2000 IKF/RINGSIDE
USA National Amateur
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MAGAZINE

The Best of The Best

By KUHN FRED FITZGERALD (Pictured Below Right)

It was a competition for Championships, and a Championship competition, named the IKF/Ringside USA National Amateur Kickboxing Championships. It was held at the magnificent Harvey's Casino Hotel, located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, outside of Omaha Nebraska. This event was the brainstorm of Steve Fossum, Dan Stell, Joe Taylor, and Mick Doyle, who was contacted to host the event. Make no mistake about it, these people had the dream, and then made the dream come true. There were many others who devoted there time, and expertise, just to name a few, Jeff Mullen, Vicki Monyelle, Rob Zbilski, Duke Roufus, Mike Carlson, Kevin Neuman, there are so many others, we thank all of you. Without devoted people like this these highly trained athletes would not have an opportunity to test their skills.

Is this how the Olympics started in 1896, with just an idea and a group of people dedicated to the Martial Arts, willing to pay the price for success? I am sure there are many fighters who stayed away thinking this was just another bogus event that would never happen, well it did happen, and the best fighters in the United States competed on September 2, and 3rd 2000 for the honor of being called the Champion of the USA in their weight class.

If you feel you or your fighter would have won, well get ready now for next year, which will be bigger yet, contact the IKF, find out what is needed for you to enter, we welcome every one, this event is here to stay, if you are a serious MuayThai fighter, or Kickboxer you will want to be part of this historic competition. I will mention some fighters that I might have had personal contact with, either because I refereed them or we were both in the right place at the right time, don't be offended it I fail to mention your name.

Every competitor has a compelling story, Sgt. Ricardo Sanders and the Marine Kickboxing Team, driving half way across the United States to compete, the magnificent Sunshine Fettkether, with her thunderous leg kicks, trained by Bob Karmel. She is destined for greatness. Trisha Hill, who leveled her opponent with the most spectacular technique of the competition. Duke Roufus with his meticulously prepared MuayThai fighters. How about 14 year old Boomer Fischer, who in her other life is probably your average teenage girl, with make up, girl friends and Britney Spears, but today she is sitting having her hands wrapped, by her fine trainer Benny Voyles, preparing for combat, her hard body evidence of hundreds of hours training in the gym, with a focus that says, I will not be denied, she did win the Championship.

How many other fighters would achieve greatness, did the spirit of the Indian Warriors that lived here decades ago influence their performance, or did they just fight better than they ever did before, or are they just that good, I don't know, but what I do know is I have never seen more determination, more heart, than I did in these two days. As an Official I am pleased to tell you, with over 70 fights, over 150 rounds of hard hitting, not one injury. Why? Because the rules were clear and understood, first class equipment, and the best Officials in the USA, who are committed to the safety of the fighter.

The great Officials who live and breath this sport are: Dan Stell the head of IKF Officials, simply the best Kickboxing Referee, Terry Storm, the best woman Referee in the USA, Mike Storm who controls the ring with sheer power, Carlton Duncan who has achieved the confidence he has been looking for, Scott Weeks, who has the competence to do what ever he puts his mind to. I have left out many of the fine Judges, there is Colleen, Tony, and I know there are more, please send your names to me.

A special thanks to the physician at ringside the celebrated neurologist Dr. Reyes. As I said, I have left out many important names, of fighters and trainers, please fax or E-Mail me (ffitzgerald@monmouth.com) with your personal story, it will be very important to me, my fax number is (732) 918.3333. See you next year.

THURSDAY, September 7th, 2000, AT 1:15 AM PT

UPDATED AT: 3:45 PM On Thursday, September 7th, 2000.

Who Are The
BEST Amateur Kickboxers
In The USA?
They Were ALL Present To "Walked The Walk" At This Years
IKF/RINGSIDE National Amateur Kickboxing Championships!

What can be said of a weekend that brought "THE BEST" Amateur Kickboxers around America to 1 Event? What can be said of the sacrifices that each individual made just to get there in the first place? What can be said of the HEART that EVERYONE showed in their quest to win "THE" National Kickboxing Title?

There are no words to explain the feeling each of us had this past weekend. Words are cheap when it comes to performance and what we all witnessed this past weekend at Harveys Hotel Casino in Council Bluffs Iowa USA was THE BEST that America had to offer in Amateur Kickboxing!

As someone put it, "If you're an amateur kickboxer that claims to be the best and you weren't in Iowa this last weekend maybe you should re-think your personal opinion... Because THE BEST Amateur Kickboxers In America were in Iowa this last weekend and if you weren't there... Well....

We'll be posting more stories about last weekends event later in the week. Other stories that will be submitted to us here at the IKF Headquarters by those who were there. A story about our event Title Belts is being held back until we see how a certain company handles a slight problem we had with them... which those who were there know what were talking about... Pictures that will be mailed to us by the fighters and fans will be added to this article soon as well as we get them in. But for now, lets bring you the most important part of the show, the fight results of the Amateur Fighters across the USA who Walked The Walk at this years IKF/RINGSIDE National Amateur Kickboxing Championships.

NOTE: Bouts are listed by weight-classes, NOT by order they were fought. Also, all records include wins and loses of this weekends event.

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - (Ages 8-15)

WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS

MEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

So there you have it kickboxing fans. The BEST of America! Now we're sure there are some critics out there who will say that the IKF National Amateur Tournament was no big deal. These comments of course only come from those who choose not to make the sacrifices to get to the event and put their skills to the test against THE BEST in the first place! We're sure some lacked the finances or the time and we truly regret had true personal problems to deal with which forced them to cancel from the event, so we exclude them from our comments here...

