Bring back Manuel Monzon and Paul Oliver to the National Coaching Staff and High Performance Committee of Karate Canada!

Attn: All National Team Athletes As you may be aware, Manuel Monzon has recently sent in his letter of resignation, releasing himself as Karate Canada National Head Coach as well as Chair of the High Performance Committee as of January 25th, 2011. In addition, Assistant Head Coach and Team Manager Paul Oliver, has been dismissed of his duties due to the reformation of the new High Performance Committee. High performance according to Karate Canada, is a “top priority”, but these recent major changes and obsessions in high performance has not only hurt the National Coaching Staff, but what this organization claims it defends, the athletes. Coach Monzon, with the long term assistance of Coach Oliver, have developed a vision of excellence, one that no other coach in this country has reproduced. This vision that Mr. Monzon truly believes in and breathes day in and day out, has been the driving force to many of the National Team Athletes successes over the past 10 years. During Coach Monzon’s time as National Head Coach, Canada has gone from a “warm up round” to a top 10 contender at the World Championship level, top contender at the Pan-American Championships, has finished top spot in the North American Cup, and has had athletes win several different major Open competitions. Coach Monzon and Coach Oliver are also the only coaches in karate in Canada that are qualified to coach at the “Olympic” level i.e. Pan-American Games. Coach Monzon also has a sharp eye for spotting young up and coming athletes who attempt to transition to the senior ranks, when many other coaches would write these athletes off. It’s these athletes who have ended up medalling at competitions such as the Pan-American Championships, Pan-American Games, Paris Open, US Open, World Championships and the World Games. Before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon of these athletes, Coach Monzon and Coach Oliver spotted them first, taking the heat from everyone else. We as athletes have a voice, a voice far stronger than most think. We have collectively fought to change such things such as the Athlete Representative position at the 2010 National Championships, and have gone as far as going to Sport Canada to amend and change the National Team Athlete Agreement. This is a time where we must come together, stronger than ever, to voice our opinions to Karate Canada, and if needed, go further than that up and including to The Canadian Olympic Committee. This organization claims that people will resist to change, but change isn’t always positive, and can’t be when the performance of this National team was on the rise, with Manuel Monzon as our guide. If Karate Canada claims to be “athlete-centered”, this will be their test. Fight to bring both Coach Monzon and Coach Oliver back to Karate Canada as our National Head Coach / High Performance Chair, and Assistant Head Coach. Fight to allow them to run their team without political interference and run a free hand in the National Team Program. Fight to let our coaches, the ones who always believed in us, to help us achieve excellence. We grow together, and we stand by one another. Sign your name or respond to this letter via email to bring back Manuel Monzon and Paul Oliver to Karate Canada and The High Performance Committee, without fear of reprimand of speaking your voice, because without your involvement, we have no voice. “Vision is the art of carving your future as you have imagined it.” – Manuel Monzon