This past weekend held excitement and tears for competitors this year’s National Championships. Held in Spokane, Washington; we brought a total of 17 competitors to take home medals and memories over the course of a three day weekend.
The Team began warming up early morning on Friday, June 22nd, to the familiar tense air of strong competition and a thirst for first-place.
DAY 1:
It was a busy day for the portion of the team that competed today. A lot of great matches and strong efforts by the team. There was some pretty strong competition today and everyone gave it their all. Anthony Medina had a very strong showing going 7 wins to 2 losses for the day and earning a well-deserved Silver Medal. The rest of the team will be fighting tomorrow and then the entire team will be competing again in the International Division.
DAY 2:
Once again we had some nice performances by the team guided by the coaches and strong support from the parents. Today’s team brought in two Golds, one Silver, and one Bronze!
Gold medal winners were Brendon Waibel and Ruby Nguyen, the Silver medal was won by Ehsan Shah, and a strong Bronze medal finish was earned by Lydia Derbin. Everyone, whether they made the podium or not, fought very strong and should be proud of their efforts.
DAY 3:
For the final day, the team brought home seven medals that were earned with some tough competitions and some long matches. Congratulations to the following podium finishers: Gold Medals were awarded to Ruby Nguyen ( her second Gold) and Brendon Waibel who also won a Gold on Saturday. Silver Medals were awarded to Ehsan Shah, which is a nice addition to his Silver medal from Day 2. Anthony Medina was also able to duplicate his feat from his Friday performance with another Silver Medal. Bronze Medals were earned by Bailey Shioya, Stephanie Martinez-Flores, and Tommy Carroll.
A big thank you to the parents that gave the team tremendous support for the three days of competition as well as the traveling. And huge appreciation to mat-side coaches, Sensei Nicki, Sensei Janine, and Sensei James. Nice job everyone!