More than ninety Stevens Taekwondo Academy students achieved new belt levels in testing held recently at the YMCA. The large December turnout included nine martial artists of all ages earning new or advanced black belts.

Earning bo dan (deputy) black belts were Dennis Freund, Al Jankowski, Andrew Krause, Brian Gibbs, Alexander Prevost, ten-year-old Bryton Stewart and nine-year-old Macey Shutter. Their testing including performing advanced kick combinations, sparring and five taegeuk forms. Freund, Jankowski, Krause, Gibbs and Stewart all succeeded in breaking boards immediately with back spinning side kicks. Bryton Stewart is the grandson of black belt Guy Stewart. Shutter and Prevost showed perseverance with their kicks, breaking boards with a back spinning hook and back spinning side kick respectively.

Kimberly Nummelin, bride of third-degree black belt Ben Nummelin, and Benjamin Goodberlet earned first-degree black belts with impressive performances in advanced techniques, sparring and koryo and four taegeuk forms. Nummelin snapped her board easily with a flying side kick, jumping over three people, and Goodberlet used a back spinning hook kick in a speed break. The duo also answered numerous questions on the history of taekwondo and its tenets in public examination.

Three color belt students were recognized from the large number testing as performing with excellence. New blue belt Katie Heath won first place, new green belt Cally Baroni took second place and Julia Neufeld earned third place and high green belt.

Vern Lovejoy, fifth-degree black belt, was selected as black belt of the year. In his absence, his daughter Elizabeth, third-degree black belt, accepted the plaque honoring the memory of M. J. Attoe, from Attoe’s mother, Joyce Kavalaskas. Other nominees for the award were Steve Decker, instructor at both Port Edwards and Wausau schools, and new black belt Dennis Freund.

The martial artists at the testing included students from the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program, YMCA Stevens Taekwondo Academy and STA branch schools in Stevens Point, Port Edwards and Wausau. The testing was judged by Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark and Hilde Henkel.


Black Belt News

The annual Black Belt Christmas party was held the evening before testing at the Boston School forest. In addition to the friendship and great food, the fascinating displays of knot, tree types and stuffed wildlife (even a musk ox!) were very interesting, and the crackling fire set a very nice mood.

Despite a lack of snow, Santa visited the party, to the delight of the smaller guests, who asked Santa for an assortment of gifts, ranging from a bike to a candy cane! This year’s piñata resisted the efforts of the youngsters until Ben Strojny helped them out with a powerful kick.

Many black belts contributed to the gifts for Dr. Stevens, and Sr. Master Karen Johnson made all the arrangements for the location. Thanks and Merry Christmas to all.

December 2, 2011

Students at the YMCA classes are
privileged to receive instruction
directly from grandmaster Dwight Stevens.
Here he works with a large white belt group
on basic blocking techniques.



Tournament Results

Local taekwondo students fared well at a recent tournament earning nine first place trophies. Stevens Taekwondo Academy students from four local programs participated at the Mid-Wisconsin Taekwondo Championships, held in Wisconsin Rapids.

Blue belt Matthew Whitley swept the 14-17 year-old division, taking first place in sparring, forms and breaking.

Representation in the mini-peewee division was especially strong with red belt Isaac Williams taking first place in forms and in breaking, snapping boards with a back spinning hook kick and a back spinning side kick. High red belt Macey Shutter took second place in breaking and forms in the same division, with a third place in sparring. Red belt Cody Olski placed third in forms and sparring with a fourth place in breaking, and high yellow belt Michael Skerven grabbed the first place for sparring, second in forms and fourth in breaking.

In the micro- peewee division, Maddie Skerven, yellow belt, won first place in breaking, second in sparring and third in forms, with Isaac Witte, yellow belt, taking second in breaking, third in sparring and fourth in forms. Isabella Cornell, also a yellow belt, participating in her first tournament won second place in sparring, and fourth place in both forms and breaking.

In the adult men’s color belt division, blue belt Stephon Freeman won first place in sparring and board breaking and third place in forms.

Competing in the tough adult black belt division, fourth dan black belt Scott Smith earned a second place in forms, and third in both sparring and breaking.

Senior master Karen Johnson and third dan black belt Stephen Decker trained these students at programs including the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo and Stevens Taekwondo Academy schools in Stevens Point, the South Wood County YMCA and the Woodson YMCA.

