2012 Akita International Sumo Basho

2012 Akita International Sumo Basho
Details
Date	June 24
Location	Akita Budokan
No. Men	12
Men's Championship
Champion	Travis Emery
Runner-up	Colton Runyan
Fighting Spirit	Todd Horner
No. of bouts	48
← 2011	2013 →

The 8th Annual Akita International Sumo Basho (第八回秋田県国際相撲場所) is a charity sumo tournament that was held on June 24th by the Akita Association of JETs. Every year JETs and friends gather from all across Tohoku (and some farther still) to decide who is worthy of the title of Akita's Yokozuna. Proceeds went to the Tohoku earthquake relief efforts. Over 90 people came to have a great time celebrating the fantastic aspect of Japanese culture that is sumo, as well as raise money for a great cause.

Training session

An optional training/information session was held June 16th at the Yabase Sports Park in Akita City. This session explained the rules, etiquette, and brief history of sumo to those who wanted to find out a bit more about the sport before participating in the real deal. Attendance was not necessary for participation in the tournament.

Details

• Date: Sunday, June 24th 2012
• Place: Akita Budokan, Akita City (google maps link)
• Price:
  • Rikishi (participants): ¥1,500
  • Spectators: ¥ 1,000 were expected to show up no later than 9:30. Upon arrival, volunteers helped explain how to put on mawashis, explained the rules governing the bouts, and gave tips on how to fight.

Wrestlers

2012 English Banzuke(PDF)

Men's

Name	Country	Hometown	Akita	Shikona
Owen Cunningham		Kilkenny	Central	相撲猿	SumOweN
Travis Emery		New Hampshire	Outside	虎美	Torabi
Neil Fanning		Washington	Central	歩人	The Hobbit
Todd Horner		Alberta	Central	煙突	Smoke Stacks
Casey Kuester		Minnesota	Central	ミネソタ武蔵	Minnesota Musashi
Colton Runyan		Texas	North	熊の山	Bear Mountain
Dean Ruetzler		Vermont	Outside	山葵の里	Wasabi no Sato
Jeff Onizak		Winnipeg	North	不器用白熊	Clumsy Polar bear
Justin Velgus		San Francisco	Central	東北雷	Tohoku Thunder
Kenneth Grant		Britain	Central	蹴荷威	Kick Stuff Powerfully
Gavin Fisher		Vancouver	South	闘麒麟	Fighting Giraffe
Padraig de Cléir		Donegal	Central	田中	Tanaka

Tournament format

The original format was for each wrestler to fight 7 matches and the wrestlers with the best two records would fight each other for 1st and second place. After all 7 rounds had been completed, there was a 4-way tie for second place, with four wrestlers having 5-2 records. Single elimination matches were held to decide who would go against the sole 6-1 wrestler in the championship match.

Officials

The officiating for the 2012 tournament, as well as special prize decisions was overseen once again by the gentlemen of Sumo & Stogies.

• Head Referee/Head Judge - Bryan Barber
• Head Referee/Head Judge - Pat Costello
• Ring-side Judge - Delmer Lopez
• Ring-side Judge - Jae Grobler

Publicity

The Akita Sakigake Newspaper once again came and covered the tournament. Below is the original text and translation of the article that appeared in the April 26th edition of the newpaper.

県国際相撲大会
ＡＬＴら１２人がまわし姿ね熱戦

県立武道館

Sakigake Article
(Neil Fanning vs Travis Emery)

県内の小学、中学、高校の外国語指導助手（ＡＬＴ）らによる「第８回県国際相撲大会」が２４日、秋田市の県立武道館で開かれ、まわし姿の外国人男性が熱戦を繰り広げた。県内のＡＬＴらで作る「秋田ＪＥＴ参加者の会」（ケーシー・キースタ会長）の主催。
出場力士は「ミネソタ武蔵」「熊の山」などと自信でしこ名をつけて試合に挑んだ。がっしり取り組み合った後に力いっぱい土俵の外へ押し出したり、土俵際で体を返し相手を土俵下に追いやるなど白熱した取組が目立ち、観客から「ナイスファイト」との声が上がった。
男鹿市船越のケニー・グラントさん（２３）＝英国出身＝は「全力でぶつかり合うのが楽しい」と話していた」。
相撲大会は、異文化交流や募金活動を目的に、2004年から年1回開催している。観客から集めた入場料は日本赤十字社に寄付し、東日本大震災の被害者支援に充ててもらう。

