Twenty- five martial artists earned higher rank in the
April promotion testing at the Stevens
Point YMCA, with four taekwondo students achieving black belt levels.
Luke McChrystal earned his third degree black belt with a
sharp performance of the taebek form and demonstrating advanced kicks and
sparring skills. McChrystal snapped a
board easily on the first try with a speed break using a back spinning hook
kick.
Jessica Tomaszewski and mother-son duo Carrie and Gavin
Murray achieved deputy black belt level with their demonstration of kicks, five
taebek forms and advanced sparring.
Tomaszewski persisted in her efforts even after an injury delay and
broke a board with a back spinning side kick.
Carrie Murray used an inside crescent, back spinning side kick to
shatter her board on the first attempt.
Gavin Murray chose a challenging jumping back spinning hook kick for his
board break, held by his father, third degree black belt Dan Murray Jr..
Michael Buchkowski, owner and master instructor at North
Star Taekwondo Academy in Wausau, wowed the audience with his demonstration of
a palm heel break of six concrete patio blocks.
Three taekwondo students took home trophies for excellence
in testing. Father-son duo Bill and
Nathan Gerbode, both new yellow belts, won the first and second place trophies
respectively. High yellow belt Owen Yach
earned third place.
Master instructor Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters
Mark Henkel and Ron Locascio, judged the students from the YMCA Stevens
Taekwondo Academy and Stevens Taekwondo Academy A New Way of Life. Visiting masters Jerry Hajewski and Shawn
Strunsee of the Milwaukee area also assisted.
Black Belt News
Third dan black belt John Paul Bunn was honored as the
Volunteer of the Year by the Stevens Point YMCA recently. Bunn clocked more than 160 hours of volunteer
work in 2016.
Senior masters Mark and Hilde Henkel distributed information
about the Stevens Taekwondo Academy taekwondo program at the YMCA Community
Family Fair recently and are available for similar activities to publicize the
program. Many of the visitors at the
table did not know that the YMCA had taekwondo classes, but a few of the
parents mentioned attending when they were students---and were invited to
return.
