Spirit Lake karate team wins big at Tacoma tourney
Courtesy photo Team UKKA (Universal Kenpo Kung Fu Association), a Spirit Lake karate team, brought home numerous trophies from the City of Destiny Classic Karate Tournament on Sept. 30 at the Tacoma (Wash.) Convention Center. In the front row from left are Jessika Winland and Jesse Winland; and back row from left, Allilah Dykes, Alannah Winland and Saydie Green.
Team UKKA (Universal Kenpo Kung Fu Association), a Spirit Lake karate team, brought home five first-place trophies, four second-place trophies and a third-place trophy from the City of Destiny Classic Karate Tournament on Sept. 30 at the Tacoma (Wash.) Convention Center.
Allilah Dykes (age 17) won two first-place trophies.
Alannah Winland (13) won a first-place trophy and two second-place trophies.
Saydie Green (13) won one first-place trophy and one second-place trophy.
Jessika Winland (8) won one first-place medal and one third-place medal.
Mike “Ziggy” Siegfried (59; instructor) won one second-place trophy.
Their youngest competitor, Jessika Winland, 8, said, “It is not about winning, it is about competing and having fun.”
Instructor Mike “Ziggy” Siegfried said, “This was the biggest tournament in the Pacific Northwest this year. The team did great in the face of serious competition. We saw teams from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana all vying for the top spots. The team represented themselves, the community and the state with dignity and respect.”
The team is sponsored by the Verbal Judo Institute, Inc., a verbal de-escalation training company based in New York.