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| Dr. Stevens, Thao, Krings, Whitley, Thao, Lee, VanTiem |
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| Andrew Bowling, Isaac Witte, Anika Brandl |
More than forty taekwondo students and instructors, watched by a large crowd of family and friends, earned new belt levels recently at the Stevens Point YMCA. Six martial artists achieved new or higher black belt ranks.
Methuselah Thao wowed the on-lookers and advanced to fourth degree black belt, with his crisp demonstration of the pyongang form and advanced kick combinations. He then smashed two boards on first execution of a spinning side kick while blind-folded. With the fourth degree rank, Thao is now called taekwondo master.
Pao Lee earned the rank of second degree black belt with his performance of the keumgang form and advanced kick combinations before shattering a two-inch board with his first back spinning side kick.
Shirley Thao, Laura Krings and Matthew Whitley achieved first degree black belt rank with their performances of koryo and four taegeuk forms, sparring and kick combinations and responses to extensive oral examination on taekwondo tenets, history, creeds and terminology. Thao broke her board with a 360 jumping roundhouse kick. Krings succeeded breaking her board with a working step back spinning side kick and Whitley cracked his board on the first execution of a back spinning speed hook kick.
Entering the black belt ranks as a deputy black belt, Antony Van Tiem demonstrated five taegeuk forms, kick combinations, and sparring in addition to a sharp jump-spin side kick to break his board.
Three color belt students took home trophies for excellence in testing. High blue belt Andrew Bowling won first place, high blue belt Isaac Witte earned second place and high green belt Anika Brandl grabbed third place.
Grandmaster Dwight Stevens was assisted in judging the testing by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich and master Tim Vocke of Rhinelander.
More photos by Master Karrie Lane, including video of the black belt breaking, are posted on the Stevens Taekwondo group page on facebook...check it out!
Thank you for your patience in the delay of this posting and for the many expressions of concern about my parents.
