High-kicking veteran’s no karate kid

By Justin Robertson
The 38-year-old competed in the first-ever Fiji International tournament held last month with five other locals from the Shukokai Karate school in Dandenong, and said it was an incredible 10 days.
“I’d never been to an international tournament before – it was my first time,” he said. “To be given the opportunity to compete is a great honour and a great honour to be captain too.”
The team competed in the nation’s capital Suva against more than 100 athletes and was one of four teams from Australia that also included Frankston, Chelsea and a team from Sydney. As captain, Davies said he was proud of the fact his team brought home 16 medals including seven gold and nine silver.
On a personal note, Davies hit the podium twice claiming two silver medals in the under 75 kilogram and veterans semi-contact category, where the aim is to score points by landing hard and sharp punches.
“You don’t really go out there and kill each other, that’s not the idea,” he said. “We were all there to score points and win that way.”
After arriving in Suva, the first few days were dedicated to training and acclimatising to the hot and humid conditions and then Davies’ team hit the mats for the two-day tournament. Once that finished it was time to soak up the Fijian culture.
“I headed back to Melbourne earlier than expected because I was struck down with food poisoning,” the brown belt said. “I actually landed in Sydney and spent the night in hospital there, but was on the first plane back to Melbourne the next morning.”
Davies is now only two belts away from the highest rank of black belt, which he said would be a major highlight of his career. But his swag of trophies from competing in a handful of Victorian Championships have also made his highlights reel.
“I was picked for the state titles in Queensland in 2003, but I put my foot through a glass window and it ended my campaign before throwing a punch,” he said. “I have competed in four or five state tournaments – and others as well – and in each one I’ve always placed at least top three.”
Davies has been at his club in Dandenong since 1986, which included periodic breaks away from the sport and said he’d always kept coming back.
“Even though I’ve stopped a few times, I’ve always kept training for it,” he said.
On the horizon Davies is back in the dojo next week and will enter a few tournaments this year, including the Victorian Championships in March.
“Karate has been my life, I’ve always had the passion for it – once you start it you never forget it,” Davies said. “For me it’s a way of life and I love it.”