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HILLSBOROUGH: Siblings earn tae kwon do world championships

For a year, Michael Patullo and his younger sister, Stephanie, waited for another opportunity to demonstrate their martial arts skills against the best competition in the world.
It paid off. At July’s American Taekwondo Association World Championships, Michael, a senior at Hillsborough High School, and his sister, a freshman, both won world titles in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In 2013, Michael and Stephanie, both black belts, earned their first trip the world championships after winning respective qualifying events at the regional championships. At the world championships, Michael finished sixth in traditional forms, and Stephanie earned a bronze medal in the extreme weapons category.
“While we were pleased with our placement during our initial trip to worlds, we knew there was more we could accomplish,” Michael said. “We spoke to our parents and instructors and told them our goals for the year included repeating as state and district champions and earning a world title.”
Michael and Stephanie embarked on an enhanced training program. They increased practice time, incorporated endurance training and focused on becoming more skilled martial artists and better athletes.
Their instructors told them that, due to the high level of competition at the championships, competitors initially often tie for the top positions, requiring them to repeat their performance to determine the winner. A high level of conditioning would be necessary to perform well not once, but twice, to break ties.
Entering this year’s tournament, Michael was ranked third nationally in traditional forms and sixth in traditional weapons. Stephanie was ranked second in extreme weapons and fourth in creative forms.
Stephanie’s specialty is a division called extreme weapons and double kamas are Stephanie’s weapons of choice. A kama is sickle-like in design with a 14-inch handle and 7-inch pointed metal blade. She constructed a 90-second free-form routine set to music in which she executed quick strikes, double-handed throws, weapon releases, inversions and spinning moves.
Despite issues that plagued her during final practices, Stephanie’s initial performance during the finals hit all of her most difficult moves, which resulted in a tie for first place with the reigning world champion.
To break the tie, the finalists repeat their routine, and the judges determine the winner. As the lower-ranked competitor, Stephanie performed first, reprising another great performance.
The world champ, too, executed a great routine, but the judges selected Stephanie.
Michael, competing in a different ring, heard the roar of the crowd, unaware his sister had just won a world title.
During his traditional forms competition, all first-degree black belts perform the same routine. It is 81 moves in length and judged based on the individual’s ability to execute each movement — whether a strike, punch, stance, kick or block — with precision, balance and proper intensity.
Michael’s initial scores bested 13 other national and international competitors, including the top two U.S. entries.
Michael found himself tied for first with a competitor from Chile and faced the same tiebreaker challenge as his sister.
The Chilean was first and performed a routine without any breaks or mistakes. Michael followed with another great performance. After a few tense moments, the judges pointed to Michael, who joined his sister as a world champion.
Stephanie competed in two other events, adding a bronze medal in open-hand creative forms. Michael competed in the traditional weapons competition where he finished fourth.
Both Stephanie and Michael are students, instructors and involved in the leadership program at the Hillsborough Legacy American Taekwondo Academy owned by chief instructor fifth-degree black belt Jorge Lee. They continue to train for the competition season and will become second-degree blacks this fall. 