Thursday, June 20, 2019

June 2019

Masters Mark & HIlde Henkel with black belt Malek Alksrawi


More than a dozen students of Stevens Taekwondo Academy YMCA earned promotion to higher belt ranks after a recent testing, and one student achieved a life-time ambition of a black belt.

Malec Alkasrawi attained full first dan black belt status after vigorous testing, which included sparring and advanced kick combinations, an oral exam on the history and practice of taekwondo and demonstration of  koryo and four taegeuk forms.  Alkasrawi also broke a board with a working step back spinning side kick.  He stated that it has
been
 his goal since he was 10 years old to earn a black belt.


Corinne Milovanovic earned her bo dan, deputy black belt, last night, as she returned from an injury and completed her testing, which included advanced sparring and kick combinations and performance of five taegeuk forms.  She smashed her board on the first attempt with a working step spinning side kick. 

New green belt Munir Bahar, seven years old, was awarded the trophy for excellence in testing.

The testing was judged by head instructors Mark and Hilde Henkel and Master Karen Johnson head instructor for Stevens Taekwondo:  A New Way of Life.


Other News 

This testing also marked the first time for the third
generation of the Henkel family to test as six-year-old Rowan and eight-year-old Rhiannon Henkel earned their yellow stripe as high white belts.   They happily announced they were trained by Master Dr. James Henkel.  His son, four-year-old Caleb, worked out with the white belts two nights also.