Your friends at IMAC, USA welcome everyone who will be joining us for the 2nd Annual Martial Arts Olympics East-West Open. We look forward to sharing this extraordinary experience with you in April 2008; and, wish you the best of success at the East-West Open. In addition to organizing a once-in-lifetime trip for the competitors and spectators, IMAC USA was challenged to select a team to compete in the Olympic 'Battle of the Continents' which will feature fighting teams representing Asia, Europe, North America; and, the host country Russia. As a result, IMAC's scouting team set-out on a nationwide search to find the most outstanding American martial artists. With so much exceptional talent here in the United States, this mission proved to be demanding, but also extremely rewarding. We'd like to share with you a few great stories; and, martial artists we've had the pleasure to meet along the way. Athletes, that you can call teammates. Together, we will show the world the talent, heart and soul that America has to offer. In addition, we?d like to introduce to you the United States team.

Becca Ross – Boca Raton, Florida
Black Belt in American Kenpo Karate

16 year old Becca Ross began training in Wing Chun Kung Fu at the age of 4. She credits her early interest in the martial arts to ‘Kimberly, the pink power ranger’. By the ages of 6 and 7 she had captured first place in every New York State tournament. In 2000, Becca earned her black belt in American Kenpo Karate, a year later she became NASKA world sparring champion in her black belt division. In 2002 she added two additional titles to her every growing collection; NASKA world open forms champion and NASKA world weapons champion. In 2004 Becca earned the NASKA Top Overall Jr. Weapons Competitor of the Years; and, in 2005 she won every Grand Championship in Weapons and Forms in every tournament she competed in.

To date, Becca has sixteen (16) World Titles; and, in 2007 alone she won more than fifty-four (54) First Place trophies and eleven (11) Grand Championships. She was honored as the Top Overall Forms Grand Champion and the Top Overall Weapons Grand Champion in 2006. In 2005 she took home the honor of the US Open World Forms Champion title and was named the 2005 Top Overall Girls Forms Competitor and the Top Overall Girls Weapons Competitor. Over the last five years she has been recognized and honored throughout the United States earning a Hall of Fame Induction as Youth Role Model of the Year and acclaimed by the Florida Martial Arts Hall of Fame as an Outstanding Youth Competitor of the Year.

Currently, she is a member of the highly acclaimed ‘Team Pro Rank’; and, was a member of Team U.S.A. International. This undeniable drive and dedication doesn’t stop in the competition arena, Becca is a consistent honor roll student seriously pursuing a film career. She is a student at the GStar School of the Arts for film and broadcasting where she studies acting for film, theatre and television along with her advanced regular academic curriculum. “You have to make choices to reach your goals” Becca said. Those choices sometimes meant being without her friends, missing parties and the fun things others her age were doing. “But, those were the choices that made the difference. You have to ask yourself, what do you want to do; and, what are you willing to do to accomplish it? Do you want to be a world champion or do you want to go to the movies with your friends”? Becca’s choice was obvious, and her extraordinary records are a testament to it. “Hard core training, hour after hour, in torrid heat without air conditioning; and, being pushed to the very limits of exhaustion in order to reach your potential may not seem like fun…but let me tell you this ~ I am loving it when I succeed and reach my goals, there is no greater feeling in the world…at least not for me”. Becca would like to thank her ‘hard core trainers and coaches’: Lauren Kearney, Mike Cifre, Daniel Graham and Poppy.

Championship Titles
2007 Capitol Classics/Chinese Open Weapons Grand Champion
2007 Battle of Atlanta Weapons Grand Champion
2007 Blue Grass Nationals Weapons Grand Champion
2007 New England Open Weapons Grand Champion
2007 Quebec Open Weapons and Forms Grand Champion
2007 Ocean State Weapons Grand Champion
2007 World Series of Martial Arts Forms Grand Champion
2007 AKA Weapons and Forms Grand Champion
2006 Girls Top Overall (17 & under) Weapons Grand Champion
2006 Girls Top Overall (17 & under) Forms Grand Champion
2006-07 Quebec Open Creative Weapons Overall Grand Champion
2005-06 Pan American Forms and Weapons Grand Champion
2005 Diamond Nationals Creative-Extreme Forms Grand Champion
2005 US Open ISKA World Forms Champion
2005 Blue Grass Nationals Forms and weapons Grand Champion
2005-07 New England Open Forms and Weapons Grand Champion
2005 -07 World Series of Martial Arts Forms and Weapons Grand Champion
2005 -07Compete Forms and Weapons Grand Champion
2005 -07 Ocean State Weapons Grand Champion
2005 Superstar Invitational Forms and Weapons Grand Champion
2004 Pan American WKF Forms and Weapons World Champion
2004 Quebec Open Weapons and Forms Grand Champion
2004 New England Open Forms Grand Champion
2003 Girls Top Overall Weapons Grand Champion
2003 NASKA World and National Open Forms Champion
2003 NASKA Traditional Weapons World Champion
2003 NASKA Musical Forms & Musical Weapons World Champion

The International Martial Arts College, USA carefully selected these top athletes from throughout the United States. Our criteria for selection considered not only their athletic abilities, but even more importantly there ability to represent the United States of America as upstanding goodwill ambassadors at this extraordinary international event. Each of these competitors reflects the core values of IMAC, USA which embodies integrity, humility, courtesy, honesty and a respect for others without regard for gender, age, social and/or economic background. We at IMAC, USA celebrate the joy found in honest effort and the value of setting a good example to the youth and future of our country. As martial artists we understand that our sport is a way to develop oneself physically and mentally, as well as developing positive character traits such as self-discipline, politeness, loyalty and honor. We pride ourselves as being of humble mind and gentle spirit and follow a strict ethical and moral code. As representatives of our country, we realize that we share a civic responsibility to reflect a positive and well tempered manner on each of our fellow citizens that we collectively represent.