More than 75 martial artists from all over the state braved
winter’s first storm to successfully test for new taekwondo belt levels, with
a good turn out of friends, family and instructors filling the Stevens Point YMCA
gym in support of them.
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All the black belt candidates demonstrated advanced kick
combinations and sparring skills.
Charles Zoromski performed the taebeck form and snapped a board with a
spinning hook speed break., earning his third degree black belt. Xichen Cheng earned his second degree black
when he performed the keumgang form before smashing a two-inch board with a
flying side kick.
Father-son duo Thomas and Jacob Oakland, Andrew Krause,
Kerrigan Neidert, Abby Dremel, Reggie Stern and Caleb Siewert performed koryo
and four taebek forms in excellent precision.
All these candidates answered oral questioning on the meaning of terms,
history of taekwondo and codes and tenets of the sport. Advanced board breaks using a back spin side
kick for Andrew Krause and Thomas and Jacob Oakland, a spinning hook kick for Kerrigan Neidert,
Abby Dremel and Caleb Siewert , and a flying side kick for Reggie Stern
completed their successful testing for first degree black belt.
Qualifying for deputy black belt levels, Tammy Weiss used a
butterfly kick for her board break, Matthew Whitley and Laura Krings snapped
their boards with flying side kicks and Shelby Finnessy broke her board with a
back spinning side kick. This quartet
also demonstrated five taegeuk forms.
Three color belt students were awarded trophies for
excellence in testing. Blue belt Michael
Buchkowski won first place, blue belt Grace Carroll took second place and high
green belt Lydia Miller earned third place.
This testing included students from the Stevens Taekwondo
Academy main school at the YMCA, branch schools on Isadore Street, in Wausau
and in Port Edwards, the Waupaca Tae Kwon Do Academy, the UW-Stevens Point
taekwondo program and the UW-Platteville Taekwondo Club. The testing was judged by master instructor Dwight
Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark
Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.
Schedule for YMCA Classes and 2013 Testings
January 8 New session (Winter I) begins
February 10 Belt promotion testing 1 P.M. in YMCA Gym
February 14 Last class of Winter I session
NO CLASSES February 19 & 21
February 26 First class of Winter II session
April 4 Last class of Winter II session
NO CLASSES april 9 & 11
April 14 Belt Promotion Testing 1 P.M. in YMCA Gym
April 16 First class of Spring session
May 23 Last Class of Spring session
NO CLASSES May 28 & 30
June 4 First class of Summer I session
June 9 Belt Promotion Testing 1 P.M. All Purpose Room
July 11 Last class of Summer I session
NO CLASSES July 16 & 18
July 23 First class of Summer II session
August 11 Belt Promotion Testing 1 P.M. all Purpose Room
August 29 Last class of Summer II session
