Novato man wins silver at World Sparring Championships

John Wyek of Novato, CA took 2nd place in the 4th/5th Degree Black Belt Division for Men ages 40-49. Mr. Wyek is the current California State Champ in Sparring and in Combat Weapons Sparring. He also won the Sparring title in the Southwest District (California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada)

The ATA/STF/WTTU 2015 “Tournament of Champions” competition took place on July 10th in Little Rock, Arkansas. The invitational event saw 1300 competitors from around the globe competing for the title of World Champion in their respective divisions and events.

To qualify for this event you must either finish in the Top 10 in points accumulation throughout the tournament season, or win one of the qualifying tournaments such as the Pan-Am Championships or a District Championship (in the US there are 8 “Districts” each comprised of 4 or more states. The Top 10 Competitors in each state qualify to compete at Districts).

Wyek, a 4th Degree Black Belt, defeated the Pan-American Champion in the quarterfinals, then beat a strong competitor from Argentina in the semi-finals to advance to a finals showdown against Jason Farnsworth from Florida.

At 6’2” and 205 pounds, Wyek is an imposing figure in the ring and had a reach advantage over Farnsworth. But the lighter, faster Farnsworth is 8 years younger than Wyek and also a higher rank (Farnsworth is a 5th degree who tested for 6th at the event).

The finals were a close fought match, with a number of calls made for points but which were not confirmed by 2 of the 3 judges so no points were awarded. Wyek went up 1-0, then Farnsworth tied the match. Farnsworth pulled into the lead with a spinning kick to Wyek’s head, then a jump kick by Wyek to tie the match was called but not confirmed and time expired.

Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, Founder of the ATA (American Taekwondo Association), STF (Songham Taekwondo Federation) and WTTU (World Traditional Taekwondo Union) often said that “To compete is to win”. His message being that regardless of the outcome, as long as you give your best effort you should consider yourself a winner. Congratulations to John Wyek for his effort and accomplishments, and to everyone who gives their best at whatever it is they are attempting.

In addition to competing, John Wyek also operates DefensePro.org, a local business where he teaches self-defense and offers emergency preparedness training and supplies.