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Competitor Profile on Maxime Langlois
By Boice Lydell
From Sport Karate
Magazine (Nov-Feb 1993-94)
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Date of Birth: January 5, 1974 |
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Other Martial Arts Accomplishments: Won 1st adult
championship at age 15 at the Monteral Open. To look at this young player when he lines up as an adult, you may thing he got displaced into the wrong division, as he could easily pass as junion competitior – say 14 or so. But, Maxime Langlois, simply known as Max, at 19, has made a revolutionary mark in adult sport karate competition. He sports a baseball cap with the bold lettered caption “MAX RULES” and he’s not likely to have it disputed. At 19 years old, this gemstone of the Canadian Hugo Team did what every aspiring sport karate junior, turned adult, dreams about and few adults will ever realize – to win an overall sparring world title in a karate league. Blanking the second place opponent 9 to 0 for the world flyweight title in the 1992 NBL. Super Grand Nationals Max’s dream of being overall champion was still several steps from being realized. But, with a little luck and smart play, he bested three of the sport’s most formidable players to win it. First, topping the feather weight no show, Gabe Reynaga, max then took the overall light weight, Darryl Khalid, to a tight 2 to 1 victory. Finally, taking on the reputable nation champion, Jerry Fontanez, Max pulled off the unbelievable, with a 2 to 1 blitzing, backfisting victory. Hailed as hero by teammates and Canadians, he went back home, giving Canada unprecedented sport karate fame and highlighting the Hugo Team as one of the best teams of all time. Where did this little known player come from? Well, although the rest of the sport karate world looked on in utter amazement at this unknown flyweight’s victory, his string of wins in homeland Quebec seem common place. Starting with his first adult sparing grand championship at age 15, winning the Montreal Open, to his win in February at the Can-Am Internationals in Montreal, he wins nearly every event he attends in his French Canadian province. As a regional NBL Player in 1992, Max won the NBL Karate Can-Am in Buffalo, New York, but without any national conference travel, he failed to receive much national attention or press. He is limited to a shoe string budget for travel, but sincerely credits the travel and press that he can obtain to his being chosen as a member of the Hugo team. Well known and feared throughout eastern Canada, the Hugo team has left a victorious trail in Canadian karate sparing history, dulling the image that Canadians are only forms competitiors. The Hugo company is the major karate uniform supplier/manufacturer in Canada and owner, Jean Claude Croisitiere outfits the best of Canadian fighters with his gear to represent the team. Max and his team mates realize the value of a team and it sponsorship and represent Hugo with the utmost of the sport katate sportsmanship. As Max put it, “Without Hugo, I wouldn’t be known outside Quebec”. Max’s invitation to the team last year came after years of wanting to be a member, idolizing its senior and most famous player, Danny Griffith. Well known because of his travels and wins in the United States, Griffith has been the epitomy of excellence to many Canadian and US competitiors throughout his career. He was admittedly, Max’s inspiration as a junior, as he watched Griffith win time and time again. Not only was it shocking that an unknown Canadian won the Super Grands, but also that it was a flyweight that did it. With a 135 pound 5 foot 9 inch build, he obviously doesn’t go around kicking Woody Sims type players in the head. He depends upon his smart play of avoidance and ring use, coupled with keenly timed counter side kicks and jumping, blitzing backfists. His backfists seem to come out of nowhere as he’s dodging and darting his larger opponents attacks. “I am the lightest fighter in my father’s school”, says Max, “No one is my weight! I must fight middle weight or heavier in order to practice”. Maybe this explains his ease with larger players in the ring. He trains with his father, Dennis Langlois, who was a regular circuit fighter before going into teaching full time a few years ago. He works out with brother, Benjamin and travels to competitions extensively with him. Being involved with a family that is so martial arts oriented has given him the opportunity to excel. He practices fighting on a continuous basis with the many students at his father’s TaeKwonDo school and when quizzed about forms, he simply says, “I don’t like forms”, but did say that the kama may be part of his future. However, for now, he wishes to continue to excel in fighting. Besides his world title victory, the 3 man Hugo team, consisting of Patrick Matthieu, coach Yves Lavigne and himself, pulled off an impressive runner-up world team title, losing to the Bay Area’s Best tam by one point in overtime. Max’s future plans include a college career, which he presently is pursuing, with a goal of elementary and secondary school teaching. Not unlike many of sport karate’s finest, he enjoys working with youth, helping to shape their lives to maximum potential, however, he intends to continue martial arts with competition and part time teaching such as he does presently at his father’s school. He hopes to pursue Aikido and Kendo in the future as part of expanded training. And does he intend to do it again? Absolutely. When asked at the King Cobra Nationals, he said he’s shooting for all of it again next year. Nice start; at King Cobra he won his division again and he and Jerry Fontanez came down to the wire once again in the overall grand. This time Jerry took the edge, but wait until the Super Grands. Contents Copyright ©2006 - Tsoft Software Products, Incorporated |
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