The 2008 CASK Junior team set a milestone for any Canadian team in the history of international kickboxing. The team was comprised of athletes representing 19 clubs from four provinces in every competitive discipline in both tatami sports and ring sports. The team coaches worked hard to make sure that all athletes worked alongside each other and gelled as a team. One parent commented how it was nice to see a Thai boxing athlete cheering on a forms competitor and vice versa despite the fact that neither had any background in the different sports. The Canadian camaraderie was outstanding.

Overall the team members had limited experience in International competition. In fact only 6 athletes had even competed outside of Canada. However despite the young team, Canada's results were positive. The following are the medal results:

Full Contact - Mac Wright - Silver
K1 - Tyler Kennedy - Silver, Gage Miranda, Costa Khvorosta - Bronze
Forms - Gianni De Luca - Silver & Gold, Enrico De Luca - 2 Bronze,
Weapons - Chanel Emond - Silver, Sandrine Poirier - Bronze
Semi Contact - Jack Oliveria - Gold




The success of our athletes and the overall positive experience was greatly influenced by the Canadian coaching team. Our CASK coaches worked with the athletes during many training camps held throughout the year. These coaches volunteered their time to work with our junior team. In addition to the selected national team coaches, many other coaches also attended some camps to provide support. A special thanks goes to coaches - Roger Lumyoung, Jim Marinow, Jeff Smith, Joe Osborne, Paul Oddi, Trevor Nash, John Nash, Ross Mylet, and Jackie Lachapelle.

The future looks very bright for Canada's junior program. CASK has just been accepted into the 2010 Ontario Games through our Ontario affiliate. We have also received funding to strengthen our junior program by developing an Athlete Development Program (ADP) that will prepare juniors for the 2010 World Championships.

CASK is now the sole representative of WAKO in Canada and will strive to bring the most prepared athletes to each World Championship in the future.

CASK has a long term relationship with the South African Amateur Kickboxing Association (SAAKA). Both associations work with their respective governments to ensure safe, healthy sport opportunities for athletes. In addition to the work CASK and SAAKA do in their respective countries, both have been committed to building international friendship through team events over the past few years.

On August 21st, CASK sent a 24 person delegation to South Africa to participate in the 8th team event between our two countries. The Canadian delegation comprised athletes from 10 different CASK clubs and represented the ring disciplines of kickboxing, Thai boxing and full contact. Athletes represented the following clubs:

Round One, Phoienx Fight Club, Hook Up Muai Thai, MARMAC, ARES, Nomad Kickboxing, Impact Zone, Terry's Golden Tiger Kung Fu, Fitness Kickboxing Canada, BAC, and the Twin Dragons East Club

Athletes on the South African teams represented both their National Team athletes and also from clubs across the country. Two events were held - one on August 23, and the second one week later. All Canadian athletes had two bouts ensuring great international experience.



There were many memorable performances from the Canadian team on both events. Nick Zambri (Twin Dragons East) faced stiff competition in both his bouts. This young undefeated athlete continued his winning streak by capturing both wins against his South Africa opponents. The future looks bright for this determined athlete.

Another two bout winner was Maritimer Ryan Burgess (MARMAC). After a very challenging first bout, he faced a strong brawler in his second encounter. Burgess is very experienced in international competition having represented Canada in Spain, Trinidad and Portugal. His experience and competitive maturity paved the way for his second win.




The crowds greatly enjoyed the K1 rules bouts held on both events. Canada fielded a smaller Thai boxing team but with athletes with great heart and determination. Jessie Ronson (Round One) was also a two bout winner with one victory in full contact and a second in K1. The aggressive athlete competed with great tenacity in both his ring wars.

Another star on the Canadian delegation was Adam Hensen (Phoenix Fight Club). This Hamilton native displayed great skills for a relatively new ring sport competitor. Hensen had a great balance of boxing, kicking, knees and clinching skills. He won both his bouts by stoppage.




There were many notable other exceptional bouts by other athletes. However the greatest accomplishment for many athletes was competing internationally for the first time. Both veteran athletes and those with less experience all worked together to support each other.

In addition to the athletes a small support team traveled with the Canadian team. A special thanks goes to Gus Kandilias who acted as the team athletic therapist. Throughout the two weeks Gus worked with the athletes ensuring they were healthy and able to compete at their best.



This Canadian team was one of the most diverse in recent years. The team comprised adults, veterans, juniors and intermediates. Alexandra Marinow was the youngest member of the team. While there were no 5 month old competitors on the South African squad, the baby kept the team busy and entertained over the two week trip.

Congratulations Team Canada!

