Three local Fort Dodge teams competed in the tournament at Iowa Central Community College in Hodges Fieldhouse. The Tritons has 12 competitors win 21 medals and crowned six champions. The Tritons along with Faiferlick Martial Arts won the first place overall points champion with 60 points. There were 17 schools represented. The Tritons next action is their conference tournament at the University of Wisconsin – Madison who is hosting the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships on November 10 and 11, 2018.
The Tritons recognized 5 Iowa Central athletes (Maria Cortes, Colin Birzer, Laurent Hill, Trittany Miller, and Brooke Waterbury), from last year that earned All American status from the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association. Iowa Central also presented last year's two national champions, red belt Maria Cortes and blue belt Laurent Hill, with their National Champion rings.
The Iowa State University contestants all wore yellow belts in memory of Celia Barquin Arozamena, the ISU student that was killed earlier this week. Her favorite color was yellow.
Coach Faiferlick: "This is a special year because we recognized the first ever National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) All American awards to our 5 Triton athletes that earned this accomplishment in the 2018 Collegiate Nationals last spring. We also presented our 2 National Champions with their rings they earned. In addition, we are the very first ever in the nation to host a tournament where high school Taekwondo athletes began to earn a High School varsity letter for participating and earned ranking points for national and international competitions."
Team Points:
1st Place: Iowa Central – Faiferlick Martial Arts
2nd Place: Ames Park & Rec
Sportsmanship: Ames Park & Rec
Competitors:
1st Place: Main's Peak Performance
2nd Place: Bloom's TKD
Iowa Central Competitors:
· Black Belts
o Brandon Splawski, 2nd forms, 1st sparring
o Brittany Bendickson, 2nd forms, 3rd sparring
· Blue Belts:
o Laurent Hill, Blue Belt, 3rd forms, 1st sparring
· Green Belts:
o Brooke Waterbury, Green Belt, 1st forms, 1st sparring
o Hannah Vaugh, Green Belt, 2nd forms, 2nd sparring
· Yellow Belts:
o Damon Denney, Yellow Belt, 1st forms, 2nd sparring
o Faith Gosse, Yellow Belt, 2nd forms, 3rd sparring
· White Belts:
o Brooklyn Burgher, White Belt, 3rd forms, 3rd sparring
o Debra Curtis, White Belt, 3rd forms, 2nd sparring
o Edwardo Gutierrez, White Belt, 1st sparring
o Max Patkins, White Belt, 3rd forms, 2nd sparring
· Terrance Musgraves, White Belt, 2nd forms, 1st sparring
Faiferlick Martial Arts (Fort Dodge) Competitors:
· Black Belts
o Julio Vaughn, 3rd forms, 2nd sparring
· Red Belts:
o Alex Alstott, 2nd forms, 3rd sparring
· Blue Belt
· Jeremiah Allen, 1st forms, 2nd sparring
· Patrick Ackerson, 2nd forms
· Green/Purple Belts:
· Jeannie Boro, 2nd forms, 2nd sparring
· Danika Russell, 3rd forms, 3rd sparring
· Mya Perry, 3rd forms, 3rd sparring
· Korben Davis, 3rd forms, 3rd sparring
· White Belts:
o Janelle Long, 3rd sparring
o Lakota Akin, 3rd forms, 3rd sparring
Bloom's Taekwondo (Fort Dodge) Competitors:
· Black Belts
· Breanna Bethke, 1st forms
· Logan Moenck, 2nd forms
· White/Orange Yellow Belts:
· Anna Fritts, 1st forms, 1st sparring
· Sofie Fritts, 1st forms
· Jenna Moenck, 2nd forms
The Tritons are coached by Master Justin Faiferlick and Rob Hepperle.
For any questions, contact Master Justin Faiferlick
567 South 25 Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501