We spent Saturday, November 7th in Jericho, VT for the 2015 Fall Open Championship tournament at Mount Mansfield Union High School. This was our third year at the event, and it's the closest event we do. The last two years were fun, and this year didn't disappoint, either.
While this isn't the largest event we attend, it's one of the most enjoyable. A strong presence from Taekwondo schools in the central and northern Vermont area means a lot of friendships in the room. However, unlike some tight-knit events we've been to, this does not mean favoritism or exclusion. Many styles and schools were represented Saturday and everyone seemed to have a good time. Thank you to Yordan's Black Belt Academy for putting on such a great event and having us there.
We had some good turnout for the pushup challenge, with nearly every participant being new to the standings. If you'd like to check the results and see the overall standings, we've posted them at our Pushup Website.
One of the enjoyable things about this event is that it attracts a lot of competitors that don't compete often, which means we may see them only once or twice a year. That does not mean, however, that the level of competition is poor. Some of the attendees are excellent competitors, even if they don't compete often.
Sales were great and people were excited to see some of our newer products - in fact, we nearly sold out of both our Cloud9 Sweatpants and the Vintage Zip-Up Sweatshirts. Fortunately, we have more of those in production already, and they'll be ready by the end of the week.
If you ever get the chance to attend this event, you should. You're sure to enjoy the day and you'll likely come away with some new friendships.
Unfortunately, this year conflicted with the IPPONE championship in Massachusetts, so we were unable to spend time with that group. We heard everything went well with that event, though. Congratulations to all of our friends we didn't see Saturday - we'll see you in January if not sooner.
Next weekend is a big one - we'll be in Waterville, Maine on Saturday for the Elm City Karate Challenge and Albany, NY on Sunday for the Capital District Taekwondo Tournament. Hope to see some of you this weekend!