Stevens Taekwondo Academy News -- April 2007
More than eighty martial artists from the Stevens Taekwondo Academy tested for higher color belts at the YMCA April 22, 2007. Eleven earned new or higher degree black belts in the testing.
Dr. George Davidson, Abner Fernandez, from Milwaukee’s South West YMCA, and thirteen-year-old Hannah Lovejoy achieved third-degree black belts in strenuous testing which included advanced kick combos, sparring and performance of the taebek form. Davidson snapped his board with a back spinning hook kick speed break. Fernandez sizzled in an impressive 540-degree spinning roundhouse speed break, and Lovejoy easily split her board with a back spinning hook speed break.
Teodora Garcia and twelve-year-old Morgan Carlton advanced to second-degree black belt level following very sharp performances of the keumgang form, advanced kick combos and sparring. Garcia smashed a two-inch board with a back spinning side kick, while Carlton broke two boards, each with a back spinning side kick.
Ashley Bloch, Michelle Ormond and John Vann earned first-degree black belt status with performance of koryo and four taegeuk forms and an oral examination on the tenants and symbols of taekwondo. Bloch smashed through two boards with a back spinning side kick. Ormond broke her board with the back spinning side kick and sparred. Vann split a board with a working step back spinning hook speed break and sparred.
Dr. George Davidson, Abner Fernandez, from Milwaukee’s South West YMCA, and thirteen-year-old Hannah Lovejoy achieved third-degree black belts in strenuous testing which included advanced kick combos, sparring and performance of the taebek form. Davidson snapped his board with a back spinning hook kick speed break. Fernandez sizzled in an impressive 540-degree spinning roundhouse speed break, and Lovejoy easily split her board with a back spinning hook speed break.
Teodora Garcia and twelve-year-old Morgan Carlton advanced to second-degree black belt level following very sharp performances of the keumgang form, advanced kick combos and sparring. Garcia smashed a two-inch board with a back spinning side kick, while Carlton broke two boards, each with a back spinning side kick.
Ashley Bloch, Michelle Ormond and John Vann earned first-degree black belt status with performance of koryo and four taegeuk forms and an oral examination on the tenants and symbols of taekwondo. Bloch smashed through two boards with a back spinning side kick. Ormond broke her board with the back spinning side kick and sparred. Vann split a board with a working step back spinning hook speed break and sparred.
L-R: Dr. George Davidson, Morgan Carlton, Teodoro Garcia, John Vann, Michelle Ormund, Hannah Lovejoy, Elizabeth Lovejoy, Ashley Bloch, Mark Stenerson, Abner Fernandez (Scott Thmason missing)
Mark Stenerson, eleven-year-old Elizabeth Lovejoy and Scott Thomason joined the black belt ranks as deputy black belts after performing five taegeuk forms and demonstrating advanced kicks. Stenerson sparred and broke one board with a tornado kick and a second with a spinning side kick. Lovejoy sparred and broke her board with a back spinning side kick. Thomason broke his board with a switching front kick.
Three color belt students were recognized for excellence in the testing. High green belt Lauren Shimulunas won the first place trophy, high red belt Jonathan DeGroot earned the second place trophy and red belt John Anderson was awarded the final trophy.Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, Master Mark Henkel and Master Hilde Henkel judged the testing.
l-r: John anderson, Lauren Shimulunas, Jonathan DeGroot
