Two members of Triumph Martial Arts in Pella earned medals at the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) Spring Nationals Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event on April 16th was of the three largest competitions organized by the ATA, with over 1,500 competitors from around the world.

Chase Swenson, a 14-year old 3rd degree Black Belt from Prairie City, took Second Place in Forms competition and Makenna Lewin from Melcher, another Triumph member, earned a third place medal in Combat Weapons Sparring and second place in Forms competition.

Chase is a regular tournament competitor, most recently earning a state title in 2020 for Sparring, and he is currently ranked #1 in the state of Iowa for the Forms, Sparring and Combat Weapons Sparring divisions.

Makenna currently ranks #1 in the state of Iowa for Forms competition. She is also ranked in the top 10 in Iowa for both Sparring and Combat Weapons Sparring, which will allow her to compete for District Champion titles in each of those three divisions.

“We are so proud of both Chase and Makenna,” says Matt White, Chief Instructor at Triumph Martial Arts. “This goes to show you how dedication and hard work really pay off! Both of these amazing young people put in the time and effort to improve – taking constructive feedback and making changes to be the best they can possibly be.”

“It’s been a pleasure helping both Makenna and Chase grow in their martial arts journey,” added Chris White, Co-owner and Instructor at Triumph. “They set a great example for our other members, and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.”