The Mid-Wisconsin Taekwondo Championships were held at the Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids and presented by Park Institute with Master John Chrystal serving as tournament director.

Black Belt Christmas Party

The Stevens Taekwondo Academy Black Belt Party will take place on Dec. 10. while local, active black belts are given or get mailed invitations all black belts are welcome, if they make a reservation with Master Hilde or Master Johnson by December 6. Contact us for details and directions.

October Testing and News

More than seventy Stevens Taekwondo Academy students tested successfully at the Stevens Point YMCA recently, including six students achieving black belts.

Xichen Cheng, Benjamin Strojny, Ginny Neufeld, Peter Clark and Reed Kolby Davis earned first degree black belts with their demonstrations of koryo and four taegeuk forms, advanced kick combinations and advanced sparring techniques. All five faced oral examination on the details of taekwondo tenets and history. Strojny smashed his board with a back spinning side kick on the first attempt. Cheng, Neufeld and Clark also used back spinning sidekicks on their board breaks. Davis broke a board with a flying side kick.

Julie Shutter achieved deputy black belt with her performance of five taegeuk forms, kick combinations and sparring. She broke a board with a jumping back spinning side kick.

Trophies for excellence in testing went to green belt Lloyd Graff, first place, blue belt Stephanie Tank, second place, and high green belt Kasen Davis, third place. The testing was judged by grandmaster Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.

Black Belt News

Black belts Benjamin Nummelin and Kimberly Richardson were married today, October 15, at Powers Bluff Park in a lovely outdoor setting. The weather was cool, windy and sunny for a beautiful background. Ben and Kimberly met through taekwondo.

Reminder: The December testing is scheduled for December 11, preceded by the black belt Christmas party on December 10. Volunteers for organization or gift suggestions are always welcome.

August Testing and News

PLEASE NOTE YMCA schedule change: The YMCA class for August 23 will be held in the gym and the class for August 25 is postponed to September 6, due to repair and refinishing work at the Y.


August Testing
More than thirty Stevens Taekwondo Academy students successfully tested for new belt levels Sunday at the YMCA, including three for black belt levels.

Eleven-year-old Arrington Polman earned his third dan black belt as he demonstrated the taebek form, sparring, and kick combinations before snapping a board with a back spinning hook kick.

Sister Annika Polman, 14 years old, tested for second dan black belt as she performed advanced kick combinations, sparring and a very sharp keumgang form. She will break at a future time.

Thirteen year old Riley Drechsler moved into the black belts ranks as a deputy black belt, following her demonstration of five taegeuk forms, advanced kick combinations and sparring. She broke her board with a 360 roundhouse.

Two trophies for excellence in testing were awarded. Green belt Eric Hendrickson took first place and high green belt Matthew Whitley earned second place.

The testing was judged by Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, and masters Mark Henkel, Bill Dragolovich and visiting master Dr. Matt Ford of Cincinnati.




Other News

Krazy Days Demo: This outdoors demonstration, led by Master Kim Buehler and Master Karrie Lane, on an extremely hot and humid day, included an abbreviated warm-up, combos, bag techniques, poomsae, sparring and board breaking. The participants were: Mandi Hoppa, Bridgette Williams, Kaitlyn Faulks, Bryant Hendrington, Ben Strojny, Annika Polman, Arrington Polman, and JP Bunn.

Healthy Heros Mini-Class: Master Kim Buehler led mini-classes two days at the Central Wisconsin Children's Museums for their Healthy Heroes week. Participants were: Lauren Shimalunas, Annika & Arrington Polman, Isaac Williams, Shelby Finnessy, and JP Bunn. Master Buehler included a quick warm-up, basic kicks, bag work, demonstration by red and black belts of more advanced kicks on the focus paddle,. Tap-tap sparring finished off the class.

Cody Olski in Taekwondo Junior Olympics: Nine-year-old Cody Olski was the only Wisconsin competitor the Taekwondo Junior Olympics (for 6 to 17 year olds) this summer. Olski, a blue belt student of Mr. Stephen Decker in Port Edwards, traveled to San Jose California to compete in sparring. On June 28, Cody‘s first match went into sudden death overtime, with a loss only 15 seconds before the end of the match.
Showing indomitable spirit, Cody was not crushed by the defeat.
"When I first started, I didn't think I would make it this far," Cody said.
After the event, Cody was featured in a news piece on WAOW, Channel 9. He had qualified for the tourney at the Minnesota State Championships sponsored by World Taekwondo Academy.

