MIDDLE REGION--Members of the King Yen Tae kwon do are training hard in preparation to compete in the 19th Puerto Rico International Championship called Los Gallitos Olimpicos. The school under the direction of St. Maarten Sports Person of the Year Theo Liu expects to field a team of thirty athletes.
"This is our sixth trip to this competition," said the Grandmaster. "This year the organizers honoured St. Maarten. They included our flag on the competition logo."
Last year the St. Maarten team of 21 athletes won 35 medals. "We are going with a bigger team this year and expect even better results," said Liu.
He explained the school continues to grow and many of the children who started training at a very young age are ready for international competition.
The team consists of athletes age five to 18.
"The trip is good for the children," said Liu. "It's not only about the competition. They see the world, make new friends, eat different food and learn life lessons like getting along with each other.
The team is scheduled to leave the Friendly Island March 8, compete in both sparing and forms March 10 to 11 and return home March 12.
The school trains in Middle region Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings at the Sister Marie Laurence School and Thursday and Sundays at Prins Willem Alexander School in St. Peters.
