Lancaster ATA Martial Arts students have good results at world championship

Aaron Burd, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
·4 min read

LANCASTER − Three local martial arts students competed for a world championship, with one being named world champion.

Lancaster ATA Martial Arts is a locally-owned and operated member of the American Taekwondo Association. According to their website, the ATA is the world's largest martial arts organization.

Fifth degree Black Belt and instructor owner Michael Poole (middle in background) watches as Jaxon Lowry, 10 of Lancaster, practices his kicks as Liam Kinder, 16 of Carroll, holds a target for him to kick inside of the Lancaster ATA Martial Arts on July 31, 2023, in Lancaster, Ohio. The Taekwondo students, along with instructor Michael Poole, went to the ATA World Championships in Phoenix, Arizona where Kinder took third in traditional sparring, and Evelyn Hill (not shown), 16, took first place in extreme weapons. Lowry did not place in worlds but won first place in traditional sparring and combat at the state level championship.

Owner Michael Poole has reason to be proud of the work done at his school. This has never been more evident than when three of his students competed at the ATA International World Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, with one student being named World Champion.

Poole said that he and his wife, co-owner of Lancaster ATA Nicole Poole, have both won medals from the world championship themselves. He said that this helps them appreciate the work their students had to put in to reach this point.

"As someone who has personally competed for top ten or tournament champion several times myself, I'll tell you it's a yearlong journey and a lot of tournaments and a lot of work and it's tough to get there," said Poole. "It's super impressive to keep your head and stay cool and be able to pull off what these guys did this year."

Lancaster ATA students who competed at the world championship included 15-year-old Liam Kinder, 10-year-old Jaxon Lowry, and 17-year-old Evelyn Hill.

Fifth degree Black Belt and instructor owner Michael Poole (middle), Jaxon Lowry (right), 10 of Lancaster, and Liam Kinder, 16 of Carroll, stand together inside of the Lancaster ATA Martial Arts on July 31, 2023, in Lancaster, Ohio. The Taekwondo students, along with instructor Michael Poole, went to the ATA World Championships in Phoenix, Arizona where Kinder took third in traditional sparring, and Evelyn Hill (not shown), 16, took first place in extreme weapons. Lowry did not place in worlds but won first place in traditional sparring and combat at the state level championship.

Kinder, who won third place in sparring, said that this was a uniquely challenging tournament.

"I felt like it went really well, it was one of the hardest tournaments that I've had to go to for quite a long time," said Kinder.

According to Kinder, his main focus is sparring.

"That form of sparring is more practical for everyday use, like if you get mugged on the street you're going to be stuck using hand-to-hand combat," said Kinder.

Placing third place in the world is not an individual effort, but one that is worked towards by both students and instructors together. Kinder made a point of thanking those who have helped him reach this point.

"I'm grateful to all of my instructors for helping me, including the ones that helped me with private lessons," said Kinder.

Lowry, who placed in the top ten, explained what caused him to get involved with martial arts.

"I just wanted to learn something new, just wanted to try something new," said Lowry.

While he did not place high enough to earn a medal, it was still a huge accomplishment for Lowry to go to the world championships and finish top ten in the world.

"I'm really proud of myself and I worked really hard to get there," said Lowry.

Lowry said that when he is older he would like to compete for Team USA, which is a martial arts team that competes against other countries at a worldwide tournament.

Lowry made sure to thank his instructors and everyone who helped him to reach the world championship.

Fifth degree Black Belt and instructor owner Michael Poole (middle in background) watches as Jaxon Lowry, 10 of Lancaster, practices his kicks as Liam Kinder, 16 of Carroll, holds a target for him to kick inside of the Lancaster ATA Martial Arts on July 31, 2023, in Lancaster, Ohio. The Taekwondo students, along with instructor Michael Poole, went to the ATA World Championships in Phoenix, Arizona where Kinder took third in traditional sparring, and Evelyn Hill (not shown), 16, took first place in extreme weapons. Lowry did not place in worlds but won first place in traditional sparring and combat at the state level championship.

Hill, who placed second in creative weapons and first in extreme weapons, said that the feeling she got from her accomplishment at the world championship is almost surreal.

"It was really hard to believe that I was actually able to accomplish that," said Hill. "I had never beaten one of the girls before who was in my ring, she's my best friend and we always cheer for each other, but the judges finally scored me one point higher than her. It was a scary moment and it was really cool seeing all of the hard work pay off and seeing the hours I put in showing."

To reach the title of world champion, Hill said that she had to put in a lot of work.

"I train pretty heavily for at least two days a week for long hours," said Hill.

Fifth degree Black Belt and instructor owner Michael Poole (middle in background) watches as Liam Kinder, 16 of Carroll, practices his kicks as Jaxon Lowry, 10 of Lancaster, holds a target for him to kick inside of the Lancaster ATA Martial Arts on July 31, 2023, in Lancaster, Ohio. The Taekwondo students, along with instructor Michael Poole, went to the ATA World Championships in Phoenix, Arizona where Kinder took third in traditional sparring, and Evelyn Hill (not shown), 16, took first place in extreme weapons. Lowry did not place in worlds but won first place in traditional sparring and combat at the state level championship.

"There's also a lot of lifestyle changes like making sure I'm eating right, normal athlete type training stuff, I pushed very hard to get to that point," said Hill.

While all of the students were very appreciative of Lancaster ATA, Hill had especially high praise for the school that got her to the point she has been able to reach. She said that the type of martial arts she competes in is unique, but that the school still shows her the same support as other students.

"(Lancaster ATA) have been first of all really supportive, very encouraging, and they're always willing to look over my stuff and give their feedback," said Hill. "Especially when we go to tournaments they're always waiting for the scores, the placements, how we did. That's just not in that aspect but it's for all of the students. They make sure we know that they're cheering for us no matter what, whether we win or not."

To learn more about Lancaster ATA Martial Arts, visit their website at atalancaster.com.

Aaron Burd is a breaking news and government reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him via email at AMBurd@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMBurd.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: World champion in extreme weapons among Lancaster ATA students