Derrek Aragon sparring in the eliminations of the Pan Am Championships in Valencia, Venezuela, 1991. He went on to the finals and was blatantly robbed of the championship. The US teams went on to win both kumite and kata in the men’s division.
Kata finals at Mountain States Summer Camp c.1989. Corner judge is the late Everett King from Phoenix, AZ. Pictured in the background directly to Mr. King’s left: seated, David Bartsch, the late Tony Fiore. Standing behind Mr. Fiore and to his left, Steve Malecha and Jeff Petersell.
Kata final at the 20th Anniversary Wado Kai Tournament, 1995. The US kumite team (Nagatomo, Sample, Tarrant) went on to beat Brazil in the final, which took place well after midnight.
Kata final at the ISKF National Championships, Denver, 1999. This was Mr. Tarrant’s last competition before retirement.
Derrek Aragon gets Carl Shaw (East Coast) to bite on the fake, scoring ippon with jodan mawashi geri at the ISKF Nationals in 1990.
US kata team at the JKA World Shoto Cup, Sunderland, England, 1990. From left, Mark Tarrant, Derrek Aragon, and Joe Nelson. The team took fourth place at the world championships.
US Team in Paris, 1998. Standing from left: Ricky (Hawaii), Mark Tarrant (Mtn. States), Lane Nevils (Southern), Justin Nepo (East Coast), Hiro Okazaki (East Coast), Yasuaki Nagatomo (Mtn.States), Danny Guidry (Southern), Shawn Sample (Western), squating, unknown youth from Southern region.
World Shoto Cup, Paris, 1998. Standing, left to right: Yasuaki Nagatomo, Master Takashina — team coach (dec. 2013), Master Yaguchi, Shawn Sample, Master Okazaki. Crouching, Mark Tarrant.