The WAKO World Junior Championships is considered the premiere Thai boxing/Kickboxing championships in the world. Over 40 countries will be sending teams to Naples, Italy in September as part of his historic event that is held every two years.

CASK has been preparing the Canadian National team since the beginning of the year for the World Championships. For the first time in the history of the championships Canada is fielding a full team of junior athletes.

The Canadian delegation is over 50 persons strong. Athletes from Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland, and PEI representing 19 clubs have been selected onto the 2008 team. One exciting aspect of the Canadian team is the diversity of the disciplines being represented. There will be Canadian athletes in all tatami divisions - semi-contact, light contact and musical weapons and forms. In addition, CASK has assembled a strong delegation of athletes for the ring sports of full contact, low kick and K1 rules.

To support the Canadian delegation, CASK has recruited top coaches in all disciplines. Jim Flood, the former head of WKA-Canada is the new CASK National Director for Tatami Sports. He has been working closely with the semi contact, light contact and forms/weapons athletes in their preparations. Assisting Mr. Flood is John McMahon (Nomad Kickboxing) who is focusing his coaching on the light contact athletes.




Brad Fowler (Round One) is the head coach for the full contact and low kick athletes. Brad is also a former head coach for the WKA but is now working directly with CASK to prepare the WAKO Junior athletes. The President of CASK, Muzammal Nawaz, has attend all junior training camps and conducted team building exercises with the junior athletes and supported the head coaches for the disciplines.

Joey de Los Reyes (Kombat Arts) is the head coach for the K1 rules athletes. CASK has selected 8 junior athletes that will participate in the K1 rules discipline for the first time in WAKO history. While the number of K1 athletes is a smaller contingent on the Canadian team, they have been provided a great deal of support from the CASK National Thai boxing Committee. Committee members Jim Marinow (Hook Up Muay Thai), Roger Lumyoung (Muay Thai Niagara), Paul Oddi (Point Blank Martial Arts) and Gerald Ching (Training Ground) have attended all the junior camps to provide training and support to the K1 team.

It is important to note that coaches such as Jim, Roger, and Paul do not even have any personal athletes on the National team, but are commited to supporting the CASK junior athletes that will be representing Canada on the world stage.




The regular training camps has allowed the young athletes to train together and work with these and other coaches and trainers in their preparations.

'The quality of coaching the juniors are receiving is outstanding. The coaches they are working with are some of the top coaches in the country and all have great international experience. It is nice to see so many coaches coming from different clubs all working together in the spirit of cooperation, ' stated Muzammal Nawaz. 'This is the kind of collaborative work that CASK is striving for. I believe that collective work in our industry is important for our junior athletes, but also to help build a culture of cooperation and trust amongst all clubs.'

The Canadian team will be departing for Naples in September.

On behalf of CASK and our 48 member clubs from Coast to Coast - we wish all athletes the best and we look forward to many exceptional performances. The country will be cheering you all on!

CASK hosted another Chief Officials (CO) training course on Sunday July 27th. This highest level certification course for officials was held at the Bay Area Athletic Club in Burlington Ontario. The CO Course is only held once every two years and pre-selects eligable officials who have demonstrated through their officiating roles their capability to fulfill the role of CO at CASK events.

CASK is delighted to announce the newest Chief Officials for Canada in the sports of Thai boxing and Kickboxing ...

Jim Marinow - Hook Up Muay Thai

Insa Wolf - Niagara Muay Thai

Jacque Walters - Hook Up Muay Thai

June 20 - TKO Fighting Arts made CASK history on their second Kickboxing Ontario sanctioned event. The club hosted the very first CASK Canadian National Thai Boxing title bout. The bout was contested by Aaron Castrivi of SIAM #1 and Chris Greig of TKO. Greig has been an active athlete in all ring sports over the past number of years. In 2001 he won a bronze medal in the low kick division at the World Championships in Greece. His career has culminated in the sport of Thai boxing over the past year.

On June 20 he competed for his first Canadian Championships. Castrivi was a challenging opponent coming from the competitive club of SIAM. However Chris Greig demonstrated why he won the Thai Boxing Athlete of the year in 2007. He used a balanced approach of boxing, kicking, clinching and knees dominate the bout. Castrivi fought hard in each of the 5 rounds using hard leg kicks to try to gain an edge, but Greig was not to be denined on his home turf.

The crowd showed their approval of the bout and the newly crowned Canadian Champion - Chris Greig. It is fitting that his coach - Steve Witter - also a winner of the Thai Boxing Coach of the Year in 2007 was in his corner sharing in the victory.

