On the cusp of the 20th anniversary of Cochrane's Ippon Karate Dojo, their athletes have been leaving an impressive mark on the international stage.
Amazingly three sets of their athletes were competing in three different countries on Oct. 14.
"I don't even know if there's another sport in Cochrane that could claim that, let alone a martial arts club," says Adam Wackershauser, Ippon Karate Dojo owner/operator and head coach. "We've just had such a good showing the last six months."
In August, Brooklyn Carter, Indiana Carlyle-Biford, and Lina Kokame qualified for Team Canada at the Canadian National Championships in Laval, Quebec.
This remarkable achievement earned them a spot at the Pan American Championships in São Paulo, Brazil, where they represented Canada with distinction, says Adam Wackershauser,
This week, Indiana Carlyle-Biford represented Canada at the prestigious Junior World Karate Championships in Venice, Italy under Karate Canada, the recognized karate organization of the Canada Olympic Committee.
"At the world level, only one person per country gets to represent a division," explains Wackerhauser, "So for Indiana to do this is huge. I think we've had six or maybe eight of our athletes represent our ability at the world championships over the years (they are held every two years)."
Carter Dawood, Brooklyn Carter, and Vince Thottungal competed at the West Coast Open Karate tournament in Tacoma, Washington, where Dawood won gold in men’s kata and bronze in men’s kumite, Brooklyn earned bronze in Women’s Kata, and Vince took home gold in U18 men’s kata.
Meanwhile, Ella Nishida and Kian Quiambao were taking on the world's best at the WKU World Championships in Rhodes, Greece. Ella competed in 13-14 girls’ forms, and Kian showcased his skills in 15-17 boys’ forms.
"Both of these athletes have been part of our elite program for nearly a year, honing their abilities and earning spots on the WKU National Squad," says Wackershauser.
"We've always had a good program and, to be honest, I've felt over the last few months we're finally back on track since COVID. It was just such a shock to the system when you're running a martial arts club and then everything is suddenly shut down."
In March 2025, it will be 20 years since Wackershauser formed the club. He is currently a 5th Dan black belt, a former head coach of Karate Alberta, and a former national coach for Karate Canada.
"I don't want to say it started accidentally, but when I was training there were not very many high-level coaches in the province, and I was training wherever I could."
He booked some space in the basement of the Legion Hall to attract others to train with him.
"Then some people start asking if they could join and send their kids. It just all kind of happened."
Coaching comes naturally to Wackershauser.
"Even when I was young, I liked teaching. I was an assistant instructor in the first karate club I ever trained at, and over time I just got more and more influence from high-level coaches."
What he enjoys most is helping people achieve their goals.
"I have all these top-level athletes and it's just amazing to watch somebody go to a huge championship and get to represent their country or their province or their dojo. But we also have people who join us with no aspirations of being a world champion. They want to train towards getting their black belt, or for self-defense or confidence building... you name it.
He reflects on how one of his hard-working students in her 50s recently earned her black belt.
"I just love it when you get to see somebody achieve that goal. It's quite an amazing thing"
Ippon athletes are competing in a smaller tournament this weekend, followed by provincials next week.