Dr. Tom Lisack featured in Wausau Daily Herald: Second dan Dr. Tom Lisack was featured in the Wausau Daily Herald on August 5 In the interview, Lisack spoke of how he worked out in taekwondo during his work on his doctorate in English education, finding it to be a physical test and good escape from that work. See the whole article by Jake Miller at:
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20110807/WDH04/108070341/Boomer-Q-Educator-follows-own-advice-sets-high-goals-himself

Senior Master John Henkel married: Many STA black belts were in attendance when John Henkel, son of senior masters Mark and Hilde Henkel, married Evelyn Williams in Minneapolis July 9. John’s brother, senior master Jim Henkel was the best man. The bride is a black belt through the UW-Madison University Taekwondo Club. The reception was enhanced by the couple’s performance of koryo and the opportunity to break a board as the trigger for the couple kissing. Black belts assisted in instruction and board holding for non-martial artists. The couple will live in Palatine IL, where John is an engineer in research and development for Motorola. Evelyn is completing her doctorate in botany this fall.

Steve Decker now a Dad: Third dan black belt Stephen Decker took on a whole new role on August 7 with the birth of Timothy Stephen Decker, who weighed in at 8 lbs and 4 oz, and measured in at a whopping 22 inches long. Both Timothy and mother Brooke are doing fine and attended the beginning of testing to show us their family addition.

Next Generation: The children of masters Justin and Kim Buehler and master Karrie and Jeff Lane also participated in the board breaking at the Henkel wedding. They broke boards very credibly!

June 2011

PLEASE NOTE YMCA schedule change: The YMCA class for August 23 will be held in the gym and the class for August 25 is postponed to September 6, due to repair and refinishing work at the Y.


Two taekwondo students earned black belts and 30 students new belt ranks at the Stevens Taekwondo Academy June testing at the YMCA.

Mark Regnitz and Laura Borth performed five taegeuk forms, kick combinations and demonstrated sparring as they moved into the black belt ranks as deputy black belts. Borth performed a blindfolded hook kick for her impressive break. Regnitz snapped his board with a jump back spinning side kick. He is the third black belt in the family, with his wife Kim Regnitz and son Dylan already at second degree black belt level.

Trophies for excellence in testing also carried a family theme as first place was given to blue belt Jennifer Bilbrey and second to her sister-in-law high yellow belt Hilary Bilbrey. The third place trophy was awarded to red belt Denise Dreschler.

The testing was judged by Grandmaster Dwight Stevens and Senior Master Bill Dragolovich, with Senior Master Karen Johnson, masters Carol Landrath, Kim Buehler, Justin Buehler, Karrie Lane, Jill Reed and Mandi Hoppa, and black belts Teri Jenkins, Steve Decker, Kim Regnitz and Tom Lisack assisting.

New Branch School in Wausau

Third dan black belt Stephen Decker is teaching taekwondo classes at the Woodson YMCA in Wausau . The classes are Monday and Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mr. Decker is aware that there are STA students in the area and invites them to attend these classes. Second dan black belts and above may attend free of charge and assist in the teaching.

Stephen Decker has recently taken the Associate Coach course through USA-T, earning "Associate Coach" ranking, enabling him to coach athletes at the Junior Olympics and other national tournaments

Third dan black belt Ryan McKay is currently in Ireland, but enjoys reading of the STA activities.

Black belt Leah Girtman Warden wrote from Lawrence, Kansas, where her husband Robin is in charge of the Army Reserve unit. Leah is finishing EMT training and considering continuing to paramedic.

Black belt news, updates and achievements are always welcome additions to the newsletter. They can be sent to henkelfm@wctc.net or via facebook to Hilde Henkel.

