15 kickboxing youth from the Hanover, Brockton and West Grey area are competing at the Ontario Winter Games in Muskoka this weekend.
Coach Terry Sulkye says this is first time full contact kickboxing has been allowed in the Winter Games.
There are 65 competitors in total — the first match will take place Saturday night and is one of the few competitions that will be televised.
Sulkye believes the youth have a great chance because they are talented and have a lot of enthusiasm and heart.
The competition will include traditional kickboxing, low kick Thai boxing and as well as K-1 kickboxing.
Of the 15 local kickboxers — four are female.
The youth range in age from 12 to 19 and all belong to Hanover’s Golden Tiger School of Kung Fu.