The competitive event also had many exciting bouts with athletes from across Ontario and a team from Newfoundland.

May 10th - The Council of Amateur Spot Kickboxing hosted the first tournament for 2008. There were 23 bouts with athletes representing 17 different clubs from across Ontario that participated in the 3rd Tournament of Champions (NOC) event. Bouts were featured in all three ring disciplines - Thai Boxing, Full Contact and Kickboxing.

The NOC is becoming a truly club focused event with many CASK clubs bringing their experienced and novice level competitors to this championship. The NOC is held twice a year, and as in each event, the night time show always lives up to it's reputation of having some of the best bouts of the year.

This year was no different. Each bout had excellent match-making with many close decisions. The audience was treated to lots of action and high spirited efforts. It seemed the largest spectator contingent came all the way from Ajax to support the Iron Dragon athlete - Cory Kitson. Kitson won a convincing bout against Dustin Parchment from the Twin Dragons East club. Both athletes showed great heart and determination in their bout.

There were three CASK title bouts held on the night time show. The main event featured Dan Caron from Hook Up Muay Thai and John Nash of the Bay Area Athletic Club/TAZ. Both athletes have experience in all ring sports from boxing to kickboxing. During this match, Nash preferred to focus on boxing while Caron focused on leg kicks. On the line was the CASK Eastern Canadian Low Kick championships.

Caron stayed focused on earning points during each of the four round, while Nash tried to keep lots of pressure on hoping for a stoppage. Caron's strategy paid off as he took the bout to the judges who scored the bout a split decision for the Toronto athlete. Congratulations to both athletes for a great technical bout and to our new Eastern Canadian Champion - Dan Caron.

Bart Molenda just won the Eastern Canadian Crusierweight title in Charlottetown in April of this year. Less than a month from his win he was again in the ring defending his title. His opponent was the ring veteren - Vito Virginello from the well respected Twin Dragons East club. Virginello gave up height and reach but pushed the bout with lots of pressure and body attacks. Molenda stayed focused on straight line punching. He hurt his game opponent with a straight right in round two. This changed the course of the bout in favor of the defending champion. The referee stopped the bout by RSC (safety) after another hard straight right hand. Congratulations to Bart Molenda for his title defence. A special congratulations is also deserving to Vito Virginello who showed great heart and determination in his first title bout match.

One of the most anticipated match ups of the night was for the CASK Intermediate Lightweight Championship. Jerimiah Wilson of the Twin Dragons squared off against Ross Mylet of the Bay Area Athletic Club/TAZ. Both these young men represent the future of the sport. Wilson has been named to the Canadian National team and will compete in Italy at the World Championship, while Mylet will be traveling to South Africa to compete for the Intercontinental Championships. At the young age of 17 both athletes have already established a name for themselves in Canada and are looking for international victories.

Mylet began the bout pressing the action with hard body kicks and aggressive boxing attacks. Wilson showed great class with excellent timing on his front kicks and outside game. Both athletes pressed the action at different times during their four round battle. The bout was sent to the judges and resulted in a close split decision win for the new Lightweight Canadian Champion .... Ross Mylet.

There were many other exciting bouts on the night time show and also during the day time competition bracket. Of the many clubs that supported the event - TKO Fighting Arts and the Twin Dragons East - were awarded the most competitive club awards. Steve Witter and Lou Guliano were also co-recipient of the Coach of the year award at the 2007 CASK Awards Banquet. Both coaches are beginning the year with strong teams.

A special thanks goes to our dedicated team of officials that ran a very smooth event throughout the day. Amanda Worhrle, Stephen Nash and Vic Provost lead the team of 9 officials throughout 23 bouts. The medical staff of Dr. Larry Takahasi and Gus Kandilias also ensured that all athletes were safe and well looked after. Congratulations goes out to our new CASK MC - Jay - who kept the audience in each bout throughout the night.

Congratulations to all clubs and athletes!

Special pictures of all bouts were taken by Snapshot Pictures. Disk orders can be made by contacting snapshotpictures@cogeco.ca . CDs will be sent for the bout you have requested.

April 12 - Barry Ogg once again treated the Charlottetown audience to an exciting night of kickboxing action. The Island Inferno events have gained a reputation as being the premiere event to attend for athletes and fans alike. The third installment of the event lived up to this expectation.

The events featured three CASK title bouts and a number of exciting under card match ups. The quality and quantity of PEI athletes on this event was tremendous, with a number of local athletes headlining the bouts.

