Despite the minus 20 degrees weather, Atlantis Taekwondo left a fiery mark in Saskatchewan this past November.
Athletes from Terrace’s Atlantis Taekwondo attended the Canadian National Championships in Regina from Nov. 8 to 9, bringing home multiple medals to brag about.
“Nationals went well, we’re a strong group,” says Cody Skog, owner and instructor at Atlantis Taekwondo. “Everybody competed at their own personal best, so that was cool.”
With athletes aged eight to 16 making the trek to the prairies, some even choosing to drive across the country, Skog says he was amazed with how determined his students were on the mat.
Star of the show was Arwyn Berube winning double-gold in sparring and patterns.
Also winning gold in sparring was Damian Knox, Olivia Woods, Daisy Skog, Corbin Specialny, and Sydney Nabess-Bennet. Close behind with silver in sparring was Michael Kharchenko and Finn McMurry. Bronze medal went to Peter Clayton, Mattea Fewer and Kate Kharchenko.
As for patterns, Skog himself claimed a gold medal. Daisy Skog and Corbin Specialny received a silver for patterns, with a bronze medal each given to Kate Kharchenko, Damian Knox and Sydney Nabess-Bennet.
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Beyond the notable wins, he says some athletes definitely felt the pressure and had a bit of performance anxiety, but he knows they can become national taekwondo champions once they learn to master their nerves.
He adds though, it isn’t all about winning. Skog says the event is a great way to meet other athletes from other parts of the country and form meaningful friendships.
“Even just that aspect of meeting people from different areas is pretty fun, there were even a couple of accents and a bit of French going on, just good camaraderie,” says Skog. “You’ll probably see them at the next tournament too and you have that connection.”
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Skog says Atlantis Taekwondo will likely be the host of the Northwest Championships this upcoming spring but they’re also training for a bigger event in the future. Come 2022, Skog is planning on taking his students to compete at the World Cup in Ireland.
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