Scheduling Update

Class schedule for the summer and fall sessions has been verified. Please note that testings will begin at 1 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday June 7 Start of early summer session
Sunday, June 12 Belt Promotion Testing 1 pm APR of YMCA
Tuesday, June 14 Make up test, YMCA APR at 8 pm
NO CLASSES July 19 & 21
Tuesday, July 26 First class summer session
Sunday, August 14 Belt Promotion Testing, 1 pm YMCA APR
Thursday September 1 Last class of summer session
NO CLASSES September 6 & 8
Tuesday, September 13 First class of fall session 1
Sunday, October 9 Belt promotion Testing, 1 pm YMCA gym
Thursday, October 20 Last class fall session 1
NO CLASSES October 25 & 27
Tuesday, November 1 First class fall session 2
Thursday December 8 Last class of fall session 2
Sunday December 11 Belt Promotion Testing, 1 pm YMCA gym
3 Weeks off-- NO CLASSES for the rest of December
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 First class Winter session 1
Thursday, February 9 Last class of Winter 1 session
Sunday, Gebruary 12 Tentative date for Belt Promotion Testing

Dr. Stevens Birthday

The YMCA gymnasium was very hot for the taekwondo workout Thursday evening, May 12, but not too hot for birthday cake and cheer.

Students from white belts to masters gathered that night to celebrate Grandmaster Dwight Stevens’ birthday. A round of song and applause preceded the cake and visiting as Masters Kim Buehler and Karrie Lane expertly distributed the dessert.

Dr. Stevens’ birthday is always a time to acknowledging the many lives he has touched and the pride and affection his students hold for him. Twenty black belts were in attendance, and birthday wishes from senior masters
Jim Henkel, Karen Johnson and John Henkel were also extended in absentia.

April 2011

More than 90 Stevens Taekwondo Academy students tested successfully for new belt levels at the YMCA recently.

Peter Chan earned sixth degree, senior master level, black belt with his performance of the difficult ji-tae form. Chan broke a concrete slab with a skipping side kick, before relating how teaching a special taekwondo class designed to help keep kids out of trouble brought him into a church and changed his life.

Lauren Shimulunas achieved second degree black belt with her demonstration of sparring, the keum-gand form and advanced kick and block combinations. Shimulunas cleanly snapped a two-inch board with a back spinning side kick.

Seth Zorn advanced to full black belt status following his performance of koryo and four taegeuk forms. He answered an array of oral questions from other black belts, sparred and broke his board with an autobahn leading into a back spinning side kick.

Peter Clark, Benjamin Strojny, Benjamin Goodberlet and the father-son duo of Daryl and Caleb Woods joined the ranks of deputy black belts following strenuous testing including demonstration of advance kicks and sparring, five taegeuk forms board breaking. Clark, Strojny, Caleb Woods and Daryl Woods all broke boards using a back spinning side kick, while Goodberlet used a jumping back spinning side kick.

Two trophies were awarded for excellence from more than 80 testing for color belt levels. High green belt Tom Oakland won first place with high green belt Tammi Weiss taking second place. The testing was judged by grandmaster instructor Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich and master Jerry Hajewski.

Tournament News

Taekwondo students of all ranks brought back trophies from the 2nd Southside Invitational Taekwondo Tournament in Greenfield Wisconsin recently.

Black belt Ryan Zorn took first place in his division and wowed the judges with a working step back spinning sidekick through three boards and won both sparring marches. Brother Seth Zorn, black belt, took second place in his division, winning both his sparring matches.

High red belt Ben Strojny performed taegeuk pal jahn and broke boards with an inside crescent to back spinning sidekick and a roundhouse to back spinning hook kick, placing third overall. Riley Dreschler, red belt, was the youngest competitor in her group, but placed third overall with two board breaks, including a jumping switching front speed break, the taegeuk chil jahn form and sparring.

High blue belt Denise Dreschler took second place, competing in a men’s division while performing taegeuk yuk jahn and sparring. She used a back spinning side kick and a jumping switching axe kick to snap two boards. Reuben Yamochi, green belt took first place in the same division with the taegeuk sah jahn and using both a back spinning hook and a back spinning hook speed kick for his board breaking.

At high first tournament, nine-year-old Taylor Sankey, high white belt, brought home first place trophy for his skills, which included a sharp sidekick board break.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens was recognized at the event, making a brief address to the competitors and spectators.

The tournament was hosted by Master James Lowe, USA TaeKwonDo Club, and Master Jerry Hajewski and Peter Chan, Dragons Club of Southwest YMCA. The tournament drew a hundred competitors from across the state and featured a unique scoring system combining results from sparring , board breaking and forms to rate competitors on overall skills.

