My Son, Mark Jr. Won 1st Place in Martial Arts Tournament

It was a very big day on Saturday (11/17) for martial arts competition in Sioux Falls. It was the Open Taekwondo Championship Tournament held at the Avera Sports Institute.

The event was hosted by Tiger Academy of Sioux Falls headed by Master J. P. Wallace. The meet brought in competitors, trainers, coaches and referees from all over the country.

There were competitors from as far away as Canada, Kansas City and Minneapolis. There was one child that had been competing in Atlanta, Georgia the week before.

The best in all age brackets, weights and belt levels were fighting on the mats. A lot of hard work and intense training was put to the test and emotions were being challenged.

Proud dad? Yes, my son Mark Tassler, Jr. won first place. He won four out of five matches and did so by large margins of victory.

It wasn't just the fact that he won the tournament, it was how he did it. He got a bad break in his first fight with the scoring. He from there had to battle his way to the top in the final four matches.

He didn't give up. He came back full force and knocked the next four out of the ring and walked away with a very nice gold metal.