Martial artists young and old have come together to learn from the best and put their skills to the test in Cobram.
The North East Martial Arts Championships, held at the Art and Craft Pavilion at the Cobram Showgrounds on Sunday, May 25, drew at least 40 students from five dojos (schools) from Cobram, Shepparton, Wodonga, Wangaratta and Melbourne.
SKD Martial Arts program director and NEMAC co-founder Luke Falzon said the event was a chance for students to get together, make connections and build rapport between the different dojos.
“Myself and two other dojo owners founded this championship three years ago, and it’s exponentially grown over our time in north-east Victoria,” he said.
“We each host it at each of our clubs throughout the year, and I’m hosting it first up this year in Cobram.”
The jam-packed day featured classes and seminars in the morning, followed by a brief lunch break before the championship competition got under way in the afternoon.
“The point is not only for local martial artists of all ages to compete, but it’s also an opportunity for them to train together, get to know each other and build relationships,” Falzon said.
“We’ve got competitors of all ages. We start with kids here as young as six years old, and we got all the way up to adults. We’ve also got people with a range of different ranks that have been training for only a few months, all the way up to people who have been training for decades.”
Gold medal winners — NEMAC Cobram Classic 2025
Continuous sparring (male open) - Rick Smith
Continuous sparring (female open) - Tayla Ireland
Continuous sparring (male 11-14 years) - Kody Heenan (lightweight) and Jacob Halili (flyweight)
Continuous sparring (female 11-14 yrs) - Stella Keramaris (lightweight)
Continuous sparring (male 7-10 yrs) - David Ricciardi (flyweight)
Continuous sparring (female 7-10 yrs) - Sidney Harrison (flyweight)
Point sparring (male advanced 16+ yrs) - Justin Colbert
Point sparring (male intermediate 16+ yrs) - Rick Smith
Point sparring (male advanced 11-15 yrs) - Jacob Halili
Point sparring (female advanced 11-15 yrs) - Stella Keramaris
Point sparring (male intermediate 11-15 yrs) - Zachary Hoare
Point sparring (female intermediate 11-15 yrs) - Kelci Howe
Point sparring (male novice 11-15 yrs) - Tyler Edmonstone
Point sparring (male intermediate 7-10 yrs) - Chayse Norman-Linke
Point sparring (female intermediate 7-10 yrs) - Bailee Norman-Linke
Point sparring (male novice 7-10 yrs) - Lawson Daly
Point sparring (female novice 7-10 yrs) - Hadley Dalton
Highest kick challenge (12+ yrs) - Archie Calvert
Highest kick challenge (under-12 yrs) - Bailee Norman-Linke
Traditional weapons (M/F open) - Mitchell Edwards
Traditional forms (advanced 16+ yrs) - Justin Colbert
Traditional forms (intermediate 16+ yrs) - Daniel Crofts
Traditional forms (novice 11-15 yrs) - Jaxon Dolby
Traditional forms (intermediate 7-10 yrs) - George Bolton
To find out more about SKD Martial Arts and other similar events, go to its Facebook page at tinyurl.com/34dr5s48