2019 East Coast Iaido Taikai

february 17 - jersey city, usa

The East Coast Iaido Taikai was held on the afternoon of Sunday, February 17, 2019 in Jersey City (USA). The format of the taikai was individual elimination by rank from MuDan to 5-Dan.

This was the first test of the Team Canada Iaido Program, as we experimented with selecting the delegation, implementing an action plan, and incorporate feedback into the overall program prior to the March 31st launch date. By all accounts, this initiative was a huge success!

An official report by the Team Canada Iaido Program Committee can be found HERE

Canadians took home a record 2 x Gold, 3 x Bronze, and 3 x Kantosho (Fighting Spirit Awards):

• 1D - Carolina Merizalde (Kantosho)

• 2D - Kyle Kolodij (Kantosho), Francis Domingo (Bronze)

• 3D - Catherine Matchuk (Kantosho), Sandy Lee-Gonye (Bronze), Warren Wagler (Gold)

• 5D - Michael Hodge (Bronze), Patrick Suen (Gold)

One benefit of travelling together for tournaments is the opportunity to bond with fellow comrades.