Inland Empire AAU Karate of Southern Idaho

Great job team WMA!

On May 16th, Coach/Sensei Jon Morrow, all eight athletes of the Inland Empire AAU Karate Team, and seven members of World of Martial Arts' Karate 60 program, which helps train potential future team members, competed at the Franco Cup karate tournament at Leona Libby Middle School in Richland, WA. Athletes represented our valley well with 43 medals between the two groups and three triple crown finishes for athletes Jayden Henderson (with a bonus silver in a short weapons division), Milo Jones, and CC Subis.
Congratulations to the team! IEAAU Karate has a bright future!

Individual athlete medal results are below:

IEAAU Karate Team Results:

Jonathan Morrow
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Long Weapons| 25-34 yrs | Male: 1st Place
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Short Weapons| 18-24 yrs | Male: 1st Place
●Kata | Advanced Black Belt | 25-34 yrs | Male: 1st Place

Anton Arthur
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Long Weapons| 18-24 yrs | Male: 2nd Place
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Short Weapons| 18-24 yrs | Male: 3rd Place
●Kumite | Advanced Black Belt | 18-24 yrs | Male: 3rd Place
●Kata | Advanced Black Belt | 18-24 yrs | Male: 1st Place

Makaela Everheart
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Long Weapons| 25-34 yrs | Female: 2nd Place
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Short Weapons| 18+ yrs | Female: 2nd Place
●Kata | Advanced Black Belt | 18-24 yrs | Female: 2nd Place

Jayden Henderson
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Long Weapons| 15-17 yrs | Female: 1st Place
●Kobudo | Advanced Black Belt Short Weapons| 14-17 yrs | Female: 2nd Place
●Kumite | Advanced Black Belt | 15-18 yrs | Female: 1st Place
●Kata | Advanced Black Belt | 15-17 yrs | Female: 1st Place

CC Subis
●Kobudo | Intermediate | 13 and 14 yrs | Male and Female: 1st Place
●Kumite | Intermediate | 13 and 14 yrs | Female: 1st Place
●Kata | Intermediate | 13 and 14 yrs | Female: 1st Place

Luke Heavrin
●Kobudo | Intermediate | 15-17 yrs | Male: 2nd Place
●Kumite | Intermediate | 15-17 yrs | Male: 3rd Place
●Kata | Intermediate | 15-17 yrs | Male: 1st Place

Maverick Campbell
●Kobudo | Intermediate | 11 and 12 yrs | Male: 2nd Place
●Kumite | Intermediate | 11 and 12 yrs | Male: 1st Place
●Kata | Intermediate | 11 and 12 yrs | Male: 1st Place

Milo Jones
●Kobudo | Novice | 13-14 yrs | Male: 1st Place
●Kumite | Beginner/Novice | 13-15 yrs | Male: 1st Place
●Kata | Novice | 13-14 yrs | Male: 1st Place

Zeus Fenwick
●Kobudo | Novice | 13-14 yrs | Male: 2nd Place
●Kumite | Beginner/Novice | 13-15 yrs | Male: 2nd Place
●Kata | Novice | 13-14 yrs | Male: 3rd Place

Karate 60/World of Martial Arts Individual Results:

Trout McFarland
●Kumite | Beginner | 15-17 yrs | Female: 2nd Place
●Kata | Beginner | 15-17 yrs | Female: 1st Place

Beckham Hammon
●Kumite | Beginner | 7 and 8 yrs | Male: 3rd Place
●Kata | Beginner | 7 and 8 yrs | Male: 1st Place

Everly Hammon
●Kumite | Beginner | 9 and 10 yrs | Female: 3rd Place
●Kata | Beginner | 9 and 10 yrs | Female: 2nd Place

Kai Palmer
●Kumite | Beginner | 7 and 8 yrs | Male: 3rd Place
●Kata | Beginner | 7 and 8 yrs | Male: 3rd Place

Garrett Branam
●Kumite | Beginner | 11 and 12 yrs | Male: 3rd Place
●Kata | Beginner | 11 and 12 yrs | Male: 3rd Place

Ridge Palmer
●Kumite | Beginner | 11 and 12 yrs | Male: 3rd Place

Sophia Heavrin
●Kumite | Beginner | 9 and 10 yrs | Female: 3rd Place

TEAM PICTURE:
IEAAU Karate Team Athletes and World of Martial Arts/Karate 60 Athletes as named in the article

Milton-Freewater teen holds karate world championship gold medal Kamdean Saager captured the gold medal in kumite, a sparring competition against opponents, at the 2025 Karate World Championships held in Sweden. Saager competed as a member of Team USA

A big congratulations to Maren Bam on being invited to join the Team USA AAU Karate National Team! 🇺🇸🥋
This is the kind of opportunity that speaks to the work people don’t always see — the early trainings, the corrections, the repetition, the focus, and the determination to keep improving.

Maren, being invited to represent the United States is a tremendous honor, and it is exciting to see your hard work recognized in such a meaningful way. As you prepare for the 2026 WUKF World Karate Championships in Romania, know that you have a whole community cheering you on.
Congratulations, Maren! Step onto that world stage with confidence and pride. 🇺🇸🇷🇴

thank you!



MarenBam KarateJourney PNWKarate InlandEmpireKarate KarateFamily

Congratulations to Carolyn O'Conner on being invited to be part of the Team USA AAU Karate National Team! 🇺🇸🥋

An invitation like this represents more than talent. It represents consistency, discipline, courage, and the heart to keep pushing forward when the training gets hard.

Carolyn, your dedication has opened the door to an incredible opportunity on the international stage, and we are excited to celebrate this moment with you as you prepare for the 2026 WUKF World Karate Championships in Romania.

What an honor. What a journey. What an exciting next step.

Congratulations, Carolyn! We are cheering you on all the way to Romania! 🇷🇴✨
Thank you and Sensei Mirza making this opportunity possible for all. Sensei Vanesa and the teams in and surrounding the Inland Empire region appreciate you.

MarenBam KarateFamily PNWKarate PacificNorthwestKarate InlandEmpireKarate KarateStrong

Congratulations to Alexander Franco on being selected to represent the Team USA AAU Karate National Team at the 2026 WUKF World Karate Championships in Romania! 🇺🇸🥋

What an exciting and well-earned opportunity to step onto the world stage and represent the United States. Alexander’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to karate have helped lead him to this incredible moment.

We are proud to see another athlete from the Pacific Northwest/Inland Empire area selected for Team USA.

Congratulations, Alexander! Keep training hard and representing with humblness! 👊🇺🇸

PNWKarate PacificNorthwestKarate InlandEmpireKarate KarateFamily KarateStrong

Congratulations to Mike Franco of Trinity Martial Arts Academy in Richland on being selected to represent the Team USA AAU Karate National Team at the 2026 WUKF World Karate Championships in Romania! 🇺🇸🥋

This is an incredible honor and a well-earned opportunity to compete on the world stage. Mike’s dedication, leadership, and years of commitment to karate continue to make a strong impact in our region and beyond.

We are so excited to celebrate another athlete from the Pacific Northwest area, Inland Empire Region, being selected for this amazing opportunity. It is inspiring to see our region continue to be represented at such a high level.

Congratulations, Mike! We are proud of you and excited to cheer you on as you represent Team USA in Romania! 👊🇺🇸

RichlandWA PNWKarate PacificNorthwestKarate InlandEmpireKarate RoadToRomania KarateStrong

Happy Mother's Day!

May all mothers have a joyful and wonderful day.

❤️