Throwing my hat in the ring!

Welp, I’m doing it. I signed up for the thing. That was the first step. And now I’m talking about it here, in public (if <50 subscribers counts as public?). That was the next step, the more important one. I’m definitely someone who plays things close to the vest: I never really want to talk about the things I have on the go or ideas or goals, because it’s just too embarrassing, too disappointing when they don’t work out or I don’t follow through or things change, which they often do. But this one’s cool and exciting and the kids are launching and I’m racking up the airmiles and this is something that’s really just for me, and putting it out there into the world creates some shape around the edges and helps make it real. 

So what am I getting myself into? I have officially thrown my hat in the ring for the World Masters Games in Kansai, Japan in May, 2027. Karate, kata, division 2 (women 45 - 54). According to their website, the World Masters Games (WMG) is “the largest international multi-sport event for adult athletes, held every four years and open to participants of most ages and abilities.” The minimum age is around 35 (depending on the sport). At the last WMG in Taipei, more than 48,000 people competed in 32 different sports that range from traditional athletics, aquatics, and cycling sports, to disc golf and ultimate, gateball, lifesaving, surfing, orienteering, and even tug-of-war. In Kansai, there will be 600+ athletes competing in the karate events alone. The emphasis is on personal achievement and enjoyment, as promoted in the motto “Sports Beyond Age, Life Without Limits”. 

promotional image for the World Masters games in Kansai, Japan, May 2027.

Now, let's be clear. It’s been many, many, many years since I last competed in karate, or in anything, for that matter. And I do not fancy myself a contender – even at the top of my game I had maybe a (tiny) handful of good tournament seasons – but I really did get a lot out of competing at the time. In fact, one of my best flow moments was at a tournament in Lethbridge when I finally secured a spot on the Alberta provincial team. But so much of my karate practice over the last 10 years has been focused outward - on my kids, on my club; on teaching and coaching and organizing and supporting and encouraging and teasing and having fun and frankly, while I really do get so much out of it and find it incredibly rewarding, it’s also tiring. Where karate used to be the place I would go to get out of my head, blow off steam, work out really hard, and maybe even exchange a few blows, it is now almost exclusively something I do for others and as such, it has lost some of its restorative power. The idea of the WMG has ignited a little spark and given me permission to turn inward again, even just for a little bit, with no expectations other than my own, and with a cool adventure thrown in to boot. And somehow, completely unlike when I used to compete regularly, I do not have a single twinge of nerves. Maybe that’s an article for another time (you know, aging and shedding self-consciousness and satisfying our own inner drive, yadda yadda yadda), but for now, I hope you’ll join me on this journey to plan and prepare - I’ve got just over a year! Let’s do this!

UPDATED TO ADD:

Well, in a twist that now seems to be telegraphed in my opening paragraph, things have indeed changed and maybe I don’t get to go? There have been so many applicants, including the people who were signed up to participate during the Games that were postponed due to covid, that I didn’t make it through the first lottery. Boo. But do not despair! There’s still the possibility that the organizers will add capacity, so I am proceeding like I am going (well, maybe I’ll hold off on booking those plane tickets, at least for now. 😉)

NEW UPDATE! 

The organizers have opened up new spots! My name is back in the hat for the second round of the lottery. Fingers crossed. I realized how much I really want to go when the first lottery closed and I wasn’t chosen. I am even thinking about applying for the kumite division - surely there will be fewer applicants in that category at my age? But then I’d have to compete in kumite, so… Anyhoodle, we’ll see, I’ll let you know, and wish me luck!