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Orangeville Open brings martial artists to town

November 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Martial artists from across the province came to Orangeville on Saturday, Nov. 16, to compete in the Orangeville Open hosted by Sensei Joe Gallay.

The event was held in the gym at the Athlete Institute in Mono.

“The event was open to anyone who practices martial arts and all the different styles of karate,” Gallay explained. “Last year we had 200 registered and 150 show up at the door. This year we had even more. Competitors were in divisions by belt, and by age.”

For the competition, the novice category had people with white and yellow belts. The intermediate division was for competitors with orange and green belts.

The more experienced division was for those with advanced training and had black, blue and red belts.

The gym was packed with both competitors and spectators who came out to watch and cheer on those who were performing on the mats.

This year’s event brought out competitors from across the province.

“We had people from as far away as North Bay, London, Windsor, and from all around Toronto,” Gallay said.

Gallay let martial arts clubs know that the tournament was taking place by visiting them. He started advertising last January and there was a lot of interest from people around the province.

Over that time he spoke to around 300 clubs in the province.

Always looking for some good competition, club members started signing up for the Orangeville Open so they could have a chance to compete and show their stuff.

There were several categories of competition that covered everything from weapons to fighting and self-defence. 

This was the second year in a row that Gallay has hosted this competition. The event has gotten so big, he may have to look for a larger venue next year.

Gallay said that the event was such a success, that it will become an annual tournament going forward. 

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