Hi-yah! Mendonca Academy athletes claim 59 medals at Karate National Championships
Tony Mendonca claps his hands in rapid succession. Then he does it again, faster. And once more with increased pace. A group of 20-plus karate students watches him attentively as he teaches his Wednesday lesson at McMinnville’s Mendonca Academy.
“That’s how fast you need to be,” he explains, referring to a one-two combination of strikes.
Following his demonstration, Sensei Mendonca divides his students into pairs for sparring. He observes their quickness during punches and watches their evasion on defense.
The athletes, who range from six- to 17-years old, take their training seriously. A deep sense of respect is palpable when Sensei Mendonca stops the action and delivers constructive criticism.
Despite an impressive wealth of knowledge – 30-plus years in karate – he remains an approachable figure at Mendonca Academy. In reality, it’s his experience which makes him relatable to his students.
“I tell them all the time I know this stuff is hard. I’ll never ask them to do anything that I cannot do or I haven’t done. I get it – it’s hard, especially for the young kids. But I’m trying to teach them that excellence is a habit,” said Sensei Mendonca.
He continued, “Whatever emotion they have, I’ve had it. When you’re asked to do stuff in the right framework with the proper support, you’ll be able to do way more than people expect.”
Sensei Mendonca’s approach to training led to tremendous success for his athletes during this year’s USA Karate National Championships, held in Spokane June 29-July 3.
Mendonca Academy sent a team of 25 competitors to one of the sport’s grandest stages, and each one returned to Mac with a medal in kata (form demonstration), kumite (sparring) or kubido (weapons demonstration).
“It was very unusual. In the long time that we’ve been doing this, we’ve never had nationals where every single person medaled. It was super exciting, because it makes it real for those kids,” said Sensei Mendonca.
His son, Logan, won the 12-13 year-old elite division national championship in kumite. With his victory, Logan qualified for the USA Youth National Team. Watching his son prevail in the national tournament felt “like a passing of the baton,” Mendonca said.
Natalie Lai claimed third place in the 12-13 elite kumite division, while Jenna Martin finished third in the 14-15 elite kumite event. Both Lai and Martin are National Team alternates.
Also earning medals for Mendonca Academy were Ezra Alonso (bronze team kata, gold fam kata, gold kata, gold kumite), Xander Hedstrom (bronze team kata, silver kata, bronze kumite), Zoey Villasenor (bronze team kata, bronze kata, bronze kumite), Everett Feucht (silver team kata), Claire Sun (gold kata, gold kubudo, silver kumite), Emma Johnson (silver kumite), Lucy Alonso (gold team kata, gold fam kata, gold kata, bronze kumite), Maggie Elliott (bronze kata, bronze kumite), Sophia Contreras (silver team kata, gold kata, gold kumite), Aiden Kepler (gold team kata), Gavin Newhouse (gold team kata) and Ryan Lai (silver team kata, bronze kumite).
Michael Sun (silver team kata, bronze kata, gold kubudo), Kenzie Mendonca (silver team kata, bronze kata), AJ Elliott (silver kata), Xander Feucht (bronze kata, silver team kata, bronze kumite), Bella Eberle (bronze team kata, gold kumite, bronze kubudo), Kota Prellwitz (bronze kata, bronze team kata), Hannah Newhouse (silver kata, bronze team kata, bronze kubudo, gold kumite), Jordan Kronenberg (silver kata, gold kumite), Meagan Briery (gold fam kata, gold kata, gold kumite) and Christina Seward (bronze kata) also earned trips to the podium.
Beyond the Academy’s success at the National Championships, Sensei Mendonca simply hopes to instill a sense of responsibility and honor in his students. As a state, national and international champion, he wants his athletes to earn a similar victorious feeling when they compete in tournaments.
“The main thing I’m trying to do is give these kids an opportunity to understand what excellence is. Most of these kids are training five days a week. When school’s out, they’re in here for daily doubles for four or five hours a day. What’s really neat is this becomes a community,” he said.