Prefectural International Sumo Tournament
12 ALTs Battle it out in Mawashis
Prefectural Martial Arts Center
Elementary, junior, and senior high school ALTs from around the prefecture gathered on the 24th at the prefectural martial arts center to watch some of their fellow ALTs fiercely battle it our in mawashi. The event was sponsored by the Akita Association of JETs.
Participants wrestled under shikona that they thought of themselves, such as "Bear Mountain" and "Minnesota Musashi." Burly wrestlers found themselves being cheered on by calls of "Nice fight!" as they brutally shoved opponents out of the ring and forced them off the dohyo.
Kenny Grant, a 23 year old from England currently living in Oga said, "It's fun to hit your opponent at full power"
The international sumo tournament has been held once a year since 2004 and aims to raise money for charity and promote cultural exchange. The money gathered from this year's tournament will go to the Red Cross to support the victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Bouts

Round 1

2012 Japanese Banzuke (PDF)

Round 1

East		Video	West
○	Neil Fanning	watch	Casey Kuester
○	Todd Horner	watch	Gavin Fisher
○	Owen Cunningham	watch	Jeff Onizak
	Kenneth Grant	watch	Travis Emery	○
○	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Justin Velgus
	Padraig de Cleir	watch	Colton Runyan	○

Round 2

Round 2

East		Video	West
	Justin Velgus	watch	Todd Horner	○
○	Owen Cunningham	watch	Gavin Fisher
○	Casey Kuester	watch	Padraig de Cleir
	Neil Fanning	1 Rematch	Travis Emery	○
○	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Jeff Onizak
○	Kenneth Grant	watch	Colton Runyan

Round 3

Round 3

East		Video	West
	Justin Velgus	watch	Owen Cunningham	○
○	Jeff Onizak	watch	Todd Horner
	Casey Kuester	watch	Kenneth Grant	○
○	Travis Emery	watch	Padraig de Cleir
○	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Gavin Fisher
	Neil Fanning	watch	Colton Runyan	○

Round 4

Round 4

East		Video	West
○	Justin Velgus	watch	Casey Kuester
○	Owen Cunningham	watch	Kenneth Grant
○	Todd Horner	watch	Padraig de Cleir
	Jeff Onizak	watch	Travis Emery	○
○	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Neil Fanning
	Gavin Fisher	watch	Colton Runyan	○

Round 5

Round 5

East		Video	West
	Justin Velgus	watch	Jeff Onizak	○
	Gavin Fisher	watch	Padraig de Cleir	○
	Neil Fanning	watch	Kenneth Grant	○
○	Travis Emery	watch	Casey Kuester
	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Owen Cunningham	○
○	Todd Horner	watch	Colton Runyan

Round 6

Round 6

East		Video	West
○	Justin Velgus	watch	Gavin Fisher
	Jeff Onizak	watch	Kenneth Grant	○
	Neil Fanning	watch	Padraig de Cleir	○
	Owen Cunningham	watch	Travis Emery	○
○	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Todd Horner
	Casey Kuester	watch	Colton Runyan	○

Round 7

Round 7

East		Video	West
○	Justin Velgus	watch	Neil Fanning
○	Jeff Onizak	watch	Gavin Fisher
	Kenneth Grant	watch	Padraig de Cleir	○
	Owen Cunningham	watch	Todd Horner	○
	Dean Ruetzler	watch	Casey Kuester	○
	Travis Emery	watch	Colton Runyan	○

Playoff

East		Video	West
	Todd Horner	watch	Colton Runyan	○
○	Owen Cunningham	watch	Dean Ruetzler
	Owen Cunningham	watch	Colton Runyan	○

Final

East		Video	West
○	Travis Emery	watch	Colton Runyan

Exhibition bout

East		Video	West
	Travis Emery	watch	Igarashi	○

Statistics

					(with playoff bouts)
Name	Country	Wins	Losses	PCT %	Wins	Losses	PCT %
Travis Emery		6	1	0.857	7	1	0.875
Colton Runyan		5	2	0.714	7	3	0.700
Owen Cunningham		5	2	0.714	6	3	0.667
Todd Horner		5	2	0.714	5	3	0.625
Dean Ruetzler		5	2	0.714	5	3	.625
Kenny Grant		4	3	0.571
Jeff Onizak		3	4	0.429
Padraig de Cleir		3	4	0.429
Justin Velgus		3	4	0.429
Casey Kuester		2	5	0.286
Neil Fanning		1	6	0.142
Gavin Fisher		0	7	0.000

Country Records

Men's & Women's

Country	Wins	Losses	PCT %	Total Rikishi
United Kingdom	4	3	0.571	1
Ireland	8	7	0.533	2
United States	22	20	0.524	6
Canada	8	13	0.381	1

• Play-off bouts are not included.

Awards

Men's Champion: Travis Emery
Men's Runner-up: Colton Runyan
Men's Fighting Spirit Prize: Todd Horner

Gallery

• 

  2012 Basho
  English
• 

  2012 Basho
  Japanese
• 

  2012 Banzuke
  Japanese
• 

  2012 Banzuke
  English
• 

  2012 wrestlers and judges

See also

• Akita International Sumo Basho
• Akita Association of JETs
• Facebook event page

Years of the Akita International Sumo Basho V • T
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