Cache Valley athletes win multiple gold medals at state Tae Kwon Do championships

Nine of the 11 state champions from Master Michael Evans Martial Arts National Competition Team at the Utah state competition in Draper on April 30, 2016.

A group of martial arts students from Cache Valley recently competed in the Utah State Tae Kwon Do championships held in Draper and came away with some serious hardware.

Numerous members of Master Michael Evans Martial Arts National Competition Team placed first in Sparring, taking gold medals in various belt and weight divisions. Zakary Alvarez, Connor Worthen, Indiana Judd, Ian Welch, Camary Davis, Giovanni Trujillo, and Paola Morales all won first place at the state competition.

Laura Del Valle actually took two gold medals, one in Sparring and one in Martial Arts Forms. Others in the group came away with bronze medals in Sparring, including Karen Morales, Cassie Vigil and Aron Nava. Over 350 competitors participated at the state competition which qualified team members to compete in the Junior Olympic National Tae Kwon Do tournament held in Richmond Virginia in July.

Sparring is full contact martial arts that starts at age six. Each competitor wears full protective gear and uses kicks to the chest and head areas to score points. The team will now use the next two months to prepare for nationals and find sponsors for the team.

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