This junior Maritime sensation - Charlie McKinnon - drew the loudest crowd cheer when his name was announced. The Las Vegas style lights and smoke followed the young Charlottetown native as he make his walk down the ramp to the ring. The young athlete has developed a great following in PEI and was determined to please the crowd. Across the ring he faced the strong and experienced Ontario athlete Ross Mylet. McKinnon and Mylet had faced each other last year with Mylet winning a unanimous decision.

This second encounter was for the CASK Intermediate Welterweight title belt. The bout went back and forth between the two athletes. Mylet scored often and hard with his body attacks, while McKinnon had his best performances on the outside using his jab and lead leg kicks.

The bout was fought very tactically by both athletes. At the end of the 4 rounds the judges scored the closely fought bout to Charlie McKinnon. The young man becomes the first PEI athlete to ever win a coveted National Championships.

Coimbra, Portugal was the host city for the 2007 WAKO World Championships. This event is considered the most competitive amateur competition in the world of kickboxing and is only held every two years. This edition of the Worlds hosted over 300 athletes from 47 countries. The favorite countries - Russia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Hungry, Germany and France - were all present with large teams. However there were strong competition from athletes representing Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Brazil and Ukraine as well.

Many of the athletes that attend the WAKO Worlds have significant competitive experience, often having more than 100 amateur bouts and a great familiarity with the tournament format.

Canada fielded 7 full contact athletes at these championships. Our team trained very hard for these Worlds to come up to the level expected among international athletes.

The training and preparation certainly paid off with the best Canadian performance at the WAKO Worlds in history. Each athlete had outstanding individual performances and greatly impressed the many countries in attendance. Three Canadian's earned medals at the championships making this a particularly successful championships for our country.




The first Canadian medalist was in the 81kg division. Truro Nova Scotia's Micky Marshal powered his way through his division. In his first bout he defeated a determined American by way of a unanimous decision. In his next bout he faced a tough British athlete who had just defeated the WKA World Champion from Ireland. Marshal kept the pressure on the English athlete taking a close decision win. In the semi-finals Marshal drew the eventual gold medalist from Russia. The experienced Russian used excellent boxing skills to control the distance during the bout. Marshal was a game competitor throughout the 3 rounds gaining points with his hard round kicks. The Russian won the bout on points and then went on to the gold medal. Marshal deserved his bronze medal in a very strong division.




Our second medal went to Ottawa's Holly Deacon in the women's -65 kg division. Deacon had perhaps the most difficult road to the Worlds having to beat two very competitive Canadian's to make the National team. New Brunswick's Thallie Boucher, North Bay's Diane Brisson and Holly Deacon were all trying out for the same division at the National Trials in June. Deacon squeezed out close wins against this talented field of women to represent Canada in Portugal. The early competition paid off. After receiving a bye in the first round, Deacon faced an aggressive athlete from New Zealand. Her aggressive style and balanced attacks earned her each round on route to a clear decision win. Decon reached the semi-finals and had a tremendous bout against an athlete from Poland. By the end of the bout the Canadian coaches felt she had done enough to take the decision. On this occasion the judges disagreed awarding the win to the Polish athlete via split decision. The bout earned Deacon a bronze medal and tremendous respect for her achievement at her first world championships in full contact kickboxing.




The final Canadian medalist was in the -63.5 men's division. The lighter divisions are considered the most competitive in WAKO with many countries fielding strong athletes. Ontario's Brian Dickson had an outstanding tournament with excellent bouts. In his first bout he defeated an excellent kicker from Austria. Dickson's ability to go from kicker to boxer resulted in outscoring his opponent. In his second bout he faced a very talented and strong boxer from Azerbaijan. This time Dickson chose to emphasize his kicks to keep his Central Asian opponent at bay. The strategy worked as he went on to another decision victory. In his semi final bout, he faced a very tall and experienced athlete from Kazakhstan. Dickson took the bout to the Kazakh in the first round choosing an aggressive style. In doing so he ran into a hard right cross that caused a large mouse to form under his eye. The Canadian coaches decided to halt the bout. Retiring from the bout was not the plan for the game Canadian, however the safety of the athlete is always the priority of the coaching staff.

The three bronze medals were a wonderful achievement for this edition of the Canadian team. Along with these victories, the semi-contact (point division) Canadian team also added 3 medals to the national count. The Canadian team was a solid group that displayed great sportsmanship and team camaraderie. The 2008 WAKO Junior World Championships is scheduled for Italy in September - with this performance in Portugal, it is expected our Canadian juniors to perform event better!

Congratulations to all athletes on Team Canada!

Kay Lawernce
Alex Nickolic
Holly Deacon
Taylor Tyler
Brian Dickson
John Nash
Ryan Burgess
Rob Dixon
Micky Marshal