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| Jessica Tomaszewski and Oliver Shave |
December Testing
More than 45 area taekwondo students kicked up their
heels for the end of the year with successful testing at the Stevens Point YMCA
recently, with nine reaching or increasing black belt rank.
Karrie Lane earned fifth degree black belt status in
a sharp testing, which included the difficult split double front kick the
sipjim form and a presentation on the history, meaning and elements of the
taegeuk forms.
Payton Buchkowski, Jeremy Kunst, Reece and Griffin
Peeters and Tanner Rogers all achieved full first degree black belt status
after extensive testing, which included performing koryo and four taegeuk
forms, sparring, impressive board breaking and an oral examination on the
tenets and history of taekwondo. Buchkowski,
sponsored by his father Michael Buchkowski, owner and instructor of North Star
Taekwondo, broke his board with a 360 spinning side kick. Kunst, sponsored by senior master Mark
Henkel, smashed his board with a left spinning side kick. Rogers, sponsored by Lauren Shimulunas, used
a crescent kick. The Peeters brothers were sponsored by Lydia Miller, each snapping
a board easily with spinning side kicks.
Gabe Hurrish, Jiaxin He and Abi Glaum joined the
black ranks as deputy black belts with demonstration of five taegeuk forms,
advanced sparring and kick combinations and board breaking. Hurrish used his non-dominant leg for a back
spinning hook kick to snap his board.
Jiaxin He easily snapped her board with a combination roundhouse-back
spinning side kick, while Glaum broke her board with a back spinning hook kick.
Two color belt students earned trophies for
excellence in testing. High yellow belt
Jessica Tomaszewski won first place with high green belt Oliver Shave taking
home the second place trophy.
Stevens Taekwondo Academy master instructor Dwight
Stevens judged the testing, assisted by
masters Mark Henkel, Bill Dragolovich , Henk Boese of Eau Claire
and Jerry Hajewski of Wauwatosa.
December Tournament Results
Klein, Martin, Salm, Rogers
Local taekwondo students placed at two tournaments
in December, honorably representing their instructor Senior Master Karen
Johnson and bringing home several medals.
Competing at the first UW Madison Interschool
Invitational Taekwondo Tournament, green belt Amanda Salm won first place
in the adult women’s sparring, with some
amazing head kicks. Salm also earned
second place in the women’s forms competition.
High green belt Matt Klein grabbed silver medals in both the men’s forms
and sparring divisions. Black belt
Tanner Rogers took the bronze medal for men’s black belt sparring, while blue
belt Kevin Martin was edged out of the medals despite two great matches in
men’s sparring. The event was sponsored
by the UW-Madison Taekwondo Club.
Closer to home, two students competed in the Central
Wisconsin Evolution Tournament, sponsored by Five Rings Taekwondo at PJ Jacobs
Junior High on the same date.
Second degree black belt Isaac Williams placed in
all three areas of the 12 to 14 year-old boys division, taking first place in
board breaking by snapping three boards using a butterfly kick, a spinning hook
speed kick and an autobahn kick. Williams also grabbed the silver medals in forms
and sparring competition.
First degree Mike Molden won two silver medals in both
forms and sparring competition for the 18- 32 year men’s division.
