Taekwondo team after medals at nationals

AMHERST - Seeking the path to victory, members of JC's TaeKwon-do are travelling to Montreal today to stake their claim at the national championships.
"We have 13 people making the trip and a couple of those athletes who could go into the qualifying round for the world championships," said JC's head instructor Jim Ripley.
The national competition takes place Friday and Saturday, with the winners moving on to the world qualifiers on Sunday.
Melanie Paugh and Courtney Ripley are two athletes the club has high hopes for.
Both athletes won gold at the Eastern Canadian championships in February.
The 18-year old Paugh is competing in the 18-34 women's division and 16-year-old Ripley will compete in the 14-17 women's division.
Ripley won gold at last year's nationals in black stripe belt. This year, she will be competing as a black belt.
"I've been training a few nights a week in preparation for the competition," said Ripley, who is in Grade 11 at ARHS. "I've been mainly focusing on my conditioning."
Worlds are held every two years, so Ripley didn't get to got after her national triumph a year ago.
"I hope to do well," she said. "It would be fun to go to Argentina."
There are a few hurdles Ripley and the rest of her teammates will have to overcome if they hope to qualify for worlds.
"To make it to the world qualifying round you have to place first or second during the national competition," said Ripley.
"If you do that, on Sunday you go into the world qualifying round with five other competitors. Then you have to come in first, second or third place in the qualifying rounds to go to the worlds."
Two years ago, Paugh just missed out on a chance at competing at the worlds after she finished fourth in the qualifying round.
The difference this time is that she will be competing in the 18-34 women's division. Last time, she competed in the 14-17 division.
"Both girls dominated at the Eastern Canadian championships," Jim Ripley said. "So I think they have a good chance to make it to the worlds."

dmathieson@amherstdaily.com.