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Competitor Profile on Randy Dugas, Jr.
By Boice Lydell
From Sport Karate Magazine
(Nov-Feb 1993-94)
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Date of Birth: February14, 1980
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To watch him perform with world class technique and confidence, you’d think that surely this was a player of fortune and luck. But, Randy Dugas, Jr., or “Doogie” as he’s known always seems to have to strive a little longer and harder to gain his share of stardom. In forms performance, he awesome; doing his patented, isometric kick which has won him the respect of all who are fortunate enough to watch him. His ability with his legs to do a multitude of kicks always leads him into his isometric, consisting of a slow, skyscraping vertical kick which he’ll hold till the spectators cheer at the thrill of the difficulty involved. But the “cute kid” syndrome of this blonde haired, blue eyed all american karate kid didn’t always assure him the victory. Doogie’s misfortune started a way’s back; when, at age four, he begged and pleaded for several years to learn karate. Sympathetic parents didn’t help the strong desire to take lessons, as he was told time and time again, that no karate schools were available within a reasonable drive. For years, he sat in front of the television, wanting to learn as he watched PKA fighting and dreaming of “Hi-ya” which he called karate at his young age. At age nine, the family moved to Baker, Louisiana and a persistent Doogie still begged for lessons. As it turned out, the instructor of the local school lived just a couple of doors away, so the reluctant parents gave in as the kind instructor offered to bring him to all his classes. The instructor, Andrew Westmoreland, realizing Doogie’s talents has stuck by his side to this day, for his training and to give confidence at all the tournaments he’s competed in. In competition, Doogie started off with a bang, winning his first trophy within his first month of training. As two years went by, his competition went well, as he donned a blackbelt in 1991. By his first year at national competition in the NBL was filled with a fortunate kind of a storm in event after event, placing a usual first in forms and fighting. In fact, his winnings gave him the Dixie conference number one seed in both divisions as he strived for his goal of attending the 1991 NBL Super Grands in San Jose, California. But his luck always got the best of him, as he could never seem to win a junior forms grand championship and still hadn’t until just before this writing. To further the misfortune, just after securing his number one conference rankings, he broke his arm, preventing him from achieving his goal of competing in the Super Grands. Rearrangement of NBL conferences set him froth for a renewed NBL competition in 1992 in the cowboy conference and he once again won the number one seeds in both fighting and forms, as well as weapons, but still failed to ever take a grand. To top off what seemed to be a never ending mountain to climb, the Super Grands which were scheduled for nearby New Orleans in 1992 were moved to New Jersey, but a determined player and parents planned to attend – no matter what. Upon arrival at the Super Grands, this regional conference champion found his fighting division a bit stiff, but managed a still impressive fifth place. His forte’, however, would be his forms competition which lay ahead the next day. His division was vast, with super talent, including big NBL names: California’s Jimmy Pham and Lyle Hull, New York’s Brian Karlson, Matt and Ronald Wauten along with Guatemala’s Edgar Cordova and Mayrol Juarez, just to name a few. Despite these “names” he’d read about so often in the magazine, he gathered his composure and performed to his max and came up the victor by one-one hundredth of a point over the talented Jimmy Pham. Years of up and down luck were suddenly unimportant as he could tie on an NBL World Championship black belt and be called the world’s finest twelve years and under creative forms competitor. He would also be crowned 1992 runner-up champion next to Matt Wood in twelve years and under weapons, with no outstanding luck this time, as he was topped by a mere one-one hundredth of a point. Lucky or not, Doogie remains as undeniable talented champion and is again winning in NBL conference competition. He is presently number one in his forms, weapons and fighting divisions in the new Bayou conference, despite another injury which prevented his competition in one tournament and losing in some others. But who cares? Only a handful of juniors are world champions like Randy Dugas; so win, lose or injured, everyone knows his championship status and it’s guaranteed he will be the one to beat this year as the Super Grands rolls into his home state this year as he goes full force into the 13 to 17 year old division for another title win. Besides his excellence in competition, Doogie is also an assistant instructor at his karate school and has tried his hand at acting; landing a role in a television commercial on a local station. He also boasted a perfect honor roll record in school since first grade. In closing, we must warn you, if you ever want to talk to Doogie, you’ll find he’s more than personable; just bring an interpreter, as you’ll discover his Louisiana accent is almost impossible to understand! |
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