Master Vince Palumbo receives the title of Grand Master
During the course of the 2007 Cacoy Doce Pares World Federation Sport Stick Fighting Tournament Master Vince Palumbo amassed a number of acalades and when it was time to get into the ring and compete, that’s when Master Vince showed everyone why he had previously acquired the nickname “Master Blaster”!
Anyone who has experienced a blow from Master Vince’s stick, knows exactly what it means to be struck by lightening or as the Filipino’s like to call it “kilat”.
The man is a powerhouse and his opponents will be the first to testify to this with the “trophies” they acquire in the form of stripes and lines on their various body parts and through the armour as well! Master Vince’s flurry of strikes frequently leave his opponents feeling bewildered and wondering what exactly struck them and when will it be their turn to strike back?!
Master Vince entered into several different fight categories for the 2007 World Championships and overall he hauled a swag of medals back to Australia a total of 13 including 9 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze!
Some of these medals were for the forms event, again demonstrating the diversity of skill which this man possesses, not only is he incredibly tough, but the man can be graceful too!
On the presentation evening Supreme Grand Master Cacoy Canete awarded
Master Vince with the well deserved title of ‘Grand Master’ and he was also awarded the high rank of 9th Degree Black Belt in Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima and the 8th Degree Black Belt in Cacoy Pangamot, along with the award of overall world champion fighter of the tournament!
There is frequently a discussion in martial arts circles about whether or not Masters and the Grand Masters should compete in these types of tournaments. As a martial arts student there is nothing more compelling and inspiring than seeing the art of Stick Fighting in action in the hands of an experienced fighter. It is an inspiration to see an instructor “walking his talk!”
GM Vince has now had in total over 200 fights in the combat sports fighting arena, and this includes his 100 stick-fights as well. Also a credit to Master Vince’s ability as a trainer, teacher and mentor the 9 stick fighters from his Adelaide school that attended the world championships were declared the top stick fighting team to attend the tournament amassing 47 medals between all of them, including 20 gold medals, 15 silver medals, 12 bronze medals. This is no mean feat when competing against the Indonesian and Filipino fighters.
The Australian team would like to congratulate Grand Master Vince on his tremendous efforts.
I often hear GM Vince say the words: “To dream is to believe, so go dream, do believe, and then try hard to achieve”, and I must say that he is living testimony to this quote.
Article written by Dr Andrea Wheatley
