worldly.” Rudolph, who admits to being influenced by
magician Criss Angel, did so many spins, twirls and
tosses with his bo that the form left the audience asking,
“Did that just happen?”
For this writer, Rudolph’s high point came after he won
the competition. As he was handed a gigantic winner’s
cup, he walked to the edge of the stage, where he beck-
oned a young martial artist to come closer. Rudolph said,
“While I was up here, the person I heard cheering the
most was you. So this is for you.” When he handed the
youth the trophy, the boy’s face showed a mixture of joy
and shock — and nearly tears. The act demonstrated that
Rudolph is indeed a superstar, and the gesture placed
him firmly in the category of sports stars who can be
called role models.FINAL WORD
After watching what Sawyer and company showcased
at the 2019 U.S. Open, it would not be a stretch to say
that they’re poised to give tournament karate the kind
of mainstream exposure the X Games gave to extreme
sports. And that would be a welcome boost to the martial
arts in general.
In these days of global conflicts and territorial disputes,
the U.S. Open once again brought together nearly 7,000
competitors from 70 countries in the spirit of friendship
and fraternity. This writer saw South Africans mix it up
with American Southerners, as well as South American
preteens getting their hair braided at the Paul Mitchell
booth beside kids from South Jersey. Politics was put
aside as competitors from around the world cheered ondoubling for superstars.
If anyone is poised to fill the shoes of Emory, it’s her
protégé Megan Butterfield. The 14-year-old from Ottawa,
Canada, is a member of the AmeriKick National Team.
She’s been a NASKA top-10 competitor for the past two
years and owns 11 world titles as proof. At the U.S. Open,
Butterfield displayed nerves of steel and a composure
beyond her years by executing her weapons form flaw-
lessly. What’s so special about that? When she started,
the DJ decided to play an upbeat tune for a musical form
— which it wasn’t supposed to be. Nevertheless, Butter-
field was so focused she didn’t even notice the music
until her form was finished.
At the Night of Champions, the most popular event
has always been men’s weapons. No doubt this is why the
organizers save it to close the show. When asked how this
category became the crowd favorite, Sawyer explained:
“It has become the ultimate performance division,
and the reason is that there is no limit as to how far you
can go with that. It used to be you did something outra-
geous with a weapon and you won the division. Now, it
is way over the top. They are like Olympic gymnasts at
the same time they are doing amazing things with those
weapons. They are doing double-release moves that are
beyond comprehension, [not to mention] backflips [and]
720-degree kicks. I had a call from ESPN the day after the
event and was asked if Jackson Rudolph had a string on
his bo. I said, ‘No, he actually throws the twirling stick 30
feet in the air, turns his back and catches it!’”
Speaking of Jackson Rudolph: The Stanford University
pre-med student and holder of 14 world titles closed the
ESPN broadcast with a routine that bordered on “other
Mackensi Emory54 BLACKBELTMAG.COM OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019