Three other local martial artists find success at Top 10 World Championships

Mark Webb, Jennifer Powell, Ali Vialdores and Brittany Johnson, all of Performance Martial Arts in Valdosta, recently competed at the Top 10 World Championships in Little Rock, Ark. From left to right: Mark Webb, chief instructor Mitchell Church, Jennifer Powell and Ali Vialdores. Not pictured: Brittany Johnson.

Adam MacDonald The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — VALDOSTA — Four members of Performance Martial Arts in Valdosta traveled to Little Rock, Ark. last week with the common goal of becoming a world champion in Taekwondo.

When the Top 10 World Championships were over, TitleTown had its newest champion in Ali Vialdores, a former Valdosta State football player who won the world championship for sparring in the men’s first-degree black belt division.

Last year, Vialdores entered the Top 10 World Championships ranked No. 1 in the world in sparring. However, it was his first trip to the World Championships, and the pressure of being the favorite and an injury led to a second-round exit.

Not this year.

Vialdores entered the Top 10 World Championships this year a little more under the radar, ranked fourth in the world in sparring, and he was determined to enjoy the moment this time around. He did, and it resulted in the first of what he hopes are many world championships.

“Everything slowed down,” Vialdores said about his final sparring match. “The first person to five wins, but if you haven’t made it there yet, they throw in a yellow bean bag to signal the match is over with. I remember that yellow bean bag took forever to land. You could hear the Chariots of Fire music playing. While it was taking forever, I looked at the score and realized I won.

“It all hit me. It was great.”

While Vialdores was the only member of Performance Martial Arts to claim a Top 10 World Championship this year, three of the school’s other members that competed exceeded or matched their world rankings.

Mark Webb, a former world champion who was ranked third in weapons, narrowly missed becoming the weapons world champion in the men’s fourth- and fifth-degree black belt division. He finished tied for second, then won the tie-breaker over last year’s champion.

Judges awarded Webb scores of eight, nine and eight, with nine being the highest score possible.

“I was thinking, ‘I just won this thing,’ because that’s a near impossible score,” Webb said.

However, one other participant registered scores of eight, nine and nine to win.

“Having been world champion before, there’s not as much joy in second,” Webb said. “I was pleased with how I did. I don’t feel like I was robbed or anything. I think most people out there are going for the gold medal, the one Mr. Vialdores has. So yes, it’s good to get second and be second in the world, but I wanted to win. I think it rubs off on you here in Valdosta.”

Jennifer Powell, who was ranked third in sparring in the women’s third- and fourth-degree black belt division, finished third in the world in sparring.

Ironically, Powell admits that she isn’t very fond of sparring and that she likes the forms competition much better.

“I am really good at protecting myself,” laughed Powell. “They have taught us that at this school. With all of the self-defense you learn, I think from a sparring standpoint, I’m more defensive. I can protect myself well, and find that open spot where there’s nothing else I can do but punch and kick.”

Powell is a multiple-time world champion, having previously won titles in first- and second-degree black belt competition. She said her goal is to win a world championship in every belt level. Next year could be her last chance to win as a third-degree, because she will be testing for her fourth-degree belt at the same tournament.

“I’ve never met three more determined people in my life than these people,” Performance Martial Arts chief instructor Mitchell Church said of Vialdores, Webb and Powell. “I’ve been around some of the best martial artists in the world, and I know a lot of good people, but these are very determined people.”

Performance Martial Arts’ other participant in the Top 10 World Championships was 13-year-old Brittany Johnson, a Valdosta Middle School student. She finished third in sparring in the girls’ second- and third-degree black belt division. She entered the competition ranked seventh.

Johnson is a straight-A student who runs track and plays on a travel basketball team.

“For her to have her hands in that many fires, and to still place third in the world (in the junior division), that’s pretty awesome,” Webb said.

Vialdores, Webb and Powell all agreed that the reason for their success is Church’s training.

“Usually about two or three weeks before Worlds, when you’re in the Top 10, Mr. Church starts really picking apart the things you need to fine tune,” Powell said. “He’s trained you all year to do as well as you can in the tournament, and then he takes those parts at the very end and says, ‘This little tweak is going to give you that extra edge.’”

Church shrugs it off.

“They’re being modest,” Church said. “I’m very fortunate to have students that train as hard as they do, and are that committed.”

“When you have people like these guys, I love these guys to death. They’re really good people. It’s easy to teach them when they want to learn. I learn from them, too. Every one of them is different. I wish every one of them could win a world championship, but realistically, they’re not. They’ll get it. Next year we’ll have more, I’m sure.”

