September 07th, 2026

​The Duel on Kamino Tournament Recap Williamsburg Dojo — Williamsburg, Virginia

The Duel on Kamino Tournament took place last weekend at the Williamsburg Dojo in Williamsburg, Virginia, bringing together competitors from four academies and organizations: Saber Light Knights Charlottesville, Saber Light Knights Hampton Roads, Ludus Ferocia of Virginia Beach, and Light Speed Headquarters in California.

The event featured three divisions: Youngling Foam Point Sparring, SLK Tornado Continuous Fighting, and Light Speed. From the opening Youngling matches to a dramatic two-point championship final, the day delivered speed, technical fighting, close decisions, and outstanding sportsmanship.
Youngling Division The day began with the Youngling Division, where Teddy Fleming emerged as champion after an impressive performance.

Teddy dominated much of the competition but faced his toughest challenge against Abigail Lester, barely escaping Abigail's relentless attacks.
Matthew McKenna used strong lateral movement and well-timed thrusts to edge Abigail during the elimination rounds and earn his opportunity against Teddy. Matthew used every bit of his speed and footwork in the championship matchup, but Teddy's longer reach, patience, and ability to control distance proved too much to overcome.

Youngling Results
Champion — Teddy Fleming
2nd Place — Matthew McKenna
3rd Place — Abigail Lester

SLK Tornado DivisionThe SLK Tornado Division followed, and the action immediately intensified.

One of the standout opening-round matches featured Cang Snow vs. Vince DelVecchio, two of the fastest fighters in the tournament. Vince brought tremendous speed and defensive movement, but Cang's exceptional defense and ability to capitalize on openings ultimately proved decisive.

Another excellent first-round contest saw Matthew Taylor face Roland Balmediano. Matthew's explosive speed collided with Roland's refined technique and experience in an extremely close fight. In the end, Roland's experience gave him just enough of an advantage to secure the victory.
Matthew found himself in another nail-biter during the second round against Lily Daniels. Lily used excellent timing and impressive lunges to try to catch Matthew's quick footwork, but this time Matthew's speed carried him through, advancing 28-25.

Daniel Lowdermilk then faced Roland Balmediano in a battle of patience against technique. Roland presented Daniel with a difficult technical challenge, but Daniel remained disciplined, waited for his opportunities, and advanced with a 16-12 victory.

Another highly anticipated matchup featured Ryan McKenna vs. Mychal Mendoza, two fighters who regularly meet deep in Tornado brackets. Mychal looked for opportunities to create parry-riposte exchanges, while Ryan chipped away with quick one-point attacks and evasive movement. Ryan narrowly secured the victory, 9-7.

In the third round, Zak Burke of Ludus Ferocia faced Matthew Taylor. Zak's timing proved to be the difference as he found answers for Matthew's tremendous speed in one of the most entertaining matches of the division.

Cang Snow continued his run by defeating Em Watson, using feints and counterattacks to disrupt Watson's own counter-fighting game.
Daniel Lowdermilk and Ryan McKenna then fought an exceptionally close match. With only seconds remaining, Daniel landed a decisive body strike to secure the victory and advance.

That set up one of the most technical matches of the entire tournament: Daniel Lowdermilk vs. Cang Snow.

Cang danced around the floor with tremendous movement while Daniel remained patient, refusing to give Cang easy targets and waiting for his openings. Once again, the outcome came down to a single strike.
Daniel found it.

Daniel Lowdermilk advanced to the final and secured the SLK Tornado Championship.

Light Speed DivisionThe final competition of the day featured the Light Speed ruleset.

With two competitors advancing from each pool, the field remained wide open entering the elimination bracket.

Ryan McKenna, Vince DelVecchio, Mychal Mendoza, Cang Snow, and Zak Burke each won their respective pools.

Matthew Taylor, David Cook, Lily Daniels, Roland Balmediano, and Em Watson secured second-place finishes and advanced alongside them.

The elimination rounds immediately produced several outstanding fights.
Em Watson and David Cook battled down to the final points, with Cook narrowly advancing 11-10.

Matthew Taylor then earned his rematch against Roland Balmediano. After falling to Roland earlier in the Tornado Division, Matthew adjusted his strategy, baiting Roland's attacks and using his speed to counter. The adjustment worked, and Matthew advanced with a convincing 15-8 victory.

In the next round, Zak Burke faced Mychal Mendoza in an extremely technical contest. Mendoza successfully capitalized on several sharp parry-riposte exchanges to move forward in the bracket.

Then came another thriller: Vince DelVecchio vs. Matthew Taylor.
Vince's speed and defense collided with Matthew's aggression and equally impressive quickness. Neither fighter could create meaningful separation, and ultimately just one point decided the match.
Matthew Taylor advanced, 8-7.

Mychal Mendoza's run then brought him against Ryan McKenna, with McKenna advancing into the later stages of the bracket.

On the opposite side, Cang Snow met Matthew Taylor in another spectacular showdown.

The match could be summarized in three words:
Speed. Speed. Speed.

Both fighters displayed exceptional footwork, timing, reactions, and precision. Matthew continually pressured Cang while Cang relied on experience and carefully selected opportunities.
The difference was almost nonexistent.

When time expired, Cang Snow advanced by a single point, 12-11.
Third Place — Mendoza vs. Taylor The third-place match featured Mychal Mendoza vs. Matthew Taylor.

Matthew mounted a strong rally late in the fight, but Mendoza used his experience and composure to control the final exchanges and secure third place with an 18-13 victory.

Championship Final — McKenna vs. Snow The Light Speed Championship came down to Ryan McKenna vs. Cang Snow.

Cang entered the match looking to exploit McKenna's aggression, creating opportunities for defensive counters and parry-ripostes. McKenna responded by using slips and evasive movement to narrowly avoid those counters while continuing to attack, allowing him to build an early lead.

After halftime, both fighters made adjustments.

Cang increased the pressure dramatically, unleashing a barrage of lunges and precisely timed head attacks that steadily closed the gap.
What had been a comfortable McKenna lead became a two-point fight.
But the clock became Cang's final opponent.

Time expired with McKenna holding a 23-21 lead, securing the Duel on Kamino Light Speed Championship.

Light Speed Results 
Champion — Ryan McKenna
2nd Place — Cang Snow
3rd Place — Mychal Mendoza

We would like to extend a special thank-you to Guru Chris and Kristi Jerome for hosting and running an outstanding event at the Williamsburg Dojo.

The Duel on Kamino was filled with talented competitors, exciting fights, dramatic finishes, and, most importantly, tremendous sportsmanship from everyone who stepped onto the floor.

Competitors represented four different academies and organizations, but throughout the tournament the respect between fighters was evident.
Thank you to everyone who competed, coached, officiated, volunteered, traveled, and supported the event.

The Duel on Kamino has only begun.

Next year will be even better.