New Kensington to host 51st Pennsylvania Karate Championships

A tradition unlike any other in the Alle-Kiski Valley or Pittsburgh region continues this weekend.

The 51st Pennsylvania Karate Championships, a keystone event since the early 1970s, returns Saturday to the grand ballroom of the Quality Inn in New Kensington.

It is where the event began all those years ago.

Close to 150 competitors, both locally and throughout the country, have registered to compete.

Grand Master Frank Caliguri, the patriarch of the Caliguri karate family and the president and master instructor at Caliguri’s Academy of Martial Arts in Lower Burrell, said that number is expected to double Saturday morning as nearly 150 more will register at the door.

“It is the first and oldest such tournament in Pennsylvania and the third oldest in the USA,” Caliguri said.

“It is well-established with a strong reputation of it being run well, which we are proud of. We’ve been doing this for so long, and we have a team that is good at what they do. Competitors also want to come back because there is a lot to be won.”

Caliguri said all the rooms at the Quality Inn have been booked for three weeks, speaking to the event’s popularity.

Last year’s event expanded to two days of competition and festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the PA Karate Championships.

This year, the event will be just Saturday. But, Caliguri said, the day will be packed with competition and ceremonies celebrating many of the top martial artists from near and far.

Caliguri said at least 20 youth and adults from the Caliguri’s Academy of Martial Arts in Lower Burrell will be competing.

“They work hard all year round to be ready for the state tournament,” he said.

“We have a competition-team class in addition to the regular classes that is optional for any of the students who want to attend if they want to compete. It is training for the competition that helps them push themselves harder.”

He said most of the students are rated with the Pennsylvania Karate Ratings Association as well as the United States Association of Martial Artists, and the TKA (Tournament Karate Association).

Caliguri said martial artists locally and from other states will be chasing points for all three sanctioning bodies.

State awards will be presented to those who earned points with victories and other place finishes from the recently completed 2024 competition season.

Saturday’s event also is the jumping-off point for earning points for the new season.

“It is an ending celebration and a beginning all in one,” Caliguri said.

“It also is a double maximum-point event, so the competitors can get more points at this state tournament. They definitely love that.”

Caliguri said this tournament is special because it gives local martial artists the chance to compete against others who come in from throughout the country, including Arizona, Tennessee, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Virginia, California, Florida and Mississippi.

“They can put it on the line against the best of the best from all over,” he said.

Competition will be in youth and adult divisions for sparring, kata, weapons, chanbara and self-defense. The participants will be of all ages, from 5-and-under to the 50-and-up senior divisions.

Many styles will be represented in the open tournament, including karate, kung fu and tae kwon do.

Some of the highest-ranked masters and grand masters from throughout the country will be among the throng of competitors.

The event will start at 10 a.m. with the masters and grand masters kata and weapons followed with the empty hand forms and then all under belt forms.

A special added event will be the grand masters and masters kata, weapons and sparring demonstrations.

Competition continues into the afternoon and will wrap up between 4 and 6 p.m.

There will be eight grand-champion trophies awarded in the youth and adult divisions.

Murrysville’s Jose Rivera, the PKRA Masters Black Belt state champion, again will be on hand to defend his title, as will New Kensington’s Stephen Baksis, the 2024 men’s black belt 43-plus champion.

Rivera has won a record 20 consecutive masters black belt state titles.

Spectators are welcome to attend Saturday, and tickets will be available at the gate.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Karate Championships, visit academyofmartialarts.org, call 724-335-9300 or email mastercaliguri@aol.com.