December 2013

Dr. Stevens, Konopacky, Shave, Baroni, Blaser, Misiewicz, Kujawa

Cabrini Brandl, Matt Kleine, Arthus Muschkat

 Despite frigid temperatures outside,  more than 50 martial artists warmed up the Stevens Point YMCA recently with sizzling demonstrations of kicks, forms and sparring.  Six advanced students achieved new or higher black belt levels in the Stevens Taekwondo Academy testing,

Two local men excelled as they achieved fourth degree black belt and earned the title of master.  Kevin Konopacky and Peter Shave performed the challenging, linear pyongwon form, advanced kick combinations and sparring.

Konopacky demonstrated a four-corner defense with his multiple board breaks, using a knife hand and two palm heels to break three boards before a spinning side kick through two boards.  His presentation centered on the basic teaching for beginning students, including the proper way to warm up, showing respect, blocks, kicks, and stances.  Konopacky joins his sister Jill at the master rank, and has three children and a niece who are also black belts.

Shave snapped one board with a switching high front kick and another with a spinning roundhouse kick.  Shave, assisted by Lydia Miller, demonstrated special techniques used in sport sparring, including blocking, checking and trapping in close in situations.   Shave heard his title used for the first time as the entire room wished him  “Happy birthday, Master Shave.”

Kathryn Blaser, Cally Baroni, Jacob Kujawa and Nicholas Misiewicz earned deputy black belt rank with  their demonstration of advanced kicks, sparring and five taegeuk forms.  Blaser snapped her board with a roundhouse, turn around roundhouse kick, Baroni used a jump back spinning side kick, Kujawa executed a flying sidekick and eleven-year-old Misiewicz broke with a butterfly kick.

Three trophies were also awarded for excellence in testing.  High green belt Arthur Muschkat won first place, high yellow belt Matthew Kleine placed second and high green belt Cabrini Brandl took home third place.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens judged the testing, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.  The students tested train at the Stevens YMCA Taekwondo Academy, at Stevens Taekwondo:  A New Way of Life and at the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program.

Ready to test in brilliant winter sunshine