In the end, what is the price of being the BEST? Being the best takes sacrifices because if it were so easy to do, everyone would be doing it. Which speaks for us here at the IKF as well. The National Amateur Tournament is not a profit promotion for us by any means. But that's not WHY we do it. The $10,000+ that comes out of our pocket for related expenses is done for the same reason the fighters sacrifice to come to the event in the first place.

"Because to be the best, you must make sacrifices!"

This event NEEDS to be done! It's how we TRULY find out who really are THE BEST Amateur Kickboxers in America instead of matching 2 guys from the same town for an Amateur U.S. title or worse yet, an amateur World title... Regardless of where one lives, what one can afford. If a fighter truly wanted to be there, they would have found a way to get there. The stories we heard of the sacrifices that were made were beyond belief. The Gladiator Spirit in the eyes of each fighter and trainer during their bouts was just as evident in their passion as they told us how they "MADE IT HAPPEN" to sacrifice and commit to get to the event in the first place. Someone put it a bit stronger when she said, "If your parent was dieing, you would find a way to get there. It's all a matter of priority. What's important to you? Claiming to others that your the best or actually BEING THE BEST?"

Some critics may look at the results above and say that some Champions didn't have much competition against some opponents with losing records or worse yet, with no fights at all. Some call these people easy winners. "We call them CHAMPIONS!" Why? Because when they made the commitment to attend the National Championships, they didn't know who there competition was. They just knew they wanted to prove to every challenger and their peers in the crowd that they were the best and they did it.

Look at the fighters with no fights, or losing records that entered this Tournament. What was their plan? To take a vacation trip to "IOWA" of all places and just lose again? Or was their quest far greater... To be match up against the best and see who comes out Champion? If you have a great record as an amateur and were not there, how does it make "YOU" look compared to those without great records or no records at all that DID make the sacrifice to be there?

Wondering where the TRUE ring warriors are still? We'll tell you where they were last weekend... In Iowa battling for the National Championships. Where great records, wins and losses mean nothing when the event begins. Only 1 quest, 1 goal... To be the National Amateur Kickboxing Champion! And those who lost? They were the SECOND BEST in the Nation, the 3rd, the 4th and so on...We'd like to inform you all that the competitors at this years 2nd annual IKF National Amateur Kickboxing Championships gave us the best that Amateur Kickboxing could ever offer! "THE BEST!"

We can't count the number of times that someone came up to us and said the level of skill, HEART and competition was so much higher than last year. Not that last year was bad at all, but their opinion was of surprise as to the level of skill and heart these fighters fought at. With such a great challenge to each, it clearly brought out the best in every ring warrior present! It was clear what all of us there witnessed this weekend, We all saw THE BEST in the USA!

You question this? Know someone that could have won a title at this years National Amateur Championships? Well, as the saying goes...

"Many Talk the Talk, but only REAL Champions WALK THE WALK!"

It was clear to us that EVERYONE who entered the ring in Council Bluffs Iowa, USA this last weekend was a TRUE CHAMPION, win or lose! They were the warriors who were not afraid to take on the unknown challenges that lay ahead of them. Not afraid of WHO they would face eye to eye in the ring of battle. Great records and past titles meant nothing compared to the feeling of victory in winning a true National Championship! Their sacrifices to make it to Iowa were great and excuses few. Which is why we salute each and every one of the mighty amateur ring warriors that WALKED THE WALK this last weekend.

So, what's left for the critics? The ones who still don't think that the National Amateur Tournament IS THE MAIN EVENT For all USA Amateur Kickboxers? What do we have to say to these critics? Two things. 1, "Where were you?" and number 2 pretty much sums up everything we have just said.... It speaks for itself;

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust, sweat and blood... At the best he knows the triumph of high achievement, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE & COMPANIES...

UNITED PARCEL SERVICE
Official Tournament Title Belt Shipping Sponsor


Stanley Davis Kickboxing & Travis Air Force Museum
Fairfield, CA, USA
Official Event Sponsor.


For Event Pictures, Please E-Mail Wurgler Photo Company at this link: wurglerphoto@uswest.net - View Their Web Site By Clicking HERE!


To Order Videos Of This Event, Please Call Greg Pflaum at (800) 227-5281 or (402) 453-3200, FAX: (402) 453-3847 or e-mail by clicking HERE! View Their Web Site By Clicking HERE! To Order Event Video Click HERE!

Event Photos On This Page Provided By Kickboxx Magazine:

TO ADD...

The idea of such an event from Ringside Inc's. Joe Taylor to the forming of the IKF/RINGSIDE relationship through Taylor and IKF President Steve Fossum is yet another success story of the tournament and kickboxing itself. After 3 years, Taylor will be leaving Ringside, moving up yet another step in his personal career. But he leaves behind a lasting impression of his commitment to the National Tournament on all of us involved in it that will continue for many years to come.

Taylor's commitment to the tournament and the sport of kickboxing itself inspired the IKF to strive for excellence in his eyes and achieved it. Taylor may not be with Ringside Inc. at next years event, but he will be there as a very special guest with a front row seat all to his own. We wish you nothing but the best Joe and we believe we speak for everyone when we say, "Thanks for all you've done to bring the tournament from just an idea... just some talk to the true National Amateur Kickboxing Championships that "Walks The Walks!" You will ALWAYS be an IKF Champion wherever you hang your hat. We'll miss you Joe. Good Luck...

Taylor's leaving opens the door for additional sponsorship for the 2001 Tournament as well. There has already been interest from several large corporate sponsors along with other equipment companies.

The IKF will be meeting with several of these companies over the next few months to see what they can offer what is not just the ONLY True National Amateur Kickboxing Championships but also a first class event.

Also being discussed is the location of next years event. Since it is certain that TV will be involved, several hotels and casinos have expressed interest to the IKF over the last few weeks leading up to this years event.

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