Toughest Forms/Weapon Opponent: John Valera
Toughest Fighting Opponent: Raymond Daniels
Other Martial Arts Accomplishments: Has taught karate for 7 years
Helped his father, Larry Tankson, produce top players in the midwest
Sport Karate Career Highlight: Getting perfect 10's at the 1998 Super Grands
Martial arts goal #1: To help sport karate grow
Martial arts goal #2: To be the best all around player of all time
Martial arts goal #3: To produce students better than himself
Non-Martial arts goal: To be a musician
Favorite Tournaments: Super Grands and Battle of Chicago
Favorite Sport Karate Players: Past Forms: Butch Togisala, Present Forms: Stephanie Flowers, Past Fighting: Tony Young, Present Fightng: Larry Tankson
Most admired martial artists: Tony Young and John Sharkey
Most admired person: His mother, Nadine Tankson
Favorite food: Haitian
Favorite movie: The Godfather II
Favorite actor: Robert DeNiro
Favorite magazines: Flex and Sport Karate Magazine
Favorite book: A Raisin in the Sun
Favorite music: Jazz
Favorite musician: Stevie Wonder
Favorite hobby: Music
Favorite sport: Track & Field

Sometimes it's surprising how being in the right place at the right time can bring about some of the biggest changes in our lives. Jason Tankson has had several such martial arts happen stances that were not exactly planned out, but which excelled his career.

His first such fortuity came at age nine when he quite nonchalantly watched the movie Blood Sport. As a youngster with aspirations to compete as a gymnast, watching this movie inspired him to try karate lessons which immediately led to a desire and success in karate competition. He almost immediately became a top notch local competitor and for several years remained the number one player in his rank and age group for both fighting and forms in the local circuit.

Despite the world renown reputation of his father, Larry Tankson, Jason didn't venture much from the home territory. A second stroke of luck would come about as a result of his father being an NBL tournament promoter. Jason acquired a ranking in the NBL from competing at his fathers tournament. Without any intention of acquiring the ranking, this ultimately lead to his qualifying and seeding for the Super Grands World Games in Washington, D.C. in 1996. So along with his father he decided to attended the World Games and to the shock and surprise of circuit regulars and perhaps himself, this "new" player topped the 16-17 year old point fighting division against a field of top notch players. This would wind up being one of the milestones of his competition career as the Firefighters Team sponsor, Neal Adams, caught a glimpse of Tankson and happened to need a player to fill the 16-17 year old spot for his team. Before the end of the Super Grands, Tankson had not only won a world title but had also secured a spot on one of the more prestigious karate teams of the time.

The Firefighters team membership enabled him to experience the national karate tournament world in 1997 in his last year of junior competition. In the Super Grands that year he won two more world titles, scoring his first one in forms competition. He liked the team and had great admiration for Adams and all that he provided for him, but unfortunately the Firefighters came to an end in 1997. This lead him onto a short stint with Team Leiker for a while in 1998.

Then, while attending the NBL Battle on the Beach in September 1998, Tanksons most recent stroke of good luck of his competition career happened. He was approached by a member of the Kani Team to fill that player's spot on Kanai's three man sparring team for the division that day, as the team member was injured. He obliged, and along with members Raymond Daniels and Derrick Cox they came down to the finals with the John Paul Mitchel Team (JPM) and ultimately topped them for the divisional win. Although he didn't pursue a continuance on the team, their members did as they converged on their coach, Jay Rubinfeld, to consider Tankson as a permanent member. All said and done as a seasoned Kani (Outlaw) Team member, Tankson now looks at the Kani (Outlaw) Team as his extended family and has a great admiration for Jay Rubinfeld as his coach.

Tankson's latest and perhaps most important happen stance has been in his personal life. This was to be at the right place and time to meet his fiance, Stephanie Flowers. A forms champion herself, they have set wedding vows for the year 2000. He has moved from his native Chicago to Denver and now teaches full time at her fathers renown Denver Karate Academy.

But even with all Tanksons good fortune of "being in the right place at the right time" he has had to have the skills to back him up. As he puts it "You can't just rest on your laurels you must constantly work hard or someone will surpass you when you least expect it." Overall genuine hard work and consistent goal setting has made him successful not just the "happen stances" of life.

He credits his father for his perseverance to train and his winning attitude. He states that they will always be a father/son team despite typical father/son differences or what team they happen to wear the uniform of. He credits the elder Tankson with his skills and development as a top sport karate player.