Aurora, CO – The Colorado Elementary School Taekwondo League hosted its fall championships on November 10th, 2012. The championships featured twelve teams vying for top honors across five events. Teams were coming off the first Elementary School Championships in May. Because many schools go to 8th grade, the league includes middle school teams as well.
You wouldn’t want to meet them at the end of a dark alley! CJ Calingo almost singlehandedly lead newcomer Omar D. Blair to a 6th place overall finish.
The day started off with Traditional forms. The forms competition was top notch with many 2012 state champions and Anthony Hicks, the current US National Champion in his division. The close finish was a preview of what was to come, with four teams all ending within three points of each other. However, Crescent View Academy ended up edging out the others and went ahead with 13 points.
Next was the demo team competition. This time the team from Global Village Academy turned in a strong performance that edged out rival Aurora Quest. GVA’s demo featured Taylor Altman’s patented Scorpion kick as well as Anthony demolishing a board with a flash kick (kick in the middle of a back flip).
GVA slightly extended its lead through board breaking, with other schools close behind. In grappling, Crescent View Academy and High Point Academy tied for first with 10 points each, with HPA lead by the Axelrod brothers. Instructor Kyle Landon of HPA had high praise for his students, who won their first event. “The HPA students love to grapple, and they have been working really hard and showing a lot of improvement.”
Cinnamon from Options shows off her grappling gold medal.
In the sparring competition, Master Kamil’s CVA was once again a powerhouse but top honors belonged to GVA Thornton and Instructor Ahmed Alsubaihawi, a member of the 2013 Iraq National Taekwondo Team. The GVA Thornton students earned 16 points for their efforts. The sparring competition featured many great students, including 2012 USAT and AAU National Champion Grace Kosloski.
When all the dust had settled, Global Village Academy Aurora emerged on top, by the margin of a single gold medal. CVA was second, and Aurora Quest finished third. The tournament scheduling didn’t favor Quest, as they were without the services of 2011-2012 MVP Riley Ward and the Burson family was able to attend only two events. Still, the reigning league champions remain within shot of the title heading into the spring. The students will compete again at the 2013 Twin Dragons Tournament, and the points from that tournament will be added to the points from this one, to determine the overall league ranking for the 2012-2013 season.
All in all the students had a good time and learned a lot. Hannah Toulouse (GVA) said “It was really fun and I was excited that I broke a board with my fist.” Isabella Walsh (GVA) added: “It was so awesome. I hope even more people come next time.” Master Kamil Latipov (CVA) said “I am proud of how hard all the students worked and everyone from CVA showed a lot of improvement!”
Sarah Claussen, a parent from Aurora Options really summed up the mood. “What impressed me most was what took place on the podium. Many of the students took the opportunity to thank their opponents for challenging them, pointing out their strengths and overall toughness.”
Master Bill Pottle, current head of the Korean Academy of Taekwondo, reflected back on the championships. “Through the hard work of many instructors, I really feel like we are building something special. We have a place where people can come together from many different backgrounds and unite in their quest to better themselves through martial arts. Between this and the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Taekwondo League, we are changing the nature of Taekwondo competition to make it more in line with students’ academic schools.”
Anyone interested in finding out more information or participating can visit the official elementary school league page.
Final Results:
- GVA Aurora (44)
- Crescent View Academy (41)
- Aurora Quest K8 (36)
- High Point Academy (29)
- GVA Thornton (26)
- Omar D. Blair (6)
- Walt Clark Middle School (5)
- STEM Academy (3)
- Mike’s School (3)
- Antelope Ridge (3)
- Aurora Options (3)
- Dakota Valley (1)
Can GVA Aurora hold on to their 3 point league to win their first ever league championship?
The current MVP Candidates include: Sam and JT Axelrod (HPA), Hannah Toulouse (GVA) Jibreal Jones (CVA), Taylor Altman (GVA), Isabella Walsh (GVA) Josiah Dunkn (QST) and more.