For teenage boys, a trip to Orlando might lead to shenanigans, but for Maple Grove residents Ben Pettingell and Frank Gates, it meant being crowned US Open Taekwondo gold medal champions last January. As they were standing atop the podium for their respective age classes in front of hundreds of the world’s best Taekwondo challengers, Ben and Frank finally saw years of hard work pay off in a big way. “It felt amazing and I was really proud,” Ben, 13, says of the experience. Frank, 16, who competed in a different class, whole-heartedly agrees. “I was doing my best trying to take it all in,” Frank says. “It kind of felt right.”
The US Open Taekwondo Champion-ships drew more than 1,200 competitors to Orlando to compete in a multitude of demonstration and sparring competitions of the martial arts sport which originated in Korea. Both Ben and Frank took home gold medals in competitive sparring, a category of Taekwondo that they both train for under the supervision of Grand Master Eui Lee at World Taekwondo Academy in Maple Grove. According to the teens, their training and teammates played an integral role in their success. “I have to give great credit to my coach and teammates for pushing me to be the best I could be,” Ben says. “They all motivated us to work harder and become better competitors for the championship.”
