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Fifteen-year-old R.J. Vasquez of Kaiserslautern, Germany, will try his hand at five forms of martial arts this weekend at the World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes World Games in Killarney, Ireland.

Fifteen-year-old R.J. Vasquez of Kaiserslautern, Germany, will try his hand at five forms of martial arts this weekend at the World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes World Games in Killarney, Ireland. (Rusty Bryan/Stars and Stripes)

Fifteen-year-old R.J. Vasquez of Kaiserslautern, Germany, will try his hand at five forms of martial arts this weekend at the World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes World Games in Killarney, Ireland.

Fifteen-year-old R.J. Vasquez of Kaiserslautern, Germany, will try his hand at five forms of martial arts this weekend at the World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes World Games in Killarney, Ireland. (Rusty Bryan/Stars and Stripes)

Under the watchful eye of martial arts master Jay Ordonio, 11-year-old Riley Exterkate of Kaiserslautern, Germany, goes through the 'kata,' or 'forms,' she'll demonstrate this weekend at the 2010 World Martial Games in Killarney, Ireland.

Under the watchful eye of martial arts master Jay Ordonio, 11-year-old Riley Exterkate of Kaiserslautern, Germany, goes through the 'kata,' or 'forms,' she'll demonstrate this weekend at the 2010 World Martial Games in Killarney, Ireland. (Rusty Bryan/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — For 10 local students of martial arts, crunch time (in the most literal sense of the word) arrives this weekend in Killarney, Ireland.

“A tournament makes (martial arts) better,” 15-year-old R.J. Vasquez of Kaiserslautern said last week as he prepared for the five events he’ll enter in this year’s World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes World Games, scheduled for Friday through Sunday. “You can see where you stand.”

Where Vasquez currently stands, as he competes for the Karate Tech club run by his father, Richard, is at the black-belt level. The younger Vasquez will contest five events in this year’s games.

“The tournament covers all forms of martial arts,” the elder Vasquez said. “There are self-defense forms of karate; weapons, such as the bo staff, swords (katanas), sickles, nunchuks and knives; and contact forms such as sparring and grappling, where you pin your guy down. There’s even a king-of-the-ring event where one person takes on all comers in succession.”

Favorite forms varied widely among the Karate Tech squad, who range in age from 5 to 17 and had to qualify for the World Games at earlier meets. Appropriately enough in these tradition-breaking times, two of the girls who’ll be going to Ireland identified the most combative forms of the sport as their favorites.

“I like sparring and grappling,” said 11-year-old Riley Exterkate, a five-year student of karate who attends Faith Baptist School in Kaiserslautern. “I liked it right away.”

Echoed 13-year-old Danielle Odom of Landstuhl Middle School, who also kickboxes against adults: “The best part is sparring.”

Despite their youth, the Karate Kids from Karate Tech are no strangers to international competition, Richard Vasquez said. Ten-year-old Joseph Medina of Kaiserslautern Elementary School, for example, will be competing in his second WOMMA World Games. Medina, who demonstrated his proficiency with the bo staff at last week’s practice session, came home from the 2009 Games in Ocean City, Md., with three gold and two silver medals.

However, according to the elder Vasquez, Medina and his teammates will find the competition stiffer this year.

“Ireland will be much tougher than Ocean City,” he said. “The Europeans will be on their home turf. There’ll be so much talent there.”

That makes no difference to Landstuhl Middle Schooler Conner Dill, 13, who holds a black belt in the Okinawan form of karate, isshinryu. “It’s all about honing your skills,” Dill said of the competition.

Added 11-year-old Sapphire Gutierrez of Kaiserslautern Middle School, “It’s going to be really challenging. I’ll try my best, but even if I don’t win, I’ll be proud of myself.”

Most of the K-town 10 admitted to some butterflies about the competition, but for 17-year-old black belt Matthew Niemesheim, the 2010 games are nothing short of a labor of love.

“I’m more excited than nervous,” he said. “I couldn’t love anything more than I love karate.”

bryanr@estripes.osd.mil

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