The results of the Augusta tournament are:

4th and 5th Degree Black Belt Division:
Mark Webb – placed 2nd in Forms, Weapons, and Sparring

2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belt Division:
Jennifer Powell – placed 2nd in Forms, and 1st place in Weapons and Sparring
Jennifer Hardy – placed 3rd in Forms ,Weapons, and Sparring
Brittany Johnson – placed 1st in Weapons and Sparring

Color Belt Division:
Glen Sibley – placed 2nd in Forms, 1st in Weapons, and 3rd in Sparring
Tori Sibley – placed 3rd in Forms and Sparring, 2nd place in Weapons

The results are as follows:
2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belt Division
Jennifer Powell – 4th place in the Forms competition
Jennifer Hardy – 3rd place in Weapons and Sparring

Color Belt Division
Tori Sibley – 4th place in Weapons
Glen Sibley – 1st place in XMA Forms, XMA Weapons, Traditional Weapons competition; 2nd place in Creative Forms, Creative Weapons, and Traditional Forms competition

Pictured left to right:  Jennifer Hardy, Glen Sibley, Tori Sibley, and Jennifer Powell

Here are the results:
4th and 5th Degree Black Belt Division
Mark Webb – Triple Crown Victory,  1st place in Forms, Weapons,and Sparring

2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belt Division
Jennifer Powell – Triple Crown Victory,  1st place in Forms, Weapons,and Sparring
Jennifer Hardy – 2nd place in Forms, 1st place in Weapons, and 3rd place in Sparring
Brittany Johnson – Triple Crown Victory,  1st place in Forms, Weapons,and Sparring

1st Degree Black Belt Division
Ali Vialdores – 3rd place in Forms, 1st place in Sparring

Color Belt Division
Glen Sibley – Triple Crown Victory,  1st place in Forms, Weapons,and Sparring
Kameron Anderson – 1st place in Forms and Sparring, 2nd place in Weapons
Tori Sibley – 2nd place in Forms, Weapons, and Sparring
Paige Giddens – 1st place in Sparring

Chief Instructor, Mitchell Church, of Performance Martial Arts Academy announces that eleven of his students recently competed in the Atlanta Warrior Classic.? This is an American Taekwondo Association sanctioned event that draws martial artists from across the country.

Pictured left to right: (back row) Mr. Webb, Mr. Church, Mr. Sibley, (middle row) Ms. Hardy. Ms. Matthews, K. Anderson, B. Speldrick, K. Speldrick, (front row) A. Speldrick, T. Sibley. Not Available at time of Photo: Mrs. Powell, Ms. Johnson, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Validores, R. Spaulding, T. Ike

ATA Tournament Results as Follows:

Mark Webb, 4th degree black belt, took 1st place in Songahm Forms, 1st place in Songahm Weapons, and 2nd place in Sparring.
Jennifer Powell, 3rd degree black belt, took 1st place in Songahm Forms, 1st place in Songahm Weapons, and 2nd place in Sparring.
Jennifer Hardy, 2nd degree black belt, placed 2nd in Songahm Forms, and 2nd in Sparring.
Brittany Johnson, 2nd degree black belt, took 1st place in Songahm Weapons, and 1st place in Sparring.
Mizzani Matthews, 2nd degree black belt, took 2nd in Songahm Weapons.
Gary Matthews, 2nd degree black belt, Triple Crown Win, 1st in Songahm Forms, 1st in Songahm Weapons, and 1st in Sparring.
Ali Validores, 1st degree black belt, took 1st in Sparring, and 3rd in Songahm Forms.
Ryan Spaulding, 1st degree black belt, placed 4th in Songahm Weapons.
Tanner Ike, color belt, 2nd in Forms, 2nd in One-Step-Sparring.
Bubba Speldrick, color belt, and excellent job as a competitor in his first competition!
Kristen Speldrick, color belt, and excellent job as a competitor in her first competition!
Ashton Speldrick, color belt, and excellent job as a competitor in his first competition!
Kameron Anderson, color belt, took 1st place in Sparring, 2nd place in Songahm Forms, and 2nd place in Songahm Weapons.
Tori Sibley, color belt, took 1st place in Sparring, 2nd place in Creative Weapons, 3rd Place in Songahm Forms, and 2nd place in Songahm Weapons.
Glen Sibley, color belt, Competed in Seven events in one day! He took 1st place in XMA (Xtreme Martial Arts) Forms, 3rd Place in XMA Weapons, 2nd Place in Creative Forms, 3rd Place in Creative Weapons, 2nd Place in Songahm Forms, 1st Place in Songahm Weapons, and 1st place in Sparring.

