Freewind martial artists claim four Jr Grand Championships

RICHLAND — Freewind Martial Arts Studio recently competed in the Battle on the Columbia tournament, where four of the nine competitors brought home hardware in addition to strong all-around performances. “We were really excited because we had such a great turnout,” Freewind Instructor Brandi Guertin said. “We had nine competitors go, and having nine competitors go to a single tournament is so fun because it's such a giant group, and having such a giant group makes it exciting because you have someone competing at almost every moment of the tournament.” Of the nine competitors, Serjio Madrigales, Milan Bhatt, Zachary Morris and Jessie Young earned Jr Grand Champion honors for their performances in form, weapons, noodle sparring and sparring across their respective age groups and levels. Across the entire group that competed, everyone placed in the top three of each competition, highlighting a dedicated class of students in attendance, Guertin said.