Stevens Taekwondo YMCA Academy Schedule

The Fall/Winter schedule for the YMCA classes is finalized:  Please note changes in TIME of testing, starting in October

July 23:       New session begins in gym
Aug 11:       Belt Promotion Testing APR 12:30 registration
                   Testing begins at 1 p.m.
***August 27 and August; 29 Classes in All Purpose Room, with 29th last class of session
         NO CLASSES September 3 and September 5
Sep 10:       New Session begins
Oct 13:       Belt Promotion Testing Big Gym
                  12 (noon) registration, testing begins at 12:30 P.M.
Oct 17       Last class of session
         NO CLASSES October 22 and October 24
Oct 29:       New session begins
Dec 5:       Last class of session
Dec 8:       Belt Promotion Testing, Big Gym with registration at noon
                Testing begins at 12:30 P.M.
         NO CLASSES December 10 to January 2
Jan 7, 2014  New session begins
Feb. 9:     Tentative date of belt promotion testing, beginning at 12:30 P.M.


Please note that email reminders of these posting are discontinued due to large numbers of 'bounce-back'.  apparently, in addition to folks changing or abandoning emails, the large distribution list causes many security settings to refuse them.  Keep checking this site for news.

June 2013

Dr. Stevens, Thao, Krings, Whitley, Thao, Lee, VanTiem

Andrew Bowling, Isaac Witte, Anika Brandl

More than forty taekwondo students and instructors, watched by a large crowd of family and friends, earned new belt levels recently at the Stevens Point YMCA.  Six martial artists achieved new or higher black belt ranks.

Methuselah Thao wowed the on-lookers and advanced to fourth degree black belt, with his crisp demonstration of the pyongang form and advanced kick combinations.  He then smashed two boards on first execution of a spinning side kick while blind-folded. With the fourth degree rank, Thao is now called taekwondo master.

Pao Lee earned the rank of second degree black belt with his performance of the keumgang form and advanced kick combinations before shattering a two-inch board with his first back spinning side kick.

Shirley Thao, Laura Krings and Matthew Whitley achieved first degree black belt rank with their performances of koryo and four taegeuk forms, sparring and kick combinations and responses to extensive oral examination on taekwondo tenets, history, creeds and terminology.   Thao broke her board with a 360 jumping roundhouse kick. Krings succeeded breaking her board with a working step back spinning side kick and Whitley cracked his board on the first execution of a back spinning speed hook kick.

Entering the black belt ranks as a deputy black belt, Antony Van Tiem demonstrated five taegeuk forms, kick combinations, and sparring in addition to a sharp jump-spin side kick to break his board.

Three color belt students took home trophies for excellence in testing.  High blue belt Andrew Bowling won first place, high blue belt Isaac Witte earned second place and high green belt Anika Brandl grabbed third place.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens was assisted in judging the testing by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich and master Tim Vocke of Rhinelander.


More photos by Master Karrie Lane, including video of the black belt breaking, are posted on the Stevens Taekwondo group page  on facebook...check it out!

Thank you for your patience in the delay of this posting and for the many expressions of concern about my parents.

More Taekwondo In May

Local Students Shine at Taekwondo Championships

Martial artists from three branches of Stevens Taekwondo Academy schools medaled at the recent state championships and qualified for national competition.

Isaac Williams sparring

Black belt Isaac Williams used a butterfly kick a spinning hook speed break and an autobahn kick to snap three boards and win first place in the 12 to 14 year-old division.  Williams also took second place in the forms and sparring competition for his division.

Third dan black belt Charles Zoromski took home the third place medal in men’s lightweight sparring competition.

