Alliance Taekwondo attended the 2016 Rougherider Invitational Championship on October 24th. Alliance fielded a team twenty-two competitors strong, including blackbelts Tammy Fairbanks, Dale Schneibel and Kyle Sanford and junior blackbelts Tanner Olson, Shauna Fairbanks, Eddie Lin and Cameron Lemere; underbelt competitors included Logan King, Tristian and Tyler Glass, Justin LaFavor, Madison and Mason Rud, Andrew Burger, Kaitlyn Retzer, Alex Hamilton, Jaylynn Ernst, Keith and Addy Smette, Kenyon Meissel, Clark Schumacher and Chloe Poffenberger.
Ms Tammy Fairbanks took third in her 3rd dan division with a sharp Taebek, while Mr Kyle Sanford showed power and solidity to take first with Kumgang in his 2nd dan division. The jr blackbelt division had some stiff competition, but the Alliance youth team stepped it up and both Shauna Fairbanks and Eddie Lin placed in separate divisions with Koryo, both taking second place.
In underbelt forms, twelve juniors and three adults competed. In the adult divisions, Madison and Mason Rud competed in the advanced divisions, and Jaylynn Ernst competed at the intermediate level; Ms Madison Rud took home the first place trophy in her division. In the junior divisions, advanced competitor and jr blackbelt candidate Logan King took first, while teammates Tristian Glass and Alex Hamilton took third and first respectively. At the beginner level, Mr Kenyon Meissel took third and in a separate division Mr Clark Schumacher took first.
In underbelt weapons, Mr Logan King showcased his Hapkido bo-staff set and took first place in his division.
In breaking, junior underbelts Mr Logan King and Mr Justin LaFavor took home awards in two advanced divisions; King placed first, while in a separate division LaFavor took third. In an advanced underbelt division, Madison Rud took second.
In the always competitive jr blackbelt divisions, Mr Tanner Olson delivered solid strikes to win second, while in a younger division Mr Eddie Lin broke his way to third. In the adult blackbelt divisions, Mr Dale Schneibel showcased his trademark power and ferocity to own a second place finish.
In the sparring divisions, the Alliance underbelts faced some tenacious competition. In an older advanced division, teammates Mr Logan King and Mr Andrew Burger battled through opposite legs of the same bracket to fight each other for first place. In a close match that went into overtime, Burger ended up earning the final point to claim first, with teammate King taking a respectable second. In a younger advanced division, Tristian Glass fought fast and smart, and claimed second. In the adult divisions, Ms Madison Rud fought her way to third place in an advanced women’s division, while Mr Mason Rud claimed first in an adult men’s division.
The junior blackbelt divisions were full of stiff competition, as usual. In a big division in which three Alliance jr blackbelts competed, Mr Eddie Lin defeated his older training brother Mr Tanner Olson for a chance at the first place match; Lin ended up with second, while Olson won his match to claim third.
Blackbelt fighting was two rounds of two-minute continuous fighting and scoring per match. In the fighting highlight of the day, Mr Kyle Sanford burned through two opponents before meeting up with training brother Mr Jesse Kipp from the Greenquist Headquarters gym. After two more exhausting rounds in which Sanford displayed his persistence and fortitude, he was declared winner and awarded first place.
In the underbelt under 15 Grand Championship, Mr Logan King tied up with an advanced Roughrider student; King nearly won the trophy, but was edged out after a forms run-off with a split decision; even so, a notable cap to a successful day for King.
Alliance would like to thank the Roughrider Academy and Grandmaster Ted Fitzsimmons for hosting the tournament and providing these opportunities. We would also like to congratulate the entire team on all the hard work, and thank the parents, instructors and coaches who have supported them. As always, our gratitude goes out to Grandmaster Eric Greenquist for his many years of dedication and instruction, and Great Grandmaster Moo Young Yun for his tireless efforts in the promotion of Korean martial arts.
