SPORTS WRAP
STORY & PHOTOS BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
This week in Orange, I got an opportunity to attend an event at the AJW Martial Arts Academy and Fitness Center in Orange. Martial arts students, kids and adults, took part in the karate and martial arts drills. These included rollouts, evasion drills, half nelson techniques, bear hugs and reaction drills.
Professor Aaron J. Walker, who has been involved with martial arts since the age of 9 years old, took a black belt class back in 1975. He likes to help young people, and his program is a great partnership with the entire community. The kids take part in local tournaments.
Walker said he helps the children in the school district learn the skills of basic martial arts and karate.
Elias Pettigrew, one of the youth involved, said he loves how fun martial arts is, and that it teaches him to defend himself. Father Darius Pettigrew said it gives structure and discipline and gives children good morale.
Another youth who took part in this event was Zaria Brown, who spoke on how much she liked karate and that it helped to improve her skills.
The basics of karate recital is held every eight weeks at Rosa Parks School, where students demonstrate their skills in front of their parents.
In other sports, the MLB All Star ended with a mini-HR contest after it was tied 6-6 after 9 innings. The National League would win thanks to three home runs from Kyle Schwarber. Meanwhile, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh won the Home Run Derby.
On the hardwood, the WNBA hosted its annual All-Star Game in Indiana. Team Collier defeated Team Clark 151-131, in a game that team captain Caitlin Clark missed due to injury. Napheesa Collier captained her team to the win and MVP honors, scoring 37 points in the exhibition. Despite the appeal of the all-stars, the game was overshadowed by the players demand for better salaries.
