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Timaru taekwondo members fought off the competition at a recent South Island tournament.
The Timaru Olympic Taekwondo club recently hosted the World Taekwondo New Zealand South Island open tournament.
The event, which took place at Roncalli College, hosted 60 competitors from Rotorua, Oamaru and three clubs in Dunedin.
Two Seido Karate clubs also participated, representing Timaru and Geraldine.
The recent tournament gave participants a chance to compete with their poomsae (pattern) or kyorugi (sparring).
Fourth Dan black belt Grant McKissock said people might not realise that as sparring was a contact sport, you could still be injured despite protection.
"You still get hurt, it’s not easy."
But kyorugi brought out the best in people despite the pain, he said.
The club had grown over the last few years, he said.
He had been at the club for over two decades, and over that time its popularity had gone through ebbs and flows.
The club currently had 66 members training (including five black belts), with ages ranging from 4 to 62.
Third Dan black belt Leanda Boyle said the club tried something new at the tournament, opening up a category for white belts to compete.
There had been great feedback from the clubs that attended the Timaru-based tournament, and everyone enjoyed the day, she said.
She said keeping fees affordable for families was now more important than ever, with some clubs not having students attending because of fuel costs.
The club had five students going to Auckland for a tournament in August, and had raised funds to make that happen.
Third Dan black belt Glenn Cormack said the club was very diverse, with many nationalities training in the club on Heaton St.
There was "big support from our Syrian community", he said.
The club’s diversity allowed members to learn and interact with different cultures.
Five black belts from Timaru attended the GTTF (Global Traditional Taekwondo Federation) summit in Muju Korea last November as part of the group from World Taekwondo NZ.