A local duo of martial artists will be squaring off against each other as members of Team B.C. at the 2011 Canadian karate championships in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec next month. Samantha Rowland and Alexis Rattée, both 15, qualified at the Team B.C. qualifiers last weekend in North Vancouver and will be fighting in the same division at the national tournament. Rowland and Rattée both train out of Curran’s Karate in Maple Ridge and finished with gold and silver medals, respectively, at the provincial tournament earlier this month.“They are like chalk and cheese,” says karate instructor Ron Curran. “Samantha is a well-conditioned athlete, she can attack from any angle. Alexis will use a more passive offensive to trick her opponents. She’s much more of an emotional fighter.”Rowland has been competing for four and a half years, and will be making her third trip to the national championships after winning bronze the past two years.“She picked it up right away,” said Curran. “On the second day she was doing perfect round house kicks.”Rattée made her first trip to the national finals last year, where she placed in the top eight competitors. Rattée is also an assistant instructor at the Maple Ridge dojo.“Alexis is a fantastic kid, she has a great rapport with the younger students,” said Curran.Also headed to the national tournament from the local dojo will be Brian Purves, 42, fighting in the under-84 kg division, as well as Curran himself, who will be competing in the over-84 kg division. Winners at nationals earn a chance to compete at the Pan-Am championships, as well as the World Karate Federation’s world championships. So far, there has never been a Canadian world champion, notes Curran.“Hopefully that will change someday,” he said.The local dojo also had a number of fighters medal at the recent provincial championships. Kurtis Sutton, 16, won bronze, Eliott Arzoumanian, 16, won gold, and Curtis Colmer, 16, won bronze. Curran himself won gold in his division.

Maple Ridge News