Battle in the Bay: Schafer’s tournament

A Taekwondo graphic (Ryan Win-Ruan/the Puma Prensa)

Written By: Ryan Win-Ruan, staff writer

On the last Saturday of January, kicks and shouts filled the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, which held a regional taekwondo tournament hosted by Senior Master Nicholas Schafer. The tournament, called “Battle in the Bay,” was the first tournament of the year for the American Taekwondo Association’s (ATA) Region 107, and kicked off the new year eventfully. 

The tournament began at 8:00 am with a mandatory black belt meeting, in which all of the tournament’s higher ups are required to be present for a brief discussion. 

At 9:00 am, the first round of black belt competitions began, running all the way through the tournament right up until it ended at around 3:30 pm. The rings ended at various times depending on their size, with rings ranging from three to upwards of ten competitors in each division. 

At 10:00 am, the color belts’ rings were started up with most lasting for about an hour, though some rings ran for up to three as a result of their size. 

By 11:00, almost all of the black belt rings had progressed to the second round with a new division, though a few larger rings continued almost up to 12:00 pm. 

The rest of the rings ran fairly well, though there was a small situation in one of the rings concerning paperwork and a misplaced point in competitive sparring. The issue was eventually resolved with a special additional sparring round, and ended with an additional medal in that category.

Overall, the Saturday tournament was a fun-filled event, with tons of excitement and friendly encounters. Many walked away from the tournament with new friendships and memories, ready for the next tournament, which will be taking place at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, CA, on 26 April.