More than 75 martial artists showed their skills Sunday at the Stevens Point YMCA as they were tested for new belt levels. Fifteen people earned new or advanced black belts..
Teodoro Garcia and Morgan Carlton earned third degree black belts with sharp performances of the taebek form, advanced sparring and advanced kick combinations. Garcia shattered a board with a back-spinning hook speed break, and Carlton snapped his board with a back-spinning hook kick.
Ryan Franckowiak, Erin Schraufnagel, Matthew Straub and Bridget Williams all used spinning or jumping back side kicks to smash two-inch boards as they advanced to second degree black belts. The quartet also sparred, demonstrated advanced kick combinations and performed the keumgang form.
Julie Hasek, Daniel Roberson and Kim Verburgt achieved full first degree black belt levels with their performance of koryo and four taegeuk forms, kick combos and sparring. Hasek broke her board with a spinning hook kick. Roberson jumped over 4 people to break with a flying side kick, and Verburgt used an inside crescent, 360-front kick for her break. The three answered questions from black belts in an oral exam on the techniques, history, and symbols of taekwondo.
Bryant Hedrington, Keisha Kavalauskas, Sam Smith Jaclyn Schmitz and
mother-son duo Kim Regnitz and Dylan Regnitz joined the black belt ranks as deputy black belts following testing which included advanced kick combinations, sparring and performance of five taegeuk forms. Hedrington, Kavalauska, Schmitz, Kim Regnitz and Dylan Regnitz used spinning side kicks to break their boards, while Sam Smith used a flying side kick.
Green belt Kimberly Multerer won first place for excellence at testing, from more than 60 students. New blue belt Chong Chang earned second place and high red belt Bri Tarpey took the third place trophy.
The testing was judged by master instructor Dwight Stevens, Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich. The students participating train at Stevens YMCA Taekwondo Academy, Stevens Taekwondo Academy and the Medical College of Wisconsin taekwondo club.
Other taekwondo news:
Local martial artists competed at two tournaments in April.
Second degree black belt Ryan Franckowiak won third place in men’s black belt sparring at the 32nd Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Rochester MN earlier this month. The competition was sponsored by the Park Institute at the John Marshall High School.
Kyle Mealy, second degree black belt, won first place in karate weapons competition, second in karate sparring and forms and third place in traditional forms competition for adult black belts at the 6th Annual Capital City Classic at the Madison Sheriton Hotel.
Also at the Madison tournament, sponsored by Paiks Traditional Martial Arts, second degree black belt Mark Stenerson took second place in traditional forms and third place in sparring. In the boys/girls, 15-17 year-old black belt division, Third degree black belt Hannah Lovejoy earned second place in sparring and Ryan Zorn, second degree black belt, took third place in sparring. Matt Lopez, high white belt, earned second place in both sparring and forms for the 18 to 24 year-old men and women’s division.
Teodoro Garcia and Morgan Carlton earned third degree black belts with sharp performances of the taebek form, advanced sparring and advanced kick combinations. Garcia shattered a board with a back-spinning hook speed break, and Carlton snapped his board with a back-spinning hook kick.
Ryan Franckowiak, Erin Schraufnagel, Matthew Straub and Bridget Williams all used spinning or jumping back side kicks to smash two-inch boards as they advanced to second degree black belts. The quartet also sparred, demonstrated advanced kick combinations and performed the keumgang form.
Julie Hasek, Daniel Roberson and Kim Verburgt achieved full first degree black belt levels with their performance of koryo and four taegeuk forms, kick combos and sparring. Hasek broke her board with a spinning hook kick. Roberson jumped over 4 people to break with a flying side kick, and Verburgt used an inside crescent, 360-front kick for her break. The three answered questions from black belts in an oral exam on the techniques, history, and symbols of taekwondo.
Bryant Hedrington, Keisha Kavalauskas, Sam Smith Jaclyn Schmitz and
mother-son duo Kim Regnitz and Dylan Regnitz joined the black belt ranks as deputy black belts following testing which included advanced kick combinations, sparring and performance of five taegeuk forms. Hedrington, Kavalauska, Schmitz, Kim Regnitz and Dylan Regnitz used spinning side kicks to break their boards, while Sam Smith used a flying side kick.
Green belt Kimberly Multerer won first place for excellence at testing, from more than 60 students. New blue belt Chong Chang earned second place and high red belt Bri Tarpey took the third place trophy.The testing was judged by master instructor Dwight Stevens, Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich. The students participating train at Stevens YMCA Taekwondo Academy, Stevens Taekwondo Academy and the Medical College of Wisconsin taekwondo club.
Other taekwondo news:
Local martial artists competed at two tournaments in April.
Second degree black belt Ryan Franckowiak won third place in men’s black belt sparring at the 32nd Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Rochester MN earlier this month. The competition was sponsored by the Park Institute at the John Marshall High School.
Kyle Mealy, second degree black belt, won first place in karate weapons competition, second in karate sparring and forms and third place in traditional forms competition for adult black belts at the 6th Annual Capital City Classic at the Madison Sheriton Hotel.
Also at the Madison tournament, sponsored by Paiks Traditional Martial Arts, second degree black belt Mark Stenerson took second place in traditional forms and third place in sparring. In the boys/girls, 15-17 year-old black belt division, Third degree black belt Hannah Lovejoy earned second place in sparring and Ryan Zorn, second degree black belt, took third place in sparring. Matt Lopez, high white belt, earned second place in both sparring and forms for the 18 to 24 year-old men and women’s division.
The Stevens Point YMCA chose first dan black belt Leopoldo Soria as "YMCA Kid" and are featuring his story and photo at the desk---check it out it you are in town.
Second degree black belt Chris (Vicker) Strohbusch was visiting in Stevens Point, and volunteered to help type the belt certificates for more than 75 students.
