On August 1, 5 children from Seattle Tae Kwon Do in Mountlake Terrace competed in the United States National Tae Kwon Do Federation National Championships at Triton College in Chicago, Illinois. Over one thousand of the best competitors from around the country came to represent their cities and states in this monumental event.
Each child participated in forms (choreographed routines) and sparring. Seattle Tae Kwon Do sent 5 students from 8 to 13 years old and team came home with 10 medals in total. The participants and medals won were as follows:
Kyle Bequette, Age 8
Forms — Bronze and Sparring — Gold
Kianna Rendorio, Age 8
Forms — Gold and Sparring — Gold
Mitchel Boles, Age 8
Forms — Gold and Sparring — Silver
Zachery Krumroy, Age 8
Forms — Silver and Sparring — Bronze
Jacob Jellison, Age 13
Forms — Silver and Sparring — Bronze
That’s really awesome! Great job guys! But, I have to say the knock out photo is a little disturbing… the kid is only 9 and we’re proud he got knocked out? I don’t think so…
A knock-out is a direct result of a major concussion and at 9, can be life altering… concussions compound on one another, and you NEVER fully heal from one. Not really thrilled that it appears that Seattle TKD is advertising and boasting about something that could drastically affect that kids life.
However, kudos to the team for their hard work and dedication. TKD can be a physically and emotionally demanding sport and those that won medals should be very proud of themselves. Nice work.
Hi Mark, here is more details about the knockout. If there was excessive force, he would have been disqualified. Kids don’t normally get knockout results. However, in this case, Kyle, was coming from behind and was on a roll, getting point after point. In the end he did “lightly” kick the other boy in the head, and the other boy simply did not have the heart to go on, so it was declared a knock out. Trust me, he was just fine after the match was over, in fact he and Kyle were acting like best friends after the match. It was just the novelty of the outcome.
Brandon…. I understand, and am glad that it wasn’t a true ‘knockout’, and also know that knockouts can be declared without actually losing consciousness. It’s just that the photo, with a limp boy being held up by the ref, the look of shock on the two women in the background, one covering her mouth in a gasp, paints a little different picture. Just sayin’, a picture is worth a thousand words, but not if they’re the wrong words telling the wrong story! :)In any case, those kids should be proud of their hard work and dedication, and very nice work at the competition! Those kids deserve some serious high fives! (And maybe a pizza party at Sorelli. 🙂 )