Jurassic taekwondo studio sends two to national championship

It took two months for Jurassic Martial Arts and Fitness to go compete in a national championship.

The Palmetto taekwondo studio was founded by Kenny Thompson in September, and he and one student spent this past weekend in Montgomery, Ala., for the American Taekwondo Foundation (ATF) National Championship.

"We treat them like big old family reunions where we kick each other in the head," Thompson said.

By the next time Thompson is ready to travel for another tournament, he hopes his family will be a bit bigger. Right now, Jurassic has a roster of roughly 20 students, and the studio has steadily grown since its start in early September.

The next tournament Thompson is slated to travel for is a regional meet in Dothan, Ala., in January. In March, Jurassic Martial Arts will return to Montgomery for another tournament.

"We're just steadily growing for the time being," Thompson said.

This Friday and Saturday in Montgomery, the ATF celebrated its grand master's 70th birthday, and Thompson and his student, Peyton Davis, competed on a national stage. Thompson tested for his sixth dan and Davis, who has trained with Thompson for two years, competed in the 13-15 age group.

But Jurassic isn't just about the competitions. Thompson's 20 students have various experience levels and backgrounds and he offers classes ranging from weapons training to taekwon-yoga.

Thompson also teaches a self-defense class once every month or two, and will hold one Saturday in Palmetto. Various classes are held Monday-Thursday and Saturday. A full schedule can be found at jurassicmartialartsfitness.com.

Mustangs wait for opponent

The Manatee Mustangs had the weekend off after sending two teams to the second round of the Pop Warner Little Scholars Division II region football playoffs. They did, however, learn who they'll meet Saturday in North Miami Beach.

The next round begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at North Miami Stadium, when the junior pee wee Mustangs face the Sarasota Sundevils. At noon, Manatee's pee wee squad will face the Parkland Rangers. In both games, the Mustangs are regarded as the road team at the neutral site.

The winners advance to the third round, taking place on Nov. 21 in Land O' Lakes.

Return of the Turkey Trot

For the 18th time, the Bradenton Runners Club will host the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Bradenton Runners Club expects more than 800 participants on Nov. 26 in Bradenton, starting and ending at the gate of DeSoto National Memorial at 8 a.m. Registration is free, although donations to the Food Bank of Manatee and Turn

ing Points are welcome.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 10:30 PM with the headline "Jurassic taekwondo studio sends two to national championship ."