Taekwondo: Costa Mesa branch wins 18 medals

WESTWOOD - The California Taekwondo Open will remember the Costa

Mesa branch of Martial Arts USA. The Coast Mesa team of 15 won 18 medals at the tournament, which drew over 1,200 competitors, at the UCLA Campus

on Oct. 21.

Medals were collected in form and sparring competitions. The winning

list reads: Krystal Stone, gold in sparring and gold in form; Roxanne

Ames, gold-form; Noly Caluag, gold-sparring; Paul Oh, bronze-sparring;

Mark Jackson, silver-form; Stephen Belmonte, silver-sparring,

bronze-form; Bruce Leuluai, silver-sparring, bronze-form; Roman Aceves,

bronze-form; Grant Weston, bronze-form; Justin Fournier, silver-sparring;

and Peter Ricigliano, silver-sparring.

The winners were of varying belts and ages and taught by veteran

blackbelt instructors, Noly Caluag and Paul Oh.

Taekwondo, a form of karate that originated in Korea, is now an

Olympic sport and focuses on mental discipline, physical fitness and

self-defense.