Shihan Pascetta - 1981 WAKO World Championships - Milan, Italy
Master Pascetta has successfully competed in karate championships throughout the United States, Europe, and in Canada. Having won or placed in over 100 events, he established an INTERNATIONAL reputation as a WORLD CLASS competitor in both forms and fighting.
Master Pascetta became the first competitor in the history of the sport over the age of forty (40) to receive a World Championship Team Gold Medal as a member of the WORLD CHAMPION, UNITED STATES KARATE TEAM at the 1991 WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in London, England. He repeated his performance in 1993 by winning the NATIONAL TITLE at the WAKO-USA NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS in Evansville, Indiana thereby securing a position on the UNITED STATES KARATE TEAM for the 1993 WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. Later in 1993 Master Pascetta received his second World Championship Team Gold Medal in the 1993 WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey when the UNITED STATES TEAM again captured the WORLD TITLE from among a field of National Teams representing over forty (40) countries worldwide.
Some other high points of his competitive career include winning an individual SILVER MEDAL in the 1981 WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Milan, Italy), a GOLD MEDAL in 1982 in the U.S.A. vs CANADA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS (Val d’Or, Quebec), as well as, an individual BRONZE MEDAL in the 1987 WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Birmingham, England). The following is a partial list of some of the more prominent events in which he has won or placed in a competition career spanning over twenty (20) years.
- Butokukai East Coast Karate Championships – N.Y., N.Y. (1971)
Shihan Pascetta, AGKAI USA Team vs Finland @ ShukoKai International Team Championships - circa 1984
- U.S. Karate Championships – Dallas, TX. (1974)
- All-USA GoJu Karate Championships – N.Y., N.Y. (1974)
- USKA Grand Nationals – Milwaukee, WI. (1975)
- Northeast Tournament of Champions – Reading, Pa. (1975)
- Baltimore Nationals Karate Championships – Balt., Md. (1974,75,76)
- Playboy National Karate Championships – Great Gorge, N.J. (1981)
- U.S. Open Karate Championships – St. Petersburg, Fla. (1981)
- WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Milan, Italy (1981)
- California State Pro-Am – Stockton, Ca. (1982)
- U.S.A. vs CANADA Team Championships – Val d’Or, Quebec (1982)
- U.S.A. vs GREAT BRITAIN – Maidenhead, England (1987)
- WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Birmingham, England (1987)
- U.S.A.-ITALY-AUSTRIA Int’l Team Challenge – Sottomarina, Italy (1990)
- U.S.A.-ITALY-AUSTRIA Int’l Team Challenge – Jesolo, Italy (1990)
- WAKO-USA NATIONAL Team Trials – Evansville, Indiana (1991)
- WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – London, England (1991)
- WAKO-USA NATIONAL Team Trials – Evansville, Indiana (1993)
- WAKO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Atlantic City, N.J. (1993)
AGKAI USA Team - Jesolo, Italy - circa 1990
A Unique Perspective
It is important to note, although Shihan Pascetta has had an outstanding career and significant success as a martial arts competitor, that his perspective on this type of sport activity is somewhat unique.
First, that the primary purpose of sport competition is to create an opportunity for the martial artist to place himself in quasi-realistic situations that will serve to challenge him physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Second, that sport competition, no matter how rigorous, is not equal to real life/death combat.
Third, that there are many factors beyond the athlete’s ability and performance that determine the results, therefore, the individual who “wins” the match is not always the athlete who performed the best!
Fourth, the status of “Champion” is temporary and more of a “mindset” than a title. This is in part due to the fact that any athlete, no matter how talented, is a “Champion” for merely that day of the event he has conquered. Unless this is repeated again and again, infinitely, this will pass. Further, not every athlete will succeed in becoming a “Champion” in competition, however, every martial artist has the potential to become a “Champion” in life!
Shihan Pascetta (Back row, 2nd from right) WAKO USA Team - 1991 WAKO World Champions, London, England
Fifth, the true martial artist must therefore keep any “victories” or “titles” in perspective.
Ultimately, successful martial arts sport competition is merely a “means to an end”, not “an end in itself”!
