FREDERICKTOWN, Ohio — Jacques Tarr thinks his students at Mid-Ohio Karate 4 Kids are some of the best he’s instructed in 15 years.
“The last team that I felt was one of my best teams, several of the kids went to Budapest, Hungary, and Great Britain to compete on a U.S.A. team,” he said.
At the state finals at Kent State Tuscarawas in December, Tarr’s students won 27 first-place trophies, 17 second-place trophies and two third-place trophies.
The tournament drew 294 competitors from 11 different states, Tarr said.
“Most of those kids came from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina and even some from Atlanta, Georgia,” he said.
All 18 of Tarr’s youth-aged students competed, including a few adults, he said.
“For some of (the adults), it was their first time, and I was really pleased with them,” he said. “But I knew how well they would do just by the way they trained and worked out at the school.”
Tarr said he’s proud of the team.
“Win or lose I expect their best, so they have to train that way,” he said.
In addition to running Mid-Ohio Karate 4 Kids, Tarr is also is director of United Promoters Martial Arts Circuit. A seventh-degree black belt, Tarr has been involved in martial arts for roughly 40 years.
He hopes to assemble a team to compete in the World Cup Games next year, he said.
“That’s my goal and the other promoters of our UPMAC circuit,” he said.
Below are the names of the Mid-Ohio Karate 4 Kids athletes:
Richland Co. competitors
Alisha Pressnall (16), Hannah Tarr (13), Madison Martin (12), Alex Tilton (13), Isaiah Van Slyke (11), Logan Norris (18), Cary Smith (47), Crystal GruBaugh (48) and instructor Jacques Tarr (57).
Knox Co. competitors
Eugene Fitzpatrick (13), Bobby Rademacher (15), Noah Overholt (10), Cameron Corbin (10), Otheilia (5) and Victor Miller (7), Reece Rinehart (9), Rylan Smith (10), Arwen Furnis (10), Joshua (9) and Vincent Schiraldi (16), Connor Morgan (5), Natalie Groff (28), Justin Smith (28) and Carrie Smith (32).
