15 Black Belts at April 2009 Testing

More than 75 martial artists showed their skills Sunday at the Stevens Point YMCA as they were tested for new belt levels. Fifteen people earned new or advanced black belts..

Teodoro Garcia and Morgan Carlton earned third degree black belts with sharp performances of the taebek form, advanced sparring and advanced kick combinations. Garcia shattered a board with a back-spinning hook speed break, and Carlton snapped his board with a back-spinning hook kick.

Ryan Franckowiak, Erin Schraufnagel, Matthew Straub and Bridget Williams all used spinning or jumping back side kicks to smash two-inch boards as they advanced to second degree black belts. The quartet also sparred, demonstrated advanced kick combinations and performed the keumgang form.

Julie Hasek, Daniel Roberson and Kim Verburgt achieved full first degree black belt levels with their performance of koryo and four taegeuk forms, kick combos and sparring. Hasek broke her board with a spinning hook kick. Roberson jumped over 4 people to break with a flying side kick, and Verburgt used an inside crescent, 360-front kick for her break. The three answered questions from black belts in an oral exam on the techniques, history, and symbols of taekwondo.

Bryant Hedrington, Keisha Kavalauskas, Sam Smith Jaclyn Schmitz and
mother-son duo Kim Regnitz and Dylan Regnitz joined the black belt ranks as deputy black belts following testing which included advanced kick combinations, sparring and performance of five taegeuk forms. Hedrington, Kavalauska, Schmitz, Kim Regnitz and Dylan Regnitz used spinning side kicks to break their boards, while Sam Smith used a flying side kick.

Green belt Kimberly Multerer won first place for excellence at testing, from more than 60 students. New blue belt Chong Chang earned second place and high red belt Bri Tarpey took the third place trophy.

The testing was judged by master instructor Dwight Stevens, Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich. The students participating train at Stevens YMCA Taekwondo Academy, Stevens Taekwondo Academy and the Medical College of Wisconsin taekwondo club.


Other taekwondo news:

Local martial artists competed at two tournaments in April.

Second degree black belt Ryan Franckowiak won third place in men’s black belt sparring at the 32nd Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Rochester MN earlier this month. The competition was sponsored by the Park Institute at the John Marshall High School.

Kyle Mealy, second degree black belt, won first place in karate weapons competition, second in karate sparring and forms and third place in traditional forms competition for adult black belts at the 6th Annual Capital City Classic at the Madison Sheriton Hotel.

Also at the Madison tournament, sponsored by Paiks Traditional Martial Arts, second degree black belt Mark Stenerson took second place in traditional forms and third place in sparring. In the boys/girls, 15-17 year-old black belt division, Third degree black belt Hannah Lovejoy earned second place in sparring and Ryan Zorn, second degree black belt, took third place in sparring. Matt Lopez, high white belt, earned second place in both sparring and forms for the 18 to 24 year-old men and women’s division.

The Stevens Point YMCA chose first dan black belt Leopoldo Soria as "YMCA Kid" and are featuring his story and photo at the desk---check it out it you are in town.

Second degree black belt Chris (Vicker) Strohbusch was visiting in Stevens Point, and volunteered to help type the belt certificates for more than 75 students.

June Testing & Black Belt News

Three students at Stevens Taekwondo Academy earned the rank of first dan black belt in testing at the YMCA Sunday.

Kim Sherwin and brother-sister duo Max and Riely Held demonstrated fifty kicks, the koryo and four taegeuk forms and sparred. Each answered questions in oral examination on the history and o tenets f taekwondo. Sherwin smashed one boards with a switching front kick and another with a spinning side kick. Twelve-year-old Riely Held snapped her board with working crescent kick into a back spinning side kick. Ten-year-old Max Held cleanly split his board with a working roundhouse into a spinning hook kick.

Three of the thirty students testing for higher color belts earned trophies for excellence in testing. New green belt Benjamin Bondon won first place, high blue belt Nikolas Morey earned second place and blue belt Annika Polman took third place.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens also recognized three long-time martial artists, presenting their sixth degree black belt certificates from the Kukkiwon, world headquarters for the sport. Senior masters Mark Henkel, James Henkel and Karen Johnson have trained with him for 20 years . Mark Henkel is Stevens’ assistant instructor at the YMCA classes, Johnson owns and operates Stevens Taekwondo Academy on Isadore Street, and James Henkel is the instructor for the Medical College of Wisconsin Taekwondo Club in Wauwatosa.

Other black belt activities:

Master Greg Dorn and Erin Dorn have expanded their family with the birth of Adelyn Michelle on April 30. Big brother Noah Dorn now has someone he outranks!

Master Noah Zimmerman and his wife also welcomed daughter Gabriella in May.

Masters Karen Johnson and Hilde Henkel presented another Simple Self-Defense workshop for local high school students heading for France. They practiced shouting "Non!" instead of "No!" and were reminded of simple safety tips for travelors inaddition to the usual simple escapes and precautions.

Special Stevens Birthday

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens Birthday Celebration

Black belt family and friends surprised Dr. Dwight Stevens on May 10th with a full-house gathering at the Tempura House, when he expected a quiet dinner with Masters Mark and Hilde Henkel. More than 30 of all ages, with newborn Jacob Lane the youngest of three babies of black belt couples present, enjoyed an evening together, complete with flowers, birthday cake and gifts. Greetings were received from masters in Illinois and Ohio, as well as good wishes from other black belts unable to attend.

Black belts gave Dr. Stevens a gift certificate for a massage and a new testing table cover, produced by the talent and imagination of Teri Jenkins. The cover’s longer length will accommodate two tables when the judging panel is more than three masters and includes the school name, silk-screened in gold on black, gold fringe and eight gold stripes to reflect Dr. Stevens’ rank.

Other Black Belt News:

What long-time duo have recently changed their status listing on facebook?

Master black belts Chelsea Lovejoy and Andrew Williams are officially engaged. Our congratulations to both of them.

Taekwondo Accomplishments

Tournament News

High red belt Ryan Frankowiak won first place for sparring at the Capital City Invitational March 1 in DeForest Wisconsin. The event, sponsored by Karate America DeForest at the DeForest Middle School, drew 230 competitors.


Black Belt News

Master Dr. Lisa Landrath Gajewski found success in a slightly different area. She and husband Zach gave birth to daughter Allison Emma on March 3. Grandmother Master Carol Landrath reports that Allison weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces, 20 ½ inches long and has black hair.