Maddie Smith, 9, of Manheim and Olivia Ditmer, 11, of Lititz, taekwondo students from Advantage Taekwondo in Lititz, scored high marks at Canada's Taekwondo Championship on Nov. 5. Henry Steinman coached them both to first-place finishes in Patterns and in Sparring.

Both of the girls took part in three tournaments in 20 days. At the first event, held on Oct. 15 in Delaware at the First State Taekwondo Tournament, Maddie took first place in Sparring and second place in Patterns and Olivia took first place in Sparring and third in Patterns

The next event was held on Oct. 29 in Orlando at the IMAF-ITF International Martial Arts Festival. There, Maddie took first place in Sparring and in Patterns, and Olivia took first place in Sparring.

The final event was the one in Canada. Both girls will be inducted to the school's Hall of Fame for winning at an international tournament.

Other students competing in Advantage Taekwondo's tournaments in Delaware were Jakob Nazzaro, who won second place in both Patterns and Sparring; Henry Steinman, who won second place in Patterns and first place in Sparring; and Nora Aumiller, who won second place in Patterns.

Competing at an event in Maryland were Advantage Taekwondo students Owen Kirschner, who won third place in Sparring, and Josh Worley, who won first place in Patterns and third place in Sparring.

The instructors for Advantage Taekwondo are Luis Mejia, assistant instructor Brian Hollingsworth, Joshua Buitrago and Caleb Stoudt. Each Advantage Taekwondo instructor takes on a serious role as teacher and mentor and does so by leading by example. All instructors are also active students.

Advantage Taekwondo is part of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), which offers a program for people of all ages.

Advantage Taekwondo also hosts one of the biggest tournaments on the East Coast. Next year it will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Lams, 1050 E. Newport Road, Lititz.

Advantage Taekwondo is located at 732 Creekside Lane, Lititz. For more information, call 717-419-5531 or visit http://www.facebook.com/advantagetaekwondo or http://www.advantagetaekwon-do.com.