Florida Tech Martial Arts Association Students Win Awards at Tournament

MELBOURNE, FLA.— Florida Institute of Technology’s student organization, the Martial Arts Association, recently participated in “Battle on the Ridge,” an invitational karate tournament in Lake Wales, Fla., hosted by Main Street Dojo’s Inc. Six group members joined the competition and three brought home five trophies.

Placing third in Kata, or form in Japanese, and second in Kumite, or sparring, was brown belt Michelle Luce, a junior majoring in ecology. Green belt Evadne Malone, a sophomore psychology major, placed third in the Kata and Kumite competitions. Also a green belt, Timothy Cobbs, a sophomore chemical engineering major, placed second in Kata.

Black belts Jeff Kelly and Adam Cofield, and brown belt Tucker Hunter also competed. Group members Devona Malone and Juan Johnson traveled to show their support. The group was accompanied by Mark Laderwarg, Florida Tech adjunct faculty member and club instructor in martial arts.

The tournament was divided by belt level; purple and brown belts were combined into one group. The groups were then divided by age based on the number in each group.