Frank Smith Fight Spirit Award
Past Winners
2007 Tanya Baeza

Tanya placed first in Women's kata and second in Women's kumite. It was her excellent display of skill combined with her disciplined attitude and her fighting spirit that attracted the attention of the committee. Tanya trains under Sensei Akira Fukuda.
(Second from Left) With Soke Kubota, Art Ishii, Rod Kuratomi)
2008 Marcial Soto

Shihan Dai Marcial Soto placed first in the 40 and over kumite. Originally from Peru, he is a consistent and inspirational competitor and an outstanding sportman. He is a prime example of a true karateka. Humble when winning and always respectful. Marcial has become an icon in the Southern California tournament circuit. In 1989, Marcial was the IKA World Kumite Champion. 20 years and still a world class competitor
2009 Joey Abadilla

Joey Abadilla consistently performs well at the Nikkei Games. He is a formidable competitor in both kata and kumite. He is an excellent sportman and an excellent example of budo in action. In addition, he is Sensei Kevin Suzuki's Uke for the Nikkei Karate demonstration and helps with the tournament every year.

Joey trains in Shito Ryu under the Genbu Kai Organization in Riverside.