Sundance martial artists from Vernon mined 69 medals in a dominating performance at the 2025 Western Canadian ITF Taekwon-Do Championships in Kamloops.
Members of Sundance Martial Arts rose to the top of a field of 288 competitors representing 26 clubs, winning 20 gold, 17 silver, 32 bronze medals across almost every age category, securing first place overall and underscoring the depth of the club’s athlete development pathway.
“These results reflect depth, consistency, and long-term athlete development,” said David White, Master, and head instructor at Sundance. “With 288 competitors from 26 clubs, finishing first overall in one of the most competitive Western Canadian Championships to date, is a testament to the work our athletes and coaches put in every day.”
This is the same event that was moved from Vernon to Kamloops because of the high cost of rental facilities in the City of Vernon.
In the senior and adult ranks, Sundance secured several key podium finishes.
Shawn Donald led the senior black belt category with gold in Male Senior 1st Dan Patterns.
Adult competitors also shone, with Tammi Mills earning double gold in Female Senior White Belt Patterns and Middleweight Sparring. Brett Bell added two silver medals in Adult Male 1st Dan Patterns and Adult Black Belt Sparring at 75.1 to 81 kg, while teammate Kai McLean claimed bronze in both of those same adult black belt divisions.
Brianna Sterling delivered a standout performance with gold in Female Adult Green to Red Belt Heavy Sparring and bronze in the matching Patterns event. Veteran competitor Ken Dickson added two bronze medals in Male Veteran Blue and Red Belt Patterns and Middleweight Sparring.
Junior black belts added significant strength to the medal count.
Jillian Donald struck gold in Female Junior Black Belt Sparring over 57 kg and earned bronze in Junior Power Breaking. Jack Sharkey secured silver in Male Junior 2nd Dan Patterns along with bronze in Junior Power Breaking. Taryn Froland earned silver in Female Junior Special Technique and collected bronze medals in Junior 1st Dan Patterns and Junior Sparring over 57 kg.
Sundance athletes in the junior coloured belt divisions continued the momentum.
In Junior Yellow and Green Belts, Charles Dickson claimed silver in the Light Sparring division and bronze in Patterns. Junior Blue and Red Belt athlete Ailyn McDonagh earned silver in the Heavy Sparring division and bronze in Patterns, and Aarish Soneja added a bronze in Junior Blue and Red Patterns. In Junior Female Blue and Red Belts, Tanishka Karthik earned silver in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns.
Younger divisions delivered a wave of medals that contributed significantly to Sundance’s first place finish.
Pre junior athletes earned multiple championship titles, beginning with Leo Kim who won gold in Male Pre Junior Green and Blue Patterns and silver in Heavy Sparring. Logan Russell earned double bronze in Pre Junior Green and Blue Patterns and Pre Junior Green and Blue Middle Sparring.
L. A. B. captured bronze in the same Pre Junior Green and Blue Patterns division. The Pre Junior Blue and Red Belt ranks brought additional success with Jed Maleniza winning gold in Patterns. Jasper Day secured silver in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns, while Ethan Brink earned bronze in both Light Sparring and Patterns.
The pre junior girls divisions delivered more podium results.
Olta Pajaziti earned gold in Pre Junior Blue and Red Heavy Sparring, gold in Female Pre Junior Special Technique Blue and Red Belt, and bronze in Pre Junior Blue and Red Patterns. Teammate Charlotte Johnson added silver in Pre Junior Blue and Red Middle Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Ashley Ongunel won gold in Female Pre Junior Yellow and Green Middle Sparring, and bronze in Female Pre Junior Yellow and Green Patterns. Drew Murray captured bronze in Female Pre Junior Yellow and Green Middle Sparring and silver in Patterns.
Cadet division athletes also performed exceptionally well.
In Cadet White and Yellow Belts, Ryder Schubert earned gold in Heavy Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Asher Pohl Darbyson secured bronze in Middle Sparring, and Renato Duran took gold in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns. In Cadet Green Belt divisions, Julieth Divinagracia earned silver in both Heavy Sparring and Patterns. Alena King won silver in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Feya MacLean Flamand secured bronze in Cadet Green Belt Patterns and Cadet Green Belt Heavy Sparring.
The Cadet Red Belt category also added multiple medals.
Tristin Marshall won gold in Heavy Sparring, while Jaxon Nakucyj earned silver in Heavy Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Gunnar Sorkilmo earned bronze in Heavy Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Ethan Woodward captured silver in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Caleb Woller added a bronze in Patterns, and Ian Klingmann and Adrian Maliqi earned bronze in Patterns as well.
Bantam and atom divisions were equally productive.
In Bantam White and Yellow Belts, Caleb Lavigne earned bronze in Patterns and bronze in Middle Sparring. In Bantam Green and Blue Belts, Nolan Chernichen won gold in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns, while Leif Wikjord claimed bronze in Light Sparring. Wyatt Nakucyj contributed a bronze in Middle Sparring and a bronze in Patterns. In Female Bantam Green Belts, Anika Dhand earned double bronze in Heavy Sparring and Patterns. In Female Bantam White and Yellow Belts, Zeina Faour secured gold in Heavy Sparring and silver in Patterns.
The youngest competitors also brought home medals for the club.
In the mixed Tigers 6 to 7 years division, Owen Hamilton captured bronze in Patterns. In the Tigers 4 to 5 years category, Aaron Yuan earned bronze in Patterns. In the atom divisions, Jadon Woller earned silver in Heavy Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Amaya Dudar delivered a gold medal sweep in Female Atom Patterns and Light Sparring, while her teammate Meredith Salustro earned silver in Light Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Charlotte Poole added bronze in Patterns and bronze in Light Sparring, while Renen Woon earned gold in Heavy Sparring and bronze in Patterns.
In the female cadet blue and red categories, Anastasia Stogianos earned bronze in both Heavy Sparring and Patterns. Robynn Chapple added bronze in Heavy Sparring and bronze in Patterns. Pre junior blue and red competitors brought further success with additional medals from Pajaziti and Johnson as noted above.
Sundance Martial Arts is now accepting new members for January 2026. Visit www.SundanceMartialArts.com for details.