they were up against students who train daily, and we only meet twice a week,” said Sister Kathy, a Sunim Sa Bom Nim, Fifth Degree black belt master. “They represented Selma well.

“Our students know that karate is not just for self defense, but also teaches self-control, focus and discipline, which improves grades,” she said. “We teach values like humility, integrity, concentration, respect, obedience —  which go back thousands of years. All are vital to living an honorable life”

Sister Kathy thanks City Councilwoman Janie Thomas and Steward Construction, along with anonymous donors, who helped finance the Dallas trip.

Students interested in karate ages 6 to adult can inquire about joining the academy at 6 p.m. Tuesdays or Thursdays at the Catholic Center on Summerfield Road. There is no cost to the class. The Leadership Training Camp in November is open only to academy students, she said.