Every June, the Thai Boxing Association – Sanctioning Authority (TBA-SA) hosts the Muay Thai National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. This tournament invites amateur Nak Muay (Thai Boxers) from across the United States and Canada to compete in a three-day tournament for the chance to be crowned National Champion in their respective weight classes and experience divisions. Since the tournament’s inception in 2004, it has steadily grown with the number of fighters each year. This year, the tournament is expected to host over 800 athletes!
Due to the large number of competitors, the tournament is divided into experience classes: C Class, B Class, and A class. C class is considered “novice,” and is reserved for athletes with 0-3 bouts. B class is for athletes with 4-12 bouts. A class, or “open class,” is for athletes with 13+ bouts and can sometimes include professionals. Within these experience classes are the weight divisions as well, which range from 100lbs all the way to heavyweight (215lbs +).
The 2019 Tournament Approaches
This year, Easton Muay Thai will be bringing a record 7 athletes to the TBA Tournament! In the past, we have had several Easton Nak Muay come back as TBA Champions. Liz Gerrity and Ashley Accord both won B Class belts and coach Wes Argrow won the prestigious A Class belt in 2016. The athletes representing Easton this year are:
- Mari Nashida (Denver), Adult Female Class B, 102lbs and under
- Kristy Vu (Denver), Adult Female Class C, 102-107lbs
- Raiden Christiansen (Boulder), Junior Men’s Novice, 142-147lbs
- Chino Dean (Boulder), Adult Men’s Class B, 122-127lbs
- Joseph Nitura (Boulder), Adult Men’s Class B, 127-132lbs
- Sam Colonna (Boulder), Adult Men’s Class B, 165-172lbs
- Pedro Meyer (Denver), Adult Men’s Class A, 179-186lbs
The team has been training extremely hard for the past 6 weeks to prepare for this event and we are looking to return home with 7 new National Champions! Stay tuned for the full report once we get back from the tournament! Thank you all for your support of these athletes, without this great Easton community behind us, we would not be able to do what we love.
–Sean Madden, Head Coach of the Easton Muay Thai Competition Team
