The American Black Belt Academy Sparring Team took first place at the Worldwide Kenpo Karate Fifth Annual New England Camp and Competition. The event was held June 1 and 2, just outside of Boston, MA.

The team included Joe Giorgio, Kristen Newman and Thomas Greco, all of whom attend school at St. Rose of Lima.

The first match between Patrick Shea of Massachusetts and Joe Giorgio of Massapequa ended in a stunning upset with Giorgio winning an astounding 5-0, giving the team a huge advantage. The next match was between Tabitha Charpetier, also from MA, and Kristen Newman. Charpetier gave a good match, however Newman landed a high round kick to the head that Charpetier was not able to recover from, ending the match in a 5-3 win for Massapequa. The final match offered a lot of excitement and showed a high level of skill. Thomas Greco, a 7th grade student at St. Rose, was matched against Steve Mello, a big hometown favorite. Greco was able to win the match 5-4, using some very advanced strategy that gave him that extra edge. The final score was 15-7 giving the American Black Belt Academy the first place win.