Throughout his 14-year athletic career, Gary Sabean has shown the utmost discipline and respect for his sports; however, initially, he had no interest in karate at all. It was his first competition, at which he did horribly, that inspired him to try harder and commenced his love for karate. Gary may have started off slowly, but his reputation quickly grew to precede him. Those who know Gary, consistently describe him as personable, kind-hearted, and dedicated. Former manager of the NS provincial karate team, Ellen Waterfield, sums Gary up by saying that “his humility and success [are] the perfect combination, and his humour [is] a gift”.

Gary has managed to obtain the title of Canadian Champion in the under-75kg division not once, but nine times – seven of those times consecutively from 1997-2003. In 1999, he not only claimed first place in the middleweight class, but he took home the title of open weight champion as well. Gary has even taken first place honours worldwide in competitions with over 100 participating countries, winning gold in sparring at the 2001 World Shito-Ryu Karate Championship and being named the Grand Champion in forms and sparring at the same tournament in 2004.

Gary’s feats are not purely physical accomplishments. Mentally, Gary maintains a very positive attitude, stating that you can “always learn something in karate” no matter how many times you compete, whether you win or lose. He remembers that, after each national tournament, losing was an opportunity to focus on improvement, while winning was simply encouragement to try harder and do better.

Karate, as a low-profile sport, doesn’t always get the support it deserves, but Gary has proven that a team from the small Nova Scotia Karate Association can win titles at a national level. As a competitor, Gary Sabean earned such prestigious titles as National Athlete of the Year (2000), and winner of the overall sportsmanship award at a national tournament. After his retirement, he continued to be an active force in the sport of karate, earning the distinction of National Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. Gary currently puts his teaching skills to good use as a coach for the National team and as head coach for the Alberta team. He has just commenced teaching karate to four-to-six-year-olds. The first thing he covers with his students is bowing. Gary, a true ambassador of his sport, explains his teaching methods by reminding us that “karate begins and ends with respect”.