LACEY, Wash. - KTigers Taekwondo from Coeur d'Alene competed at the Washington State Governor's Cup Taekwondo championship last Saturday at St. Martin's University.

The Washington State Governor's Cup is one of the largest taekwondo championships in the northwest; this year alone 65 taekwondo schools from over 8 different states and Canada participated, with an official headcount of 724 competitors. The event was sponsored and made possible by the Washington State Taekwondo Foundation and the U.S. Martial Arts Center.

Taekwondo is an unarmed Korean martial art that has more than 70 million practitioners worldwide. It was officially introduced as an Olympic sport in 2000 at the Sydney Summer Games. Stylistically, taekwondo is admired for its wide range of high, powerful kicks, intense hand strike combinations, and strong defense techniques.

Taekwondo has various levels of expertise with the highest achievable rank being a 9th degree black belt, an accomplishment that takes a lifetime of training and practice. Various color belts represent the different levels of experience prior to attaining a first degree black belt. The championship was broken down into categories that included sparring, poomsae (a perfection of form competition) and board breaking.

A total of 15 students from KTigers Taekwondo attended and competed in various Poomsae (form) and board breaking categories. KTigers brought home a total of 11 first-place gold medals, four second-place silver medals, and two third-place bronze medals.

The top local finishers follow:

All team traditional and creative form: 1st Place, Juliana LaVe' and Heather Hoeck-Mills.

Ages 6- 7 Women's All belt level Traditional form: 1st Place, Julia Tickemyer.

Ages 8-9 Men's Traditional form, Intermediate: 1st Place, Chase Watson; 2nd Place, Giovanni Carlino

Ages 8-9 Women's Traditional form, Beginner: 1st Place, Danielle Henson. Advanced: 3rd Place, Hailie Valesco.

Ages 10-11 Men's Traditional form, Intermediate: 2nd Place, James Sanders.

Ages 12 -14 Men's Board Breaking, Black Belt: 3rd Place, Brandon West.

Ages 15 -17 Men's Traditional form, Black Belt: 2nd Place, Braedon Parsons.

Ages 15 -17 Women's Traditional form, Intermediate: 1st Place, Sasha Westly.

Ages 15-17 Men's Board Breaking, Black Belt: 1st Place, Jacob Smith.

Ages 18-32 Men's Traditional form, Beginner: 1st Place, Benjamin Henson.

Ages 18-32 Women's Traditional form: Advanced, 1st Place, Heather Hoeck-Mills; Black Belt, 1st Place, Juliana LaVe'.

Ages 33-41 Women's Traditional form, Intermediate: 2nd Place, Marcie Fairchild.