Martial artists (L-R) Alivia Robbins, Kaya Dobson and Trenton Robbins with their coach Evan Franulovich. (Submitted photo)

Kaya Dobson, Alivia Robbins and Trenton Robbins traveled to Dallas, Texas, recently with their coach Evan Franulovich and their families to compete in the nation’s largest and most prestigious taekwondo tournament — the USA National Taekwondo Championships — previously known as the Junior Olympics.

They joined more than 3,600 other martial artists from around the country for the week-long event.
Dobson and T. Robbins competed Friday, June 29, in forms and sparring.

Dobson also competed in weapons and board breaking.

A. Robbins competed Saturday, June 30, in forms and sparring.

While no medals were won in any of the forms competitions, both Dobson and A. Robbins earned bronze medals in sparring.

“All of our athletes did great” said Franulovich. “The kids put a lot of additional time and effort into their training and it showed. Medal or not, our kids looked good out there.”

USA Taekwondo, the national governing body for sport taekwondo in the United States and recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee, conducts the USA National Taekwondo Championships on an annual basis and is the premier taekwondo event for practitioners ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. It is the largest single taekwondo competition in the world, often attracting more than 3,000 participants and 12,000 spectators.