Twenty-two students from the Dupont karate class participated May 28 in the Washington Isshin-Ryu Society Annual Tournament in Puyallup, and brought home 24 medals - 14 first-place gold, six second-place silver and four third-place bronze.

The class includes students from the Dupont community as well as family members from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"Being it was the first competition for many of my students, I was surprised at how well they did," said Skip Ettinger, instructor of the Shorinryu Seibukan Okinawan class.

"We were also mentioned as the most outstanding dojo for the tournament and I attribute this to the discipline of their training," he said. "Kata and weapons were the only divisions, but the competition was fairly strong."

Participants in the tournament came from Washington state and Western Canada.

One thing that was different from other tournaments is that each student had to perform in three different rings and all three performances were totaled to come up with their overall score.

"That means their performance had to be pretty consistent," Ettinger said. "In each ring, they were judged on technique, focus, strength and balance."

Because the Dupont class started in January 2010, Ettinger said the results of the tournament exceeded his expectations for such a new class.

"The competition gave us a chance to show what we learned," "said Kian Swim, 11. "The most difficult part was balancing because the floor was slippery."

Swim said he wanted to learn karate because it teaches him self defense and self-discipline.

Jade lin Dungca, 8, has been in the class for only five months, but she already won first place in kata.

"I am gaining strength and it is fun to meet new people," Dungca said. "If I were in danger, this class will also help me to defend myself."

The tournament was also a first-time experience for Angela Hutchison, 8.

"I just relaxed and concentrated," Hutchison said. "Karate gives me exercise for (better) health and it helps me to focus more when doing my school work."

Hope Rady, 10, has been in the class 14 months.

"I wanted to learn karate because I have lots of friends in the class,"Rady said.