Tag Archives: team kumite

Ali Viola has made a successful crossover from Sport karate into D-1 Athletics as the Goal Keeper for the Youngstown State University Girls Soccer Team. As an NBL World Karate Champion she has made a name for herself as one of the toughest and dominant continuous sparring competitors in the country. That tenacity helped her to earn a major college sports honor this week.

The 2010 Norwin High School Graduate was named NCAA’s Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week for her stellar performance at Goal Keeper for Youngstown State girl’s soccer team. The accomplishment marks only the fourth time YSU has been honored since joining the league 2001. At 4-0-0, the Youngstown State Lady Penguins are off to the best start in casino online the program”s history. Viola did not allow a goal in 180 minutes of play, collecting her second and third shutouts of the year. Against Buffalo, Viola was instrumental in the Penguin win, making nine saves in the game, the second-highest single-game total in the Horizon League this year. With twackwear back-to-back shutouts last week, the junior goalkeeper has moved into third on the YSU career shutouts. She also is tied for second on the single-season chart with three, and hopes to break that record this year. In 2011 Viola turned in the best single-season goals-against average in school history, collecting 60 saves while posting a 1.34 GAA and a save percentage of .779 last season. As a scholar athlete, Viola has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her college career, with plans to attend Law School.

Although her soccer schedule has kept her away from most of the major sport karate events in 2012, she was able to attend the 2012 Can-Am Survivor tournament in Jessup Georgia. She proved she hasn”t missed a beat, winning 1st place in both Woman”s Continuous and Woman”s point fighting at the National event. Ali is a kumite classic champion and a member of the Pittsburgh based Team Kumite and The Allegheny Shotokan Karate Club.

The Penguins will host Niagara on Sunday, Sept. 9. The Horizon League Network will have live coverage of the match, beginning at 4 p.m. ET

For more information visit www.alleghenyshotokan.com or www.kumiteclassic.com

Ali Viola

August 1, 2012

Bill Viola

Team Members No Comments

3x NBL National Black Belt League World Continuous Sparring Super Grands Champion Ali Viola represents Team Kumite based in Pittsburgh, PA. The All-star karate team trains in North Huntingdon Irwin at Allegheny Shotokan Karate. She is the only female NBL World Champion in Pittsburgh history and the #1 ranked fighter in Pittsburgh. She has been training in martial arts since she was 3 years old. She currently leads the D-1 YSU Youngstown State girls soccer team as the goal keeper.

Ali Viola vs Colbey Northcutt. Ali wins Survivor 2012 over Northcutt. Great fight by both ladies.

Ali Alison Viola vs Colbey Northcutt. Viola wins by 18

Pittsburgh sport karate champion Ali Viola is a kumite classic team member and Norwin graduate. She is a state, national, international, and World Champion.

SMAC Down

March 12, 2012

Bill Viola

featured Team Kumite No Comments

Congrats to Team Kumite! From our first timers to our black belts… I am so proud of all the Allegheny Shotokan students. 23 team members strong signed up for the tourney, and we made allot of noise! We had more fighters represented on stage than any other team, and really showcased continuous sparring skill. I also wanted to thank all the coaches and parents who helped make the weekend a success. This is a great team, and it was a great team effort. Keep up the good work. Next stop, Grand Slam Open in Virginia.

Pictured left to right (back): Liz Leasbuerg, Dominic Leader, Rachael Bartuska, Nick Kosan. (middle) Raun Churchfield, Luke Lokay, Gabriel Anthony, Sara Russell, Cameron Klos. (front sitting) Ryan Frankovic, Colten Worbak, Ethan Zontek, Dean Crissman, Parker O’Shell

Team Kumite Wins SMAC Titles

North Huntingdon, PA — March 13th, 2012

The 2012 SMAC Internationals were held March 10-11th in Niagara Falls, New York part of the National Black Belt League’s National Can-Am Conference. The competition showcased athletes from across North America and serves as a stepping stone for the NBL World Games held annually over New Years. Team Kumite is comprised of the regions top all-star karate competitors. The members all secured seeds for the year end championship by placing in the top of their divisions.

2010 World Champion Dominic Leader made a successful debut as an adult 18-34 class by defeating the reigning World Champion in the new weight class. Both Dominic and his older brother Billy notched impressive team victories in the finals. In all, Team Kumite had more fighters earn a place in the finals than any other team represented.

23 team members competed at the New York competition including 5 students from the Norwin Ninjas class (4-7 year olds) and 18 from Allegheny Shotokan Karate. The Team Kumite trains under the supervision of Bill Viola Jr. He is the instructor at the Allegheny Shotokan Karate Club and Norwin Ninjas based in North Huntingdon.