February Testing and News

 Abraham Durrant,Riley Prince, Kiah Fischer

Dr. Stevens, Tristen Smith, Jerry Hajewski, Shawn Strunsee, Anika Brandl, Daniel Murray Jr.

More than forty taekwondo students kicked off the year to a good start by demonstrating their skills at a belt promotion testing recently.  Instructors from the Milwaukee area and students from the Stevens Taekwondo Academy YMCA class, the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program and Stevens Taekwondo A New Way of Life earned new belt ranks after successful testing at the YMCA. 

Jerry Hajewski and Shawn Strunsee achieved sixth degree black belt and the title of senior master in their successful testing.  The men, who run two Dragons Training Center schools in the Milwaukee area, performed the challenging jitae form in unison.  Hajewski submitted a paper and spoke about the mental and psychological development achieved through martial arts training.  He noted that the determination learned helps the practitioner attain skills both in taekwondo and in life.  Strunsee’s paper and speech compared taekwondo teaching of indomitable spirit to the Star Wars line of Yoda “Try not. Do or do not.”  He pointed out that doing your best means different things for different people at different ages.

Daniel Murray Jr. earned his second degree black belt in excellent style, smashing two boards with an inside crescent back spinning side kick, performing the keumgang form and demonstrating sparring skills.

Thirteen-year-old Tristen Smith advanced to full first degree black belt, performing koryo and four taegeuk forms and answering multiple questions from the black belts on the history, meaning and tenets of taekwondo.  Smith also snapped a board easily with a back spinning side kick and demonstrated advanced skills in sparring and kick combinations.

Twelve-year-old Anika Brandl joined the black belt ranks as a deputy black belt after her demonstration of five taegeuk forms, kick combinations and sparring skills.  She broke a board with a back spinning side kick.

Three trophies were awarded to students for excellence in the testing.  New yellow belt Abraham Durrant won first place, yellow belt Riley Prince grabbed second place and high yellow belt Kiah Fischer earned the third place trophy.   

The testing was judged by Grand Master Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.

Scheduling note:

The YMCA classes will begin with a new session February 24. 

The next testing date is MARCH 29 (rather than in April).