Young athletes compete in Beaumont martial arts tournament

BEAUMONT, Texas — Young athletes from Southeast Texas are getting a chance to compete in a taekwondo tournament at Parkdale Mall.

Tiger Rock Martial Arts will host its own Southeast Texas Taekwondo District Championships on Friday and Saturday.

The tournament will feature more than 200 contestants from Beaumont, Orange, Lumberton and Bridge City who will compete to showcase their martial arts skills.

Children participate in form tests, sparring, and even board breaks.

“Tiger Rock's motto is to compete, protect and advance,” said Tiger Rock grandmaster David Howells.

Howells has been training in various martial arts for 38 years and enjoys watching his young students demonstrate the hard work and time-consuming dedication it takes to become a martial artist.

“Right now, I'm trying to leave behind a tradition. When students come to class, they feel the structure, order and discipline of the class, but there's also a strong sense of community,” Howells said.

This tournament gives a community of martial arts professionals the opportunity to earn their brown and black belts as teenagers.

For young combatants, martial arts is the key to becoming a dedicated and disciplined leader.

“It took me two years to get my first black belt. It was very hard work. Form and sparring. Just building mental strength,” said Hannah Faceclamp, one of the participants.

Jackson Cobb is a brown belt and only 12 years old.

“It's been a really tough journey,” he said.

Cobb used the focus and commitment he learned during his two years in Taekwondo to grow into a better baseball player and leader.

“I've always been a very active child and have a short attention span. It's helped me discipline myself a lot. I wasn't able to do much before. Now I'm doing the best I've ever done. It's contained,” Cobb said. .

The contest will be held on Saturday, March 9th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. near the food court at Parkdale Mall. General participation fee is $10.