From the outside, the building is rather unassuming. It’s a small, one story complex, lying in the heart of Seattle’s Central District. Above the double doors a clouded sign reads “Yi Sport Taekwondo”. The thick purple brick walls effectively mask the deafening Ki-hops within. Few would assume that, on the inside, the kicks and combinations fall faster than the snare of the hip-hop music they train to, and the black of their belts is almost completely lost in the white of their swirling dobok and reds and blues of their pads. In fact, few would assume that, on the inside of this humble façade, a dynasty trains.

Yi Sport Taekwondo has been, and continues to be, a dominant force in the sport, and cultivates athletes that compete regularly on national and international levels.

“These guys really don’t have much local competition,” says Coach Lionel Lee. “Some of our guys have got to fight in higher age groups to find good matches.”

Garfield High School is the proud educator of three of the pistons of this dominant martial art machine: sophomore Khalil Lee-Butler, freshman Elena Sanagatta, and junior Patricia Louie. Once they reached the age of 14, they began the unrelenting effort to reach the ultimate goal — the United States national team.

Lee-Butler, a 14 year old black-belt nicknamed “Panda,” was introduced to the sport by his father, Lionel at a young age. He is currently ranked among the top four Junior Male Lightweights in the nation on the United States Olympic Committee website. Among many other claims to fame, he is a two time Junior Olympic gold medalist, winning silver in the most recent Junior Olympics, a two time national champion, the current Washington State champion, a three-time Oregon State Champion, and a qualifier for the Junior Pan American Games fight-offs.

Scangatta, or “Feroce,” also a black belt and ranked among the top four Junior Female Featherweights in the nation, is a two time Junior Olympic bronze medalist, a qualifier for Junior Pan American Games fight-offs, and both an Oregon and Washington state champion.

Louie, a red belt who, unlike her competitors, has only been practicing Taekwondo for two years, is a two time Junior Olympic Gold Medalist, a two time National Champion, and a Washington and Oregon State Champion.

These students’ dominance is a disciplined one, and rarely flaunted. They operate under a strict code to never use their skills outside of the mat, and walk the halls with a humility that leads few to expect the undiluted quickness and knock-out power they all possess.

Taekwondo, meaning “the way of the foot and fist” in Korean, is widely considered the most popular martial art in the world. It emphasizes mainly the cultivation of the leg as a weapon, reasoning that it is the longest and most powerful bodily weapon available to martial artist.

“Taekwondo has the reputation that it only attracts second rate athletes,” said Coach Lee, “but that’s been becoming more untrue in the modern era — these guys are top athletes.”

The rules of competition are simple; a shot to the body is worth one point, and a kick to the head is worth three.

“Shots have to be earth shaking to score,” says coach Lionell Lee. “Punches or kick have to literally move the body.”

However the combat itself couldn’t be more complex. Kicks and punches are punctuated by powerful, individualized yells known as “Ki-hops,” and come in flurries and combinations difficult to catch with the untrained eye. Sparring in practice, the traditional lines of society dividing the sexes in athletic competition are forgotten. Girls fight, and beat guys, and guys lose their fear of hitting girls, knowing that during fights it is a matter of kick or be kicked.

Last week, the Yi Sport Taekwondo School and its students competed in a tournament at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to qualify for the Olympic national team, only to be met with bitter defeat.

“We didn’t do as well as we had hoped,” said Lee-Butler.

However the loss is in the past, and students have now turned their focus to a tournament in December, in which competitors can qualify for the Junior National Team, and from there can potentially reach the Junior World Competition.

As Lee-Butler, Scangatta, and Louie continue to represent Garfield, Yi Sport Taekwondo, and the city of Seattle on a national and international stage, it is our job and duty as the Bulldog community to give them the recognition and support that they deserve, and do what we can to help them propel themselves into new realms of success in their sport. What they have accomplished, and the perfection they continue to pursue, is, for lack of a better phase, simply amazing. To these athletes, and to Yi Sport Taekwondo, continue the good work, and best of luck.