A Message from the President

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the PMA Promoters, I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank all the members, supporters & friends for their participation and support of our circuit over the past 10 years.  It has helped make the PMA one of the longest and most efficient competitive tournament rating services to-date. 

Our mission was always a simple one; to give the local competitor recognition for their efforts without having to travel great distances to get it, to offer well run events with consistent divisions and rules and to provide a forum where the competitor can give their feedback and suggestions for improvements.   

It was always a balancing act trying to provide what was best for both the competitors and promoters over the years, but we all worked hard on it each and every year and made it your own custom made circuit.  Your feedback and support helped to put the PMA tournament circuit in the forefront of Canadian tournament organizations. 

The PMA has decided to suspend our tournament rating calendar for the year of 2010 and to take a step back, to look at what may be needed for the coming years.  The PMA will be extending its organizational skills to that of running seminars and other Martial Arts activities that we feel will add to the excitement and overall enjoyment of your training in the martial arts. 

In no way are we saying goodbye, we are just taking a break in order to focus our energies towards other facets of the martial arts.  Hence, the Canadian Diamond Challenge and PMA Awards Banquet held on June 19, 2010, will be the final PMA Awards Banquet until further notice. 

As this will mark the end of an era; we are offering the right to purchase a National Championship Jacket to all those competitors who have finished in first place in any year over the past ten years (details to follow on www.pmaonline.net). 

We would like to extend our personal thanks to the PMA’s Vice President, Rick Joslin for all his hard work and dedication to the organization and a special thanks to Tony Rampulla who has always given selflessly to the betterment of the Martial Arts and his hard work at running our events and constantly striving for a better PMA as well as the students and parents of Rampulla’s Martial Arts who have provided countless volunteer hours co-ordinating, scorekeeping, and working the banquet. 

We would also like to thank all of our Promoters for their collaboration and hard work and for their contribution to the PMA’s success and a very special thanks to all the volunteer judges, members, competitors and parents who have ever participated in judging, scorekeeping, co-ordinating or for any contribution they have made; because without you, we wouldn’t have a circuit. 

We are proud of the progress we have made and the friendships we have formed over the 10 years the circuit has been running and look forward to seeing you all at the last PMA Banquet on June 19, 2010.

Yours in the Martial Arts,

Shihan Bill Pickells

President, Professional Martial Arts Alliance