Sensei Mendonca said he’s eager to prepare the Academy’s athletes for not only karate but other aspects of life. The discipline they practice in karate can benefit them “in whatever they want to be successful in.”
Teaching his kids karate has also become a rewarding experience for the Grants Pass native.
“When you’re coaching your own kid it’s a balance between not overdoing it and giving him opportunities. With Logan, he has his own motivations and he trains very hard. He wants this for himself, and I try to support him,” noted Sensei Mendonca.
When Logan suffered a first-round defeat during last year’s National Championships, his father noticed a distinct shift in his son’s training efforts.
“When you lose like that, a person can go two ways: it either crushes you or it fires you up. If there was a kid who was fired up, it was him,” he explained.
After claiming his first career kumite national championship, Logan Mendonca is eager to earn another gold medal at next month’s Pan American Championships in Mexico City.
“For the first week after winning it was euphoric,” he explained. “It was the first step in being an Olympian, which is my goal for this sport. When the euphoria subsided, I’ve trained really hard so I can get that feeling again.”
Logan’s national championship experience was nearly derailed by a mistake in his final bout. After scoring the first point, he was struck by a head kick and trailed 3-1. As time ticked away, Logan shifted his tactics.
“The only way I could win was to get him disqualified. It meant I had to be aggressive and force him out of the ring twice in under 15 seconds,” noted Logan.
With four seconds to spare, Logan drove his opponent from the ring, securing his national title.
Logan said he’s learned moral values during his karate career. He credited the Mendonca Academy community for propelling him to national success.
“Without them, I would lose my motivation,” said Logan. “They support me in every way.”
Logan balances his karate training with swimming. He said the two sports have created an excellent workout routine for him, leading to increased strength and stamina.
Regarding his loss at nationals last year, Logan felt the setback only led to his success this season.
“A lot of people say losing can be the best motivation and it really is. If you train really hard and go to a competition and lose, it’s the worst feeling but it’s the feeling that will get you on the podium next year,” he observed.
Mendonca Academy’s community of karate athletes has proven a significant benefit in the lives of Natalie Lai and Jenna Martin. Both are standout competitors on Sensei Mendonca’s team which performed at the USA Karate National Championships earlier this month.
Lai, in the 12-13 year-old elite kumite division, and Martin, in the 14-15 year-old elite kumite event, are currently USA Junior National Team alternates after placing third in their respective contests.
Reflecting on her performance at nationals, Lai hopes karate fans look beyond the medals her team achieved in Spokane.
“I hope people don’t just focus on the end result,” she said. “To me, it was the process of training with all these people. When I won, I think everybody won, because they took part in that success. They’ve helped me gain the skills I need to prevail over my opponent.
“The biggest thing I took away from nationals is the sense of community I have here at the dojo,” added Lai.
Lai’s path to third place included a first-round loss to the top seed in her division. “I was glad for her, and I was proud of her for the fight,” said Lai.
Lai bounced back with three consecutive victories and ultimately earned Super Bronze, which guaranteed her an alternate slot on Team USA.
“It still hasn’t sunk in for me,” she laughed. “It’s hard to fathom. Out of the nation, there were only two people who could beat me in my weight class.”
For the past 10 years, Lai has trained in karate. She’s often practiced alongside Logan Mendonca, and the two have developed a strong bond in the sport. Her friendship with Logan is just one of her many positive relationships in karate, Lai said.
For the Dayton High School-bound Martin, karate remains an opportunity for her to grow as a student-athlete. She’s appreciated the chance to train in Mendonca Academy, where “everyone is really nice and supportive,” she said.
In her six years in the sport, Martin primarily enjoyed her time with her friends at the dojo. She said the camaraderie with her teammates have improved her social skills in her everyday life.
“It’s helped me realize who I am,” noted Martin.
Following her third-place finish, Martin feels motivated to improve prior to the National Championships next year.
Upon her return, she’s aiming for the top of the podium.
Which means a lot of training is in her future.
“It’ll take a lot of work,” she agreed.
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