Black Belt News

Master Lisa (Landrath) Gajewski gave birth to a healthy baby girl April 15, delighting sisters Allison and Claire and grandmother Master Carol Landrath.

Award, Champion and Refereeing

Dr. Dwight Stevens was honored recently by the Stevens Point YMCA for 30 years of teaching taekwondo. Stevens received a plaque recognizing this milestone. The taekwondo program has run continuously under Stevens' leadership, and trained thousands of students during that time, including more than 400 students who have earned one or more black belts.

Champion: Blue belt Cody Olski won first place in sparring for the 8-9 year-old boys division at the Minnesota State Taekwondo championship on March 12. In his final match, Cody shut out his opponent for a decisive win, and qualified for the Junior Nationals in Santa Monica California. Cody trains at South Wood County YMCA where his instructor, Mr. Stephen Decker is very proud of his student.

Referee Training: Steve Decker attended referee training in Minnesota and then participated as corner judge at the state tournament. He received valuable ring experience there. Working with the Lajust scoring equipment has made Decker a believer in the system. "I really do think it makes the sport better - when used with qualified and experienced referees and judges!"

Stevens Taekwondo Taekwondo: February Testing

More than 50 taekwondo students successfully tested for new belt ranks at the Stevens Point YMCA recently, with three achieving or advancing in the black belt ranks.

Jerry Hajewski advanced to fifth degree black belt in testing that included performance of the sip-jin form and an oral presentation on the positive effect of physical training such as taekwondo on brain development as measured in test scores. Hajewski broke three boards using three techniques: an elbow strike, a front snap kick and a back kick all while performing tricks with a jump rope.

Shawn Strunsee also successfully tested for fifth degree black belt. After his demonstration of the sip-jin form, Strunsee spoke on the training and preparation needed for board breaking. He broke a self-held board with a one-inch punch and then broke three concrete bricks with a palm heel strike.

Entering the black belt ranks as a deputy black belt, Kim Richardson demonstrated five taegeuk forms, breaking her board with a 360 spinning side kick and then sparring twice.

Three trophies for testing excellence were also awarded. New blue belt Anthony Basile won first place, blue belt Al Jankowski earned second place and high blue belt Macey Shutter took third place.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens judged the testing, assisted by senior master Bill Dragolovich and visiting master Jim Lowe.


Contributing rightly: Master Kim Buehler led a taekwondo mini-class for the Family Fitness night at Auburndale Elementary school in January. Assisting were Master Karrie Lane, Sara Shuler, Melvin Cornelius, Angel Thurber and JP Bunn.

Contributing rightly, part 2: Masters Kim Buehler and Karrie Lane filled in when Master Hilde Henkel was out of town for the February testing. They gathered information for the newsletter, took photos and transmitted them to Master Hilde. Karrie had to help Hilde work around some technical difficulties, but it did work out.

Also Contributing Rightly: Dr. Ron Locascio has been giving mini-classes in self defense for health professionals who are often coming and going at late hours. What a great idea!

Change in status and location: Congratulations to third dan black belt Bethany Reed, daughter of Master Jill Reed, who became Bethany Law in a lovely ceremony in Windsor, Wisconsin last month. Russ and Bethany now reside in Michigan. Black belts sharing the day (besides the mother of the bride of course) were Dr. Dwight Stevens, Mark and Hilde Henkel, Dan Zierke, Dr. George Davidson, Jamie Chariton, Justin and Kim Buehler, Karrie Lane and Kevin, Krysti, Kolby and Kahner Konopacky. They were all a little distracted by the concurrent Packers’ playoff game.

At December testing, all past recipients of the black belt of the year award were invited to attend as the 16th and final award was presented. Those present were: Kevin Konopacky, Jill Reed, Karen Johnson, Kim Wanta Buehler, Hilde Henkel, Carol Landrath, John Henkel, Karrie Wanta Lane, Mark Henkel, and Keisha Kavalaskas were able to pose for this picture with Dr. Stevens and Joyce Kavalaskas. Absent were Bill Dragolovich, Karen Root Craig, Ben Nummelin, Teri Jenkins, Dan Zierke and Jim Henkel, who became a father that day.