'World Champion' Honored by Township

Supervisor Andy Schrader said a quick Taekwondo demonstration performed Monday by 9-year-old Colin McKinney showed exactly why the youngster is ranked in the top 10 worldwide.

"He did a great job," Schrader said. "We gave him a great response."

The boy was presented with a certificate recognizing achievements in a recent martial arts competition during the Cecil Township Board of Supervisor's meeting Monday.

McKinney, son of Lori and Harold McKinney, said the pupil—who will be in fourth-grade this upcoming school year—was recently invited to the American Taekwondo Association World Championships, where he was awarded a bronze medal in sparring.

The competition, held in late June, took place in Little Rock, Ark., and included competitors from the United States, Canada and several other countries, with only 10 people from the U.S. and Canada qualifying to compete in each category.

Colin participated in five, winning the bronze medal in sparring in the process.

This honor came after the second-degree black belt won the ATA’s state championship in all the divisions in which he competed—successfully defending his title from last year.

Colin practices under 5^th-degree black belt Michael Estep at Estep's ATA Taekwondo & Karate For Kids Center in Kennedy Township.