A black belt performs a weapons kata during the Western Canada Shito-Ryu Kyokai Karate tournament at the NationsWest Fieldhouse in North Battleford on Oct. 18, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

By Kenneth Cheung

GENERATIONS BOW IN

‘It’s a lifestyle’: Battlefords Karate-Do marks 50 years with Western Canada Tournament

Oct 20, 2025 | 11:53 AM

When nine-year-old Allison Pawelko stepped onto the polished floor with her bo staff, the long wooden weapon caught the light like a ribbon of steel. She took a breath, bowed, and let the rhythm take over.

“I felt really nervous at the start, but I gradually felt more confident,” she said later, clutching her medals — silver in weapons kata and kumite, and bronze in kata.

“The feeling of it just makes me calm.”

Pawelko, who trains out of the Sherwood Park dojo in Alberta, was among more than a hundred martial artists from across Western Canada who gathered at NationsWest Fieldhouse on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The regional Shito-Ryu Kyokai tournament doubled as a celebration of Battlefords Karate-Do’s 50th anniversary, marking half a century since the sport first took root in the community.

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Allsion Pawelko, who trains out of the Sherwood Park dojo in Alberta, was among more than a hundred martial artists from across Western Canada who gathered at NationsWest Fieldhouse in North Battleford on Saturday, Oct. 18. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

The milestone represents endurance, discipline and an unbroken line of teaching that began in the 1970s under Sensei Elmer Woytiuk and continues today with head instructor Barry Grant.

“It’s a lifestyle. It’s not training for a sport,” Grant said. “Most certainly, the kids like to train for competitions like this, but what they don’t realize is that they’re learning that karate discipline, that karate confidence, that’s going to guide them through their life.”

Grant, who has led Battlefords Karate-Do for the past six years after decades under Woytiuk, said the art’s survival in the Battlefords reflects that same spirit — steady, adaptable and built to endure.

“Karate is such a mainstay … it just keeps surviving. It keeps going. It survives cycles.”

Head instructor Barry Grant of the Battlefords Karate-Do. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

This season, about 40 students train at the club, supported by dozens of black-belt instructors. Grant said the club’s longevity comes from more than routine; it’s a way of life.

“I’m 68 years old, and I’m flexible, and I can kick and I can punch and I can do the workout,” he said. “To me, it’s a lifelong commitment.”

The local club is part of Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Kyokai Canada, a network of 13 dojos stretching from Calgary to Bonnyville and Saskatoon, all certified under Japanese karate master Fumio Demura. Lloydminster serves as the Canadian headquarters, where national seminars are hosted by Sensei Kenneth Stewart.

Grant said the Western Canada circuit typically holds one tournament annually in Lloydminster, with the second rotating among member clubs.

“This year it was our turn to have it,” he said. “We broke the 100 competitors [mark], and over 60 black belts signed up to help run the rings.”

For Woytiuk, who founded the Battlefords dojo in 1975, the weekend was a vivid reminder of how far the art has travelled.

“Fifty years it’s gone by pretty quick,” he said. “When I started, I started as just as a white belt in 1975 … now in the club today, we have 41 black belts officiating.”

He remembers the day he earned his first black belt in 1987 as “one of the highlights of my life,” and says the reward now comes from watching others progress.

“Those of us that are older working with younger kids is is very rewarding,” Woytiuk said.

“Some of the kids that that haven’t really experienced success in maybe other activities, such as academics or so, they will probably experience a little bit of success in this, and they’ll feel better about themselves.”

The Battlefords Karate-Do began in the 1970s under Sensei Elmer Woytiuk. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

(Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Grant still sees that confidence take shape in unexpected places. He recalled one student — a 110-pound orange belt — who once fought off a purse-snatcher at a Costco parking lot.

“She turned around and she did an upper block and punched him in the nose,” he said. “She ran one way and he ran the other. She didn’t think ‘turn, block, punch.’ She just reacted.”

It’s the repetition, he said, that creates muscle memory and calm under pressure.

The club’s respect for tradition runs deep. Commands are still given in Japanese, counting is done aloud in the old style, and yet the mats welcome everyone.

For Allison’s mother, Lisa Pawelko, that spirit has already taken hold.

“It’s really increased her confidence … keeps her fit, keeps her focused. I hope she keeps enjoying it, because I’ll keep taking her as long as she likes.”

As the final bows were exchanged and medals clinked softly against crisp white gis, the echoes of 50 years seemed to blend with the next generation’s laughter.

Woytiuk smiled watching his former student now lead the club he built.

“I’m not finished yet,” he said with a laugh.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmdia.com