Director: Maria Morgunova
Plot: In 2015, production of this documentary began. The cause: a disappointing lack of karate tournaments in Ontario. Now, for the first time, we go behind the scenes on the difficult journey of creating karate champions in Ontario. Canadian Karate is based on dedication and enthusiasm of the instructors, coaches, judges, athletes and their parents. Ontario is a very special case in this story. Every day the best of the best are faced with difficulties and hardships created by under-funding, stringent rules and a complete lack of comprehension of higher ups in the fast paced world of Karate in Ontario. 14 Amazing Experts in One Documentary. Leading respected and well-known instructors, referees, and judges will share their experiences and the secrets to their success in this documentary. All of these people have experienced ‘The Uphill Battle’.
Runtime: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: The Struggles of a Lesser Known Athlete
Story: Karate in Ontario: The Uphill Battle, The Cost of Raising a Champion starts by showing us the history of karate in Ontario, through different dojos, gyms or school which have different methods from their teachers to teach karate to different levelled of skilled people athletes. We get to see the financial problems people or parents would face to just get started in the skill of karate, proving that it just isn’t going to be affordable for most families.
With the financial problems from just being able to train, comes the next big step, competition and just how difficult it is for the residents in Ontario, where the rules prevent competitive competition. With this documentary we get to look at how difficult a less pubic sport will face when it comes to raising the best of a generation because of lack of funding behind everything and the unrealistic pricing of being able to prove themselves as athletes.
Thoughts on Karate in Ontario: The Uphill Battle, The Cost of Raising a Champion
Final Thoughts – This documentary does show us the frustration of the people involved in the karate community in Ontario, we see their passion to teach and see champions created, but how they are restricted by unfair rules and financial problems about supporting the sport. We get to see how the spotlight is shone upon a sport that doesn’t get the mainstream attention that football, cricket, golf or tennis have, which shows us just how difficult the encouragement of these athletes can be. The important side of this documentary is, that we don’t have a preaching nature which documentaries can fall into, we get a honest and open look at how this sport is being treated, just looking for a fair way to achieve finding the best athletes. One side of the documentary which would have been interesting, would be an inclusion of at least one karate bout, which we are trying to encourage people to support.
Overall: This is an important that shows us just how difficult being an athlete in a non-mainstream sport can be, with the rules and financial restrictions making it feel like they must jump through hurdles to compete.
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