POULSBO — “Ready?!” West Sound Master Instructor Jose Lugo asked; a chorus a voices shouted back “Yes, sir!”

“Let’s go,” Lugo shouted, and thunderous kicks echoed throughout the upper level dojang on Viking Avenue. Students from West Sound Taekwondo came together to kick for a cause Saturday in Poulsbo and, in fleets of five, continuously kicked standing dummies for one-minute intervals, with the goal of kicking for one hour.

More than 20 taekwondo students of all ages, sizes and skill levels congregated to help out. Pledges were collected at the tune of one cent per kick from the community. By the time the final foot flashed through the air, upward of $2,168 was raised to be donated to assist with the ongoing cleanup efforts in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

With workout music flowing from the back room, all kinds of kicks were tallied by onlooking judges. Supporters cheered the students along as the hour kicked by — one minute at a time.

“Yeah, I’m getting real tired,” student Jaiquinn Cadinte said 45 minutes through the demonstration.

Some students lay in exhaustion while others excitedly swapped numbers as they waited for their next turn. Kiani Clissold came off to the side after one round to share her kick count with her grandma.

To which her grandma smiled and replied, “I know, I’ve been counting with them.”

At the end of the hour, 20,118 kicks had been recorded. Arissan Ugles tallied the most personal kicks with 1,266.

“This is about us coming together as a community to help people and families in need,” Lugo said in closing.