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IKF/CSS Kickboxing! COMCAST CABLE
PRESENTS Comcast Sports South East (CSS) and the IKF have teamed up to have Kickboxing's own version of "Friday Night Fights!" Starting the first Friday in September (September 5th) CSS will air IKF Kickboxing on a weekly basis at 11:PM to nearly 4 million households and over 14 million viewers. The agreement is done in sections and this first run will be 17 straight weeks (September 5th, 2003 through December 26th, 2003) of an exciting 1 hour program of IKF Kickboxing! During the run, there is a very good possibility of some "LIVE" event broadcast as well. What will make this program more exciting than any other past programs for the sport of kickboxing will be the shows format. Not only will the "Weekly" programming be a first for the sport since the 80's, the format will bring more attention to those involved in the sport. The show segments will include things such as fighter profiles, training tips, special guests, gear and product reviews, gym visits and of course, plenty of exciting IKF Kickboxing Fights! The CSS region includes nine Southeastern states. The only bad news, (for now anyway) is that the IKF Kickboxing program will only be seen in these 9 South East USA states (Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina & North Carolina). However, don't get too discouraged. The IKF is already in the works with bringing the IKF Kickboxing program to the rest of the USA very soon with affiliates of CSS. The on air team will comprise of Brooks Mason, Johnny Davis, Steve Fossum and starting on the third show, 5 Time World Kickboxing Champion Kathy Long. The IKF is in the process of attaining other kickboxing personalities for various segments of the program as well. The main goal of the IKF is to create stars of the sport and sometimes, those stars will come from some of the most unlikely places around the globe. Top fighters do not always come from the largest of cities and fight in the largest of events. Our goal is to discover as much talent in our sport as possible and put it on TV! Whether amateur or pro, young or old, small or big. Whether from the small town grass roots locations around the world or the major cities, the fact is, "Talent comes from EVERYWHERE!" ________________________________ IKF TV
IS
HERE! FRIDAY, June 6th 2003, AT 4:00 PM, PT - IKF Headquarters, Newcastle, California, USA: Well everyone, here it is. The big news you have all been waiting for. At 3:25 PST Today it became official when we here at the IKF Headquarters received back our faxed contract from Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) General Manager Mike Sheehey. This is a deal that IKF President Steve Fossum and CSS's Chris McKone have been working on for some time now. Today it was confirmed that CSS and the IKF have teamed up to have Kickboxing's own version of "Friday Night Fights!" Starting the first Friday in September (September 5th, or quite possibly as soon as August 29th, if our production schedule is quicker) CSS will air IKF Kickboxing on a weekly basis at 11:PM to nearly 4 million households. The agreement is done in sections and this first run will be 17 straight weeks (September 5th, 2003 through December 26th, 2003) of an exciting 1 hour program of IKF Kickboxing! During the run, there is a very good possibility of some "LIVE" event broadcast as well. What will make this program more exciting than any other past programs for the sport of kickboxing will be the shows format. Not only will the "Weekly" programming be a first for the sport since the 80's, the format will bring more attention to those involved in the sport. The show segments will include things such as fighter profiles, training tips, special guests, gear and product reviews, gym visits and of course, plenty of exciting IKF Kickboxing Fights! The CSS region includes (See map at right) nine Southeastern states. The only bad news, (for now anyway) is that the IKF Kickboxing program will only be seen in these 9 South East USA states (Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina & North Carolina). However, don't get too discouraged. The IKF is already in the works with bringing the IKF Kickboxing program to the rest of the USA very soon with affiliates of CSS. There is a pretty good possibility that some of those regions may be confirmed by the September 5th air date. One thing about the structure of the program is that the shows programming will come from IKF associates and events around the Globe. "Although this program will only air in the South East, we will not limit programming from the South East only." Says IKF President Steve Fossum (Right). "Our goal is to bring attention to as many regions around the world as we can that are associated with IKF Kickboxing. This includes Alby Bimpson's work with IKF Europe. This has been a long time coming for the IKF but an even longer time coming for this great sport. Right now I'm pretty excited for everyone in the IKF. I guess this is where I say 'I'm going to Disneyland!'" The including of promotions and associates around the IKF World was a very important part in establishing this program for the IKF. They wanted to be assured that they could include as many IKF Promoters, Trainers, Fighters as well as Officials as possible. "There will be no 'One Promoter show' here" continued Fossum. "We have grown as a Team and we will grow more as a TEAM!" "On behalf of kickboxing we take this opportunity very seriously," Says IKF World Ambassador Brooks Mason. "With the help of the IKF team (trainers, fighters, promoters and our officials) we will make good on this opportunity for the benefit of kickboxing and the kickboxing industry. Our goal in this endeavor is to bring real purses to the professional kickboxing ranks and real futures to up and coming young fighters." Mason will be part of the IKF Commentating Team as well as one of the broadcast reporter on the sit down portion of the program. "A lot of credit here goes to IKF Promoter Ray Thompson." Says Fossum. Thompson was the person who brought the CSS idea to the IKF when he had them film the 2002 IKF North American Amateur Championships last November. "This is yet another new day for kickboxing." Says Thompson, (Right). "The Comcast IKF Team will surly make for exciting events and future stars of our sport. As a promoter and trainer, I am not just excited for myself and our own program here but for the many other IKF Teams of Trainers and Promoters around the world. This brings something to the table for all of us in the sport and the way the IKF Team plans to organize it, we are sure to see a little of everyone in the IKF on the IKFKickboxing Program soon." "As I mentioned to someone the other day on the Message Board, never give up and never lose site of the plan!" Says IKF Promoter Johnny Davis. "Several of us have been working for years to close such a deal. We flew from South Carolina to L.A. meeting with TV executives and continued to come up short. Now, the day has come and its up to all of us to help keep it through even better local promotion of your events, fighters and the IKF! Forward March! " "This is the break we have all wanted to take our sport to that next level we have all strived for." Says IKF Head of Officials Dan Stell. "It is great that CSS, has given us this opportunity and we all need to thank for it by tuning in and making this one of their highest rated programs in the SouthEast. We hope they will not just be pleased with our shows but be proud to have us a part of their programing as well." So there you have it Kickboxing Fans. ___________________________________ Internet
Makes Kickboxing Sanctioning Body... If you've seen an action film lately, most likely you have seen some form of Kickboxing or martial arts. The movie makers are almost forced to include this exciting fighting style to help market their work. Additionally, aerobic type Kickboxing classes are perhaps the number one workout in America and maybe worldwide because of its total body fitness potential. Kickboxing schools are profiting greatly as a result of this new craze. Moreover, there is one organization which is leading the way via the Internet to assure that Kickboxing entertainment is readily available for its fans. The International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) is the largest organization for sanctioning Kickboxing events around the world. A major part of its success can be credited to the worldwide Internet that has opened the doors to the rest of the world with a simple click of a button. Thousands of companies have stories of how the Internet has made them millions of dollars, while others may have stories of bankruptcy or worse. Fortunately, the story for the IKF is one of good fortune and is worth taking note of. The Internet or "The Electronic Super Highway" as it is sometimes called, has indeed been the catalyst to the rapid growth of the IKF. The IKF sanctions more events today than any other organization in the history of the sport of Kickboxing worldwide! Hundreds of events are being sanctioned yearly on every continent. These events host thousands of excited fans in arenas, coliseums, and huge event centers that seat up to twenty thousand spectators! Most states have an Athletic Commission that oversees all sporting events. These local commissions provide all officials for the event including judges and referees. However, the Athletic Commission does not offer titles and rankings. This is where sanctioning bodies like the IKF come into play. The IKF keeps an updated ranking system for its fighters, offers beautiful championship belts and assist promoters in marketing their event. Most good sanctioning bodies will also have their own set of rules and regulations in case they are the only authority at an event. Some locations like Indian Reservations and Federal properties, can't be regulated by the State's Athletic Commission. Steve Fossum and Dan Stell both of Northern California decided that the sport of Kickboxing needed more organization and safety regulations. Hence, the IKF was formed. The International Kickboxing Federation has come a long way since its beginning in 1992. Dan Stell has moved on to become one of Kickboxing's top referees in the world. While, Steve Fossum has taken over the helm as President and is leading an entourage of representatives from around the world in the building of the best sanctioning organization the sport of Kickboxing has ever had! Another key to the success of the IKF has been its willingness to sanction diverse styles of Kickboxing like Full Contact Kickboxing (American style, above the waist only, no leg kicks) International Rules, (Allowing leg kicks) MuayThai (Allowing leg kicks, knees & sometimes elbow strikes), San Shou (Allowing throws & leg kicks) Each style of Kickboxing has its own set of rules and regulations. The IKF has also ventured into the world of the mixed martial arts by creating a sister company called the International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF). This style of fighting (Mixed Martial Arts) brings a combination of the fighting arts into one ring, Boxing, Kickboxing, Judo, JuJitsu, wrestling/grappling, and various Karate styles all in one match. Kickboxing as well as mixed martial arts (MMA) have been gaining their share of popularity from entertainment cities like Las Vegas, Nevada-who are often seeking additional excitement for their casino guest. Director of the Nevada Athletic Commission Mark Ratner said in a recent interview (paraphrased) "I see the sport of Kickboxing as belonging to the same family as boxing and I'm excited about hosting more events in our state." The push for diversity within the IKF has created an entire community of loyal participants that appreciate the hard work and commitment to quality martial arts entertainment across the globe. Continuing to lay a solid foundation for the future of Kickboxing, the IKF is the only kickboxing Sanctioning body in the United States to promote a National Amateur Tournament. Each year, regional events are hosted around the United States by Regional Promoter/Directors to qualify amateur fighters for the National Finals which is the IKF's equivalent to boxing's "Golden Glove" tournament.This years event (2001) was held on September 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2001 in Olathe, Kansas at the Holiday Inn. This year, nearly every state in America sent finalists to the National Finals. Unlike most events where the Champions only go home to a couple of states, the 60+ USA National Amateur Champions from this years event went home to 19 different states which included Wisconsin, Arizona, Virginia, South Carolina, Missouri, Colorado, Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota, New York, Iowa, California, New Mexico, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Idaho and Pennsylvania. In the previous 2 years of the tournament (1999 & 2000) the finals were held at Harveys Resort Casino in Council Bluffs Iowa. This year over 250 men, women, and juniors (Ages 8-17) from around the USA registered for this great event to battle to be called the IKF 2001 USA National Amateur Champion in their respective divisions. The IKF's easy on-line registration through the IKF website and RINGSIDE'S catalog mailouts has played a major role in greatly increasing the number of participants at this event every year. The IKF is growing rapidly with its IKF web site, (www.ikfkickboxing.com) that averages over *40,000 hits per day, *1 Million hits per month with the average visitor staying on over 30 minutes. The site provides an excellent location for these thousands of kickboxing fans to find up-to-date Kickboxing news that is updated dozens of times per week from 120 countries all around the world! "The Internet web site has been the key to our success" says President Steve Fossum. "We've been able to make contacts in places never thought possible before going on-line." (*) Results taken by "URCHIN/Earthlink". For full results and details of web traffic click HERE! In July of 2001, the IKF sanctioned another of its larger events in terms of publicity at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (see news HERE and HERE.) This promotion was an all-out first class event that boosted the sport of Kickboxing up a notch. The promoters (Andre Thomas of TNT Kickboxing Malaysia and Wings Promotions, Winston - The Eagle Collection & Total Sports Asia) had five huge billboards throughout the city of Kuala Lumpur. Plastered all over them were the pictures of the two main event fighters... Dave "Madman" Marinoble of Roseville, CA, and Tommy "Terminator" Kimber of Lynn, MA, who fought for the IKF Pro Middleweight World Title. The Event was sponsored by Winston*-The Eagle Collection and titled Winston Kickboxer. The promoters ran full page ads in all of the major newspapers, held press conferences and numerous radio and television interviews with the fighters along with the addition of radio & TV commercials. In the end, the "Madman" (Pictured in Yellow below at pre fight press conference) took the title from Kimber with an eighth round TKO. Both men were treated like celebrities by the thousands of spectators in attendance. Sanctioning this event was an important step for IKF, all advertising, be it print or electronic, was stamped with the IKF logo and web address inviting millions of curious fans to visit the already reknown web site. The IKF is currently working on TV deals that will bring a weekly telecast to all of its fans. Today, many of the networks are showing programs that are considered sports' entertainment, from toughman contests to robot fighting, etc. However, a sport with such a huge following as that of Kickboxing, could only do wonders for a networks' ratings. Television executives have been monitoring, as well as have been impressed with, the growth of the IKF. One would guess, they are anticipating the right moment to join forces with one of the world's most exciting contact sports through the IKF! Thanks to the Internet, the IKF staff has been very busy over the last few years attempting to keep up with a flood of daily e-mails and requests to sanction events. The IKF also houses its own graphics department (Foster Graphics) that produces banners, flyers, brochures, event programs and signs for its merchandise and events. Furthermore, they produce their very own top quality championship belts and have recently released their line of IKF Equipment and Gear. The IKF's popular Internet web site has made them the largest sanctioning body of Kickboxing in the world and with their continued hard work, the future of Kickboxing looks bright. Soon, you will see IKF Kickboxing on your television sets and in a short time, IKF Kickboxing could very well become the number one form of televised contact sports' entertainment. TV networks and sponsors need to know that the sport of Kickboxing has really changed and is now ready to rise to its greatest potential! The IKF makes its objectives clear with their new slogan... "The Game has Changed...
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