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The Williston TaeKwonDo and Judo Academy was represented at the 13th Annual Prairie Wildfire TaeKwonDo (TKD) Challenge recently at the Gallagher Centre.

Several hundred turned out for the annual Challenge, said Master Wayne Mitchell, of Kee's TaeKwonDo.

The Invitational TKD Challenge included clubs from all over Canada, as well as some representation from the USA.

Among the Americans who made the trip to Yorkton was Grandmaster Brad Waitman and his team, the Williston TaeKwonDo and Judo Academy.

Waitman told the press that he and Master Mitchell have known each other for some time and both currently serve as IRs (International Referees).

He added that martial arts have been a tough sell in parts of the northern state. They are dominated by baseball and hockey, he said.

He currently has 100 students enrolled in his TKD school and said it was a "strong bond" that he formed with the Yorkton school which resulted in his team making their trip to the Gallagher Centre on the weekend.

Waitman suggested that TKD competition is "just like any other sport" when it comes to the various aspects outside of the actual sport, naming politics, egos and money which, he said, "gets in the way".

The Prairie Wildfire Challenge was a good comparison to the American sport, he said.

"It's really similar to what we're used to seeing."

Waitman added that the state of Montana used to be a TKD hotbed.