Local Team Competes in National Championship

DIXON, CA (MPG) - A youthful Ramtown Karate team returned to Dixon at the end of Labor Day Weekend with spirits lighter and awards heavier after competing in the U.S.A. Nationals in Chicago. It was only last year in 2020 that Karate made its debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

After weeks of “intense practice” led by Sensei Jim Ernest who is a National Referee but is also District 2 Dixon City Council Representative, the team took off from Dixon. He also coaches Kiera MacKenzie, 22, who started the competition rolling last Thursday.

“She won every match and finished with an impressive 8-0 over her opponent,” said Sensei Kathy Ernest, Jim’s wife and president of Ramtown Karate, Inc. “Kiera is now in the top two in the United States,” she said. “She’s fought in Women’s Elite National category to defend her spot on the national title and made it in the top two.” She is currently in the USA Karate National Team and now will head to the National Team trials at the Olympic Training Center in the spring.

The rest of the Dixon team competed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One was Nathan Chappell, 16, doing three events: weapons, Kata, and Advanced Division fighting. Joshua Galindo, 16, also did Advanced Division fighting. Other students who entered both Kata and fighting were Liza Pankova, 14; Breanna Ramirez, 14; Thomas Sanchez, 12; Angela Vega, 11; and Christopher Vega, 9.

Kata is a demonstration of karate techniques using pre-defined movements judged on speed, strength, focus, balance, and more. Kumite is a fighting discipline where athletes compete head-to-head against each other using punching and kicking techniques performed on permitted parts of the body.

Chappell has been a student for seven years and this was his fourth Nationals. Vega returned for her second National experience.

This was Chris Vega’s first big event and he fought hard but lost to the bronze medal winner by decision. Angela Vega won every match in fighting and earned a U.S. National Championship Gold medal for her division. She had an impressive Kata which brought her all the way to the medal rounds earning bronze #3 in the U.S. for her division, according to the Ernests.

Sanchez has only been training at Ramtown for three months but won two fights earning both silver but lost in the final round, putting him in a Number 2 position in the U.S. for his beginner division. He made some friends before the match, and they invited him to join a fighting team of three. The team fought hard and won the silver medal.

Ramirez gave it her all and won Silver in fighting and Bronze in Kata.

“Breanna [Ramirez] was a big influence on the younger team, cheering them on and helping them train. Pankova was in a larger division and narrowly missed a bronze in kata,” Kathy reported. “She battled impressively through the division for the Bronze in fighting, placing her third in the U.S. for her division.”

Galindo and Chappell fought in 16-year-old Advanced Divisions. Galindo scored most of his points with punches and a well-timed body kick. He earned the bronze medal.

Chappell began his competition on Thursday, winning a bronze medal in his Advanced weapons division as well as Kata. He was competing with the Okinawa sai. He fought hard on Saturday and won the bronze in fighting, bringing home three medals.

“Jim and I are so grateful for the spirit of this team, for the huge parental support from the parents who were able to attend and those at home, and for the Ramtown Boosters club for making this possible for these athletes,” said Kathy.

Ramtown Karate is located at 1680 North Lincoln Street and can be reached at (707) 678-4899.