USA Taekwondo National Qualifier to be Held May 22-23 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach

 

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo – USA Taekwondo, the National Governing Body for the sport of Taekwondo in the United States, will hold a National Qualifier event at the ICI Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., May 22-23.

 

The National Qualifier is the fifth and final qualifying event hosted by USA Taekwondo for 2010.  Over 350 athletes, ranging in age from 6-65, are expected to compete in both forms (poomsae) and sparring disciplines.  The competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. on both days. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Adult (10-59) tickets are $10 for a single-day pass or $15 for a two-day pass. Children (6-9) and seniors (60+) are $7 for a single-day pass and $10 for a two-day pass. Kids 5 & under are admitted free of charge.

 

The National Qualifiers are qualification events for those athletes interested in competing in the World Class division at the 2010 USA Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships and the 2010 USAT National Taekwondo Championships. Each of the top four black belt athletes per sparring weight class in the male divisions and the top four black belt athletes in the female sparring divisions at each qualifier will qualify for the World Class sparring division at the USA Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships and the USAT Senior National Championships (June 29-July 4 in Orlando, Fla.).

Other USAT National Qualifiers held in 2010 were in Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 6-7), York, Pa. (March 27-28), Fresno, Calif. (April 10-11) and Dallas, Texas (May 8-9).

The gold medalists from the World Class sparring divisions at the 2010 USA Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships in Orlando will qualify for the 2010 U.S. Junior National Team.

Semifinalists in each of the eight World Class sparring divisions at the 2010 USAT Senior National Championships in Orlando will qualify for the 2011 National Team Trials/Fight Off later this year.

Notable athletes competing this weekend in Daytona Beach include 2010 Under-24 National Team members Shelby Olson (Palm Harbor, Fla.) and Luke Ford (Miami, Fla.), and 2009 Junior National Team members Nicole Palma (Lake Worth, Fla.), Kayla Caracciolo-Clayton (Orlando, Fla.), Alexis Martinez (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Sana Jafarzadeh (Germantown, Md.).

 

 

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