Team Performance Members from ATA Fall Nationals. Front Row: R. Spaulding, T. Sibley, Middle Row: M. Matthews, J. Hardy, B. Johnson, Back Row: M. Webb, Mr. Church, G.Sibley, Absent from Picture: J. Powell, Mrs. Hodges, and C. Sprout

Mark Webb, 4th degree black belt, took 3rd place in Songahm Weapons.
Jennifer Powell, 3rd degree black belt, took 1st place in Songahm Forms, 1st place in Songahm Weapons and 2nd place in Sparring.
Mrs. Hodges, 2nd degree black belt, took 1st place 1st place in Songahm Forms, 1st place in Songahm Weapons, and 1st place in Sparring.
Jennifer Hardy, 2nd degree black belt, placed fourth in Songahm Forms.
Brittany Johnson, 2nd degree black belt, took 3rd place in Songahm Weapons.
Mizzani Matthews, 2nd degree black belt, took 1st in Sparring.
Ryan Spaulding, 1st degree black belt, had a strong showing, especially in sparring, at his 1st black belt competition!
Charlie Sprout, color belt, took 1st place in Songahm Forms, 2nd place in Songahm Weapons, and 1st place in sparring.
Tori Sibley, color belt, took 1st place in Songahm Forms, 1st place in Songahm Weapons, and 2nd place in Sparring.
Glen Sibley, color belt, took 2nd Place in XMA (Xtreme Martial Arts) Weapons, 2nd Place in Creative Weapons, 2nd Place in Songahm Forms, 1st Place in Songahm Weapons, and 3rd place in Sparring.

ATA Master Soon Ho Lee's Battle on the Beach 2009

A Great job by all the Performance Martial Arts Academy Students!

Pictured left to right: Darrien Rackley, Tyler Giddens, Chief Instructor, Mitchell Church, Ryan Spaulding, Asher Brooks, Dr. John Gee, Tori Sibley, and Charlotte Sprott

Mitchell Church of Performance Martial Arts Academy announces the results of a recent Amercian Taekwondo Association tournament.? The Atlanta Super Regionals brought competitors from across the country and Valdosta sent 22 students.? “Our students are very disciplined and represented our community well.”? We have several students who will be State Champions as well as future World Champions in the 2009- 2010 season.” says 5th Degree Black Belt, Mitchell Church.

Jennifer Powell is a three-time World Champion in Taekwondo.

VALDOSTA ? Some of Valdosta?s best athletes recently competed at the biggest championship their sport has to offer.

Those athletes are martial artists, and they traveled to Little Rock, Ark., for the Top 10 World Championships of taekwondo in late June where over 7,000 competitors from all around the world were on hand.

The Performance Martial Arts Academy in Valdosta sent seven students to the Top 10 World Championship, a number Performance Martial Arts Academy owner and chief instructor Mitchell Church said is astounding.

?For a school our size it?s rare,? Mitchell said. ?This school has any where from 175 to 200 students, so that?s a good percentage.?

Four students from Valdosta competed in the First Degree Black Belt division. Mizanni Matthews, ranked fifth in sparring, came in fifth. Ali Vialdores, ranked first in sparring, came in third. Brittany Johnson, ranked sixth in sparring and weapons, finished third in sparring. Gary Matthews, ranked eighth in forms and seventh in sparring, finished fourth in forms and eighth in sparring.

Two students ? Jennifer Hardy and Jennifer Powell ? competed in the Second and Third Degree Black Belt division. Hardy, ranked fifth in forms and sixth in sparring, came in fifth in forms. Powell, ranked second in forms, ninth in sparring and third in weapons, finished sixth in forms.

The final student from Valdosta who competed in the Top 10 of the World Championships was Mark Webb.

He competed in the Fourth and Fifth Degree Black Belt division and finished fifth in forms and weapons.

?These seven displayed a tremendous amount of loyalty and dedication to me and taekwondo,? Church said.

To qualify for the Top 10 World Championships, competitors take their best results from five different events throughout the year. The competition year begins at the World Championships and ends at the next years? World Championships.

Mark Webb competes with Fourth Degree Black Belt Form.

Church said that several more Valdosta students just missed out on qualifying for the Top 10.

?This is the entire world, now,? Church said. ?They have tournaments in Korea and South America just to see who?s going to come and compete. So when people from other countries come over here, they?re the best. And they compete against our kids, and our kids are beating them and winning. That?s phenomenal to have that right here in Valdosta. That?s pretty cool.?

It was a satisfying trip for Church, a fifth degree black belt, whose life has revolved around martial arts for the last 25 years. Several days a week he trains students from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Like most good coaches, he gives all the credit to his students for the success of the Performance Martial Arts Academy, but his contributions aren?t overlooked.

?He?s a great coach,? Webb said. ?He knows how to train you and motivate you. He?s really good about knowing how to bring your best out of you. He has a great eye for this stuff. He bends you to where you become his vision of what he sees your capable of.?

With the success and excitement from the trip to the World Championships fresh on everyone?s mind, Church thinks next year the Performance Martial Arts Academy could send the most students it ever has to the World Championships.

For proof, 23 students traveled to Atlanta over the weekend for a super regional, the first big tournament of the competition year since the World Championships in June.

?Next year will probably be our biggest year,? Church said. ?They?ve been on fire. They?ve been training like mad men. Next year is going to be awesome.?

This story was originally published in the Valdosta Daily Times (July 20, 2009), on on their website at http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/sports/local_story_200225520.html?start:int=15