Lajes Youth compete in Portuguese Tournament

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christin Michaud
  • 65th ABW Public Affairs
LAJES AIR STATION, Portugal (USAFENS) --  Lajes youth participating in Tae Kwon Do competed with their Portuguese counterparts Saturday in Angra.

“It was an honor for the Portuguese Karate Association to invite us for an open tournament,” said Ken Cruz, the Lajes Tae Kwon Do instructor.

The tournament was an individual competition based on belt rank and height size.

The following individuals were recognized during the tournament:

“This was the first competition for my boys and they loved it,” said Donald Ehrman, father of Brandon and Aaron.

“The boys were pretty excited about the competition and worked hard in the weeks prior to perfect their skills. They sparred three days a week and fought against a variety of skill levels and belt’s to give them practical experience with dissimilar opponents, he said.

“Mr. Cruz is the reason we were given this opportunity. He is dedicated to teaching kids martial arts and truly cares about the mental and physical development of the kids in his program. I participate in the classes with my sons and daughter, and have truly enjoyed watching their development under Mr. Cruz’s tutelage,” said Mr. Ehrman.

Mr. Cruz got his start in martial arts because of his sisters.

“I have five sisters and needed to protect them,” he said.

He started in Kung Fu, then Kempo and now Tae Kwon Do. He’s been teaching the martial art for nine years.

Tae Kwon Do promotes discipline, self control and physical conditioning the instructor said.

Students were able to experience that during the tournament.

Mr. Cruz said it was exhilarating as an instructor to see students from Lajes experience a tournament like this one, but he said, “It’s having fun that counts the most.”

That’s why Nick Westrick said he does Tae Kwon Do.

“It’s fun,” he said. “And I get to learn self-defense.”

The event was fun for parents as well.

“My wife and I really had a good time watching all of the bouts, from the pee-wee size kids who showed great form, to the young adults that were very serious about their art and the chance to demonstrate their abilities,” Mr. Ehrman expressed. “This sport truly breeds self respect and through that they have gained respect of others. The level of sportsmanship was high and apparent to everyone there. I was very happy that my boys were given the opportunity to compete, and to see this superior sportsmanship first hand.”