REPORT ON 9TH WORLD SHOTO CUP 2004
AUSSIE SPIRIT IN TOKYO
From our departure from Mackay, when we had so many of our friends from the Dojo see us off, until the time the Queensland contingent finally parted soon after we arrived back in Brisbane, for us, the Japan trip was a truly memorable experience.
When we departed Mackay, all the Mackay tourists were very excited. When it was time to board our flight there were even tears, as there were the night before at the Dojo. The farewell we all received was a great way to start what we were all so looking forward to. The Formula 1 Motel in Brisbane was not quite what we had expected but hey, it was clean & very very cosy.
Meeting up with the rest of the Queenslanders at Brisbane International was another exciting time. We were given the top deck on our flight to Sydney and the pilot enjoyed landing so much there, he did it twice!!
Assembling with the remainder of the team and supporters in Sydney was next, and the anticipation was starting to really build. Training for the team members and a farewell dinner, and a few farewell rump steaks topped off what was an excellent last day in Australia. The support crew were presented with support crew shirts at the dinner and this certainly made us all feel part of the group. The accommodation in Sydney was a vast improvement on the Formula 1, little were we to know what lay ahead accommodation wise in Tokyo.
The flight up to Tokyo during the day went much faster than we had hoped. It was really great to see the team interacting, building some team spirit and we especially admired the senior team members for spending lots of time with the junior team members. The support crew too, got a chance to mix with each other and the team.
President Russo managed to smuggle us all through Customs without even being stopped which was indeed very impressive. The bus was waiting and we headed for the Tokyo Dome. Sensei Takahashi was waiting for us there and had snacks for us all. Our rooms were organised and we were unpacked in no time at all and with absolutely no fuss at all. The Tokyo Dome had to be seen to be believed. The Avocado Motor Inn at Childers it certainly is not! This was going to be a great base for the next 10 days.
JKA's smallest supporter Grace between cheering.
The next 10 days were truly an experience of a lifetime. The Tokyo Subway became our major mode of transport, closely followed by our feet. A lot of walking, a lot of changing trains, trying to get some sort of bearing as to where we were and more importantly, how to get back to the Hotel if we got separated from the main group. This was a real concern because the amount of people on the streets and particularly in the Subway was staggering. We were to become very brave later in the trip, venturing out in smaller groups and actually returning back without getting lost! 
The training and preparation for the Junior and Senior competitions were the main focus in the early stages of the stay in Tokyo. As support crew we tried our best to stay out of the way and have our children where they had to be on time. To try and write about the days of the competition would take much more space than is available here. The junior event was a day we will never forget. Eight mats and Aussie kids competing left, right and centre. Because each parent had to watch their own child on one of the eight mats, the support was a little scattered, but everyone made the effort to support an Aussie child somewhere, and this made a big difference. The results speak for themselves, we were all very proud of the whole team.
The senior event too was quite an experience. The Nippon Budokan has an aura that is amazing. The support crew were able to stay together and we had a lot of fun supporting the Australian competitors. We made a reasonable amount of noise too, with that famous Aussie chant “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie…..Oy, Oy, Oy!!! ringing out over the two days of competition. I’d have to say we were the loudest of the foreign supporters. Again our senior team competed with great distinction with some outstanding and c
ourageous performances.
In a trip with so many highlights, the celebration dinner was right up there with the best of them. The dinner was held at a traditional Japanese restaurant and was a night to remember. After all the intense training and preparation of the competitors and the stress and worry of the support crew, everybody let their hair down and had a ball. A visit by an authentic Sumo wrestler was a great surprise for every body. There was some truly inspirational speeches made during the evening, especially Sensei Takahashi’s.
A few days of sight seeing, some roller coaster rides for the brave or foolish and some last minute duty free shopping rounded off our time in Japan. There was also much reflection on what we had just gone through. Truly fantastic! As parents, support crew, we must sincerely thank John & Debbie Russo and Peter Donaldson of Bundaberg Travel. The organisation of the trip was first class. Many thanks too to the coaches for their time and effort which demonstrated their commitment to karate and to their students. And of course thanks to the team, as without their time, effort and love of karate, we as support crew would never have had the opportunity to become involved.
Peter & Linda Dunn, Mackay
AUSTRALIA'S RESULTS AT 9TH WORLD SHOTO CUP 2004
10 Year Kumite for Boys
3rd Charl Van den Berg
17 Year Kata for Girls
4th Claire Hicks
Women’s Individual Kata
6th Tracey Fitzgerald
Open Women’s Team Kata
4th Australia