2012 Lifetime Service Award and February Testing

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens receives 2012 USA Taekwondo Lifetime Service award

Isaac Williams congratulated on his first dan black belt

1st Ryokung won, 2nd Blake Carroll & 3rd Alvin Cox

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, founder and head instructor for the Stevens Taekwondo Academy schools, was honored Sunday by the USA Taekwondo 2012 Lifetime Service Award, the ninth martial artist to be so recognized by the organization. 

The citation noted that Stevens has “devoted decades of service to the advancement of the sport” as an athlete, instructor, coach and leader and was one of the first Americans to earn the rank of certified International Referee for taekwondo. 

In addition to the long-running taekwondo program through the YMCA, Stevens was instrumental in establishing and instructing in the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program  and oversees several branch schools through his advanced students.  He is a certified Inayan  Pressure Sensitive Nerve Area instructor  and has worked with many law enforcement agencies teaching special techniques.  Stevens has trained thousands of students of all ages with more than 850 blacks belts earned, and participated in national events, including selection of Olympic athletes.

“I am honored and humbled by this award,” Stevens told his students afterward.

The announcement and plaque came as a surprise to Stevens, who did not know of his nomination by Master Steve Decker, instructor for schools in Port Edwards and Wausau, with assistance from Stevens’ son Grandmaster Robert Stevens, founder and head instructor at Stevens World Taekwondo in Denver and Senior Master Hilde Henkel.


Martial Artists Advance in February Testing

More than forty martial artists earned new belt rankings in promotion testing recently at the Stevens Point YMCA.

Eleven-year-old Isaac Williams earned his first dan black belt in impressive style, performing koryo and  four taegeuk forms with great precision, before snapping a board with a back spinning side kick.  Williams also demonstrated advanced kick combinations and sparring skills before  answering oral examination on the codes, origins, and philosophies of taekwondo.

Three students won trophies for excellence in the testing.  Blue belt Ryokung Won earned first place, red belt Blake Carroll took second and yellow belt Alvin Cox placed third.  Grandmaster Dwight Stevens judged the testing, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.

Other Black Belt News:

Two black belts expanded their families recently.  Aria Law was born to Bethany (Reed) Law, daughter or Master Jill Reed, before Christmas.  Jeff Lane and Master Karrie Lane were blessed with a third son, Joshua, in January.

Also, the February testing was the first for the third generation of the Klapoetke family:  Samara Poirier earned her high white belt  with parents Karen Klapoetke-Poirier and Mark Poirier and grandfather Richard Klapoetke watching proudly.