Continuing a long tradition, the month of May ended with one of the biggest Martial Arts events in the Lower Mainland, the 31^st Annual West Coast Can-Am Championships.  Participants packed the BCIT gym all weekend for Japanese, Korean and Chinese Martial Arts forms, and Sanshou fighting, as well as the crowd-pleasing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Pankration and Amateur Modified Muay Thai.

The Can-Am, proudly embarking on its fourth decade, is organized and promoted by Ken Low, a Kung Fu/Wushu instructor who has been teaching in the area for 35 years.  Low began promoting the first annual Can-Am tournament back in 1979, and it has grown each year with the support and efforts of members of the community, Martial Arts practitioners from all over BC, as well as the assistance of all three levels of government.

 “The original intent of the Can-Am,” says Low, “was to provide a fun, safe and fair competition, to promote friendship and exchange, and to provide an opportunity to showcase all styles of Martial Arts.  I hoped that it would raise public awareness and understanding of Martial Arts, and would also provide a viable option for children and adults to participate.”

The continued success of this tournament makes it an excellent snapshot for the changes and development of Martial Arts in BC.  “From 1979 to 1985, the tournament was largely attended by Karate and Tae Kwon Do stylists.  At the time, fighting was mainly of the Sport Karate type, and Kung Fu, Wushu and Tai Chi styles were rare,” Low reminisces.  “In the late 80s, continuous sparring became more prominent, and Kung Fu, Kenpo, Wushu, and Tai Chi practitioners started to compete in larger numbers.  It wasn’t until the 1990s that we started to see a swing towards more contact and more realistic styles (in terms of street-defence situations) such as Pankration, Sanshou, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  For this reason, we strive to have a variety of different fighting and form competitions so that we are inclusive of all Martial Arts practitioners.”

A special dinner gala was held Saturday evening, and Ken Low introduced two teams from China, who were personally invited by Low to take part in the tournament for the first time.  The Wushu teams from Shandong and Zhejiang delighted the crowd with demonstrations, and Shandong fighters Du Guang Qiang, Li Wei, and Sun Jun Feng were recognized for their participation, along with local favourites Wes Jaya, of Kai Sing Thong Muay Thai and Ken Tran, of Franco Kickboxing, whom Du and Li would be competing against in the Main Event the following day.

Sunday started early, with the younger age groups competing in Pankration, Muay Thai and BJJ.  Their proud families cheered them on, with several young girls quickly becoming crowd favourites as they trounced some of the boys.

“We need to provide equal opportunity for males and females in the sport of contact Martial Arts,” says Low.  “It is great to see participation from the ladies of all ages in these sports.”

 Adam Ryan, of Dynamic Mixed Martial Arts, and Simon Posener of Posener’s Pankration oversaw events and assisted as judges.  Vancouver based BJJ luminary, Master Marcus Soares, judged and refereed the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu events, and Chris Franco, of Franco Kickboxing, could be seen filling in as a judge, and assisting his young charges in their warm-ups. 

Toward the afternoon, the crowds cheered on the Amateur Modified Muay Thai fighters as they tested their mettle against one another in dramatic fashion, while others kept an eye on the fighters from Team China as they warmed up.

Local fighter Victor Wang, familiar with the Chinese style, explained what the crowd was in for.  “The Shandong team is one of the best teams in China.  Sanshou fighters have a side stance, and will throw a lot of side kicks and they will be very fast.  They are used to catching kicks and throwing their opponents to score points.”

When asked about his teammate’s chances, Shandong Team Wushu expert, Sun Pei Yuan said: “No problem.”

Victor Wang disagreed.  “The Shandong fighters are experienced, and very skilled, but I think they might underestimate our guys,” said Wang.  “Wes Jaya has been fighting out of Malaysia and recently came second place in the Z-1 Tournament, and Ken Tran is a slick fighter.  Since this is a fight under Muay Thai rules, I think Jaya and Tran have the advantage.”

Du Guang Qiang and Wes Jaya were set to square off first, with many supporters in the crowd cheering their countryman Du, reducing the hometown advantage.  Jaya, a traditional Muay Thai supporter, performed the Wai Kru, showing the diversity of Martial Arts. 

The first round went well for Jaya, as Du seemed to be caught off guard by the skill of his opponent.  In the second round, Du turned it up a notch, and the two fighters showed lightning fast kicks and heavy blows.  Late in the round, Jaya relied on his Muay Thai techniques, and landed a solid elbow that cut Du at his hairline.  Unfortunately, in the confusion of styles and rules, the Chinese fighters were unaware of the use of elbows, and the very competitive fight was ruled a No Contest.

Ken Tran and Li Wei were up next, each showing the strengths of their respective styles.  Li was able to land swift kicks, and Tran proved to be very elusive, while delivering blows of his own.  In the end, after a very even fight, Tran earned the nod and took the win, bringing the Can-Am to a close.

Low, looking to the future, has indicated that he would like to change the name of the tournament, as a reflection of the international participation of the Chinese teams.  “We have some new ideas for the name of the tournament, but they are still under consideration.  We hope to build upon our success, and the relationships that we are building in China, as well as expand into a truly international event, by inviting competitors from Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Brazil, but we still want to keep the Can-Am name because of its long history in the area.”

“I would like to thank everyone who helped, attended or participated in the 31^st Can-Am.  Only with everyone’s support has the Can-Am become as successful tournament as it is today.  We hope to have everyone’s continual support to make it a truly international tournament.  I would especially like to thank the Chinese Teams for their premier participation in the Can-Am, and also a special thank you to Master Thomas Lok and Master Kang for their creation of the premier Hapkido division in the Can-Am.”

 

 

Dear Masters, friends and students,

 

Thanks for your support to the 31^st Can-Am Championships.

 

We had the best ever Can-Am in terms of participation level and skill level of the athletes – with well over 500 athletes attended, with 2 Wushu and Sanshou teams from Mainland China, and with premier Hapkido divisions.

 

The awards banquet was also a success with a full-capacity crowd at the Burnaby Delta Hotel and Conference Centre Grand Ballroom, with representatives from the Vancouver Chinese Consulate Office, provincial government and Burnaby City Hall, and community leaders.

 

Please visit the web sites below for some photos taken at the Awards banquet.

 

http://www.gcpnews.com/articles/2010-06-02/C1063_53378.html

 

http://www.gcpnews.com/ev/ViewPage.jsp?id=2010-06-02&pubid=0&section=A&pn=6

 

The following Muay Thai matches were a hit. Everyone enjoyed these super-fights on Sunday. All would likely agree that re-matches of these bouts would definitely be worth waiting for!

 

           

	VS
Li Wei”玉面蛟龙”李伟		Ken “The Hitman” Tran
	VS
Du Guang Qiang”琅琊战阵”杜广强		Wesley Jaya

                                            

Tournament Information Download

Greetings Letters

Posters

Competition Tickets