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Tiger students face international opponents in Vegas and win big

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Master Kojak of Tiger Martial Arts had realistic expectations for his students that participated in the recent North American Open in Las Vegas.

He was hoping for just one medal. His students were hoping for more and they achieved much more, bringing three gold medals and two silver medals home to the Fayetteville studio.

Immanuel Larry participated in the 6-7 age group and won a gold medal. Larry, a world champion blue belt, only had to participate in one match because of his title. He fought a boy from Mexico and won, keeping his unbeaten streak going. Larry has been practicing Tae Kwon Do for three years and has never lost a match.

In the 10-11 age group, Mandel Jones did not get a taste of the international flavor of the competition as both of his matches were against athletes from the United States. Jones, a blue belt with a red stripe, won the silver medal, while Raymond LeDay, a black belt in the 10-11 age group, won the gold. LeDay took on martial artists from Vietnam and The Phillipines on his way to the title.

Wesley Reed fought in the 13-14 age group and faced athletes from Guatemala and Canada. Reed took home the silver medal, while William Edward, a competitior in the 15-16 age group and the team captain, won gold by defeating a young man from Mexico.

The young men from the Fayetteville studio had a great time in Las Vegas. LeDay raved about the food, while Reed said that he saw a lot of nice looking girls. Kojak was proud of his students, especially since they braved temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees each day and did a fair amount of walking around the city. In addition to the comeptition, the boys also got to see a pirate show and ride roller coasters. They also got to strut their stuff at the airport on the way home, as each of them continued to wear their medals while boarding the plane.

The students at Tiger Martial Arts are now focused on the Georgia Championships, which will take place Oct. 18.