Darien Martial Arts Students Have Strong Showing At 2023 Kempo Classic

DARIEN, CT — Darien martial arts students shined at last week's 2023 Kempo Classic Tournament, which was held at the Wilton Field House.

The tournament was organized by Sensei Michael Nahan, owner and chief instructor at Kempo Karate of Darien. The tournament featured 322 competitors from Connecticut and New York, ranging in age from 3 to 49, across 17 unique divisions.

Events at this year's tournament included:

• Maneuvers – a series of moves requiring skill containing blocks, strikes, and throws used in self-defense.
• Sparring – full contact "free-form" fighting where combatants use protective gear and attempt to outscore their opponent.
• Kata Forms – a longer, highly detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements.

Significant Achievements By Kempo Darien Students

Darien High School students Terry Sirisouk, 17, and Arjun Vaidya, 15, won first and third place respectively in Sparring Ages 15+, a double elimination event. Last year's winner, Oliver Eills, earned second place in a high-action final match.

In the Maneuvers Ages 4-6 (last name J-O), Winston Nahan, 4, came away with a first place trophy and this year's youngest winner. Zara O'Brien, of Darien, came in third place.

Patrik Crowell won two first place trophies by going undefeated in Sparrig Ages 5-6, and hitting strong moves in Maneuvers Ages 4-6 (last name A-I).

The brown belt duo of Grayson Pine and JJ Penebre grabbed second and fourth place respectively in Maneuvers Ages 4-6 (last name P-Z) with Penebre also securing second place in Sparring Ages 5-6.

In his first-ever first-place finish, DHS student Nikhil Arjunan took the top spot in the Adult Kata Forms division, with Terry Sirisouk and Aaron DeHaemer earning third and fourth place respectively.

More Tournament Results For Darien Students

Darien students sweep Sparring Age 8 with:

• First place for Wesley Lewis
• Second place for Bodhi O’Brien
• Third place for Max Alvarez
• Fourth place for William Kramer

Darien Students Sweep Sparring Ages 5-6 with:

• First place for Patrik Crowell
• Second place for JJ Penebre
• Third place for Charlie Grant
• Fourth place for Max Cohen

Darien Students Sweep Sparring Ages 13-14 with:

• First place for William Raskopf
• Second place for Kate McCloskey
• Third place for Ella Clarke
• Fourth place for Sadye Bustillo

Sparring Age 7

• First place for Sloane Fielding-Merschen
• Second place for Jackson Wilcheck
• Fourth place for Henry Hack

Maneuvers Ages 4-6 (A-I)

• First place for Patrik Crowell
• Third place for Max Cohen
• Fourth place for Cameron Englehardt

Maneuvers Age 7

• Second place for Henry Hack
• Third place for Christina Filewych
• Fourth place for Max Lee

Maneuvers Age 8

• First place for Bodhi O’Brien
• Second place for William Kramer
• Fourth place for Ayaan Joshi

Maneuvers Age 9

• Second place for Bridget Brennan
• Third place for Chantal Kostrzewski
• Fourth place for Wilson Lee

Maneuvers Age 10

• Isaac Lam took home third place in a very close division

Sparring Age 9

• First place for William Ix
• Second place for Evan McMaster
• Fourth place for Wilson Lee

Sparring Age 10

In perhaps the most hard-fought event of the day, Darien again wins three of the top four spots with:

• First place for Stefan Belopavlovic
• Third place for Eloise Eills
• Fourth place for Bear Guidry

Sparring Ages 11-12

In another hotly contested division, Darien brought home two trophies with:

• Second place for Tavisha Thakker
• Third place for James Courtney

Kata Forms Ages 14 & Under

In the largest division of the tournament with 34 competitors, Darien performed well with:

• Second place for Kate McCloskey
• Third place for Stefan Belopavlovic
• Fourth place for Liam Lee