Recap from Lonestar

Greg Beaver’s Lone Star Open re-established Texas’ position in the NASKA world tour after this past weekend’s event. It’s been well over ten years since Master Al Garza hosted a NASKA event in the state of Texas. Last year we got a brief taste of the southern hospitality and that Austin could host a first class tournament. But this year we got to see firsthand that the talent attending the NASKA events would be first class and the Lone Star Open would go above and beyond to host a world class event. One thing is for sure; the Lone Star Open has arrived and is here to stay.

This was without question a very interesting weekend. Friday night and Saturday Daytime events were well-run but the addition of a lot of new divisions opened the door for some new faces. Perhaps the talk of the weekend was the return of Rudy Reynon. Taking the men’s extreme weapons division and surprising those in attendance, Reynon walked in with no seed in all of his divisions and, like his mentor, proved the underdog can emerge victorious. In retrospect, it seems that was the message of the weekend, the underdog can emerge victorious.

With a number of upsets in various divisions perhaps the additional divisions and the new 2010 NASKA rules/guidelines were exactly what the competitors were looking for.
It would be hard to name everyone who did a spectacular job this weekend in Austin, Texas. However, the talent of the individuals on stage at the Lone Star Open for the Overall Grand Championships made the night time finals one of the closest and most exciting competitions ever.

To the youth Forms and Weapons competitors, for all putting on spectacular performances that made the judges’ job even harder than usual. To Jennifer Espina for one of the most innovative bo katas to be performed to date. To Will Cornell for performing for something bigger than winning as he is a true martial artists and role model, be sure to check out his post show interview on KICKgen Live. To the Men’s C/M/X weapons division consisting of Kalman Csoka, Jarrett Leiker and Rudy Reynon for continuing to inspire younger individuals to continue to grow as martial artists. Lastly, to Alex Lane and Ross Levine, for fighting it out to the buzzer every time.
If you missed this past weekend you missed more than just the first event of the 2010 World Tour Season, the Live Stream Chat during the Night Time finals, and the astounding talent that we were privileged to see in all the competitors, forms and fighting, that put forth nothing less than 100% effort. If you missed the Lone Star Open you missed history in the making. A chance to be a part of some World Tour Changes that clearly resulted in showcasing the world’s best talent in forms, weapons and fighting .

So be sure not to miss the events on the world tour that are coming up. The Compete Nationals is next and KICKgen LIVE will be there covering the event with photos, videos, updates, and a re-broadcast of the finale. Following the Compete Nationals in the Amerikick Internationals, Ocean State Nationals, Quebec Open, and Gator Nationals. Be sure to mark your calendar to become a part of history in the making and witness firsthand the extraordinary talent in attendance at each of these events.


If you missed the event you can still fill out the survey at NASKANEWS.COM. Your opinion is important and now there is a place to voice it.

To see a re-broadcast of the finale from Lone Star go to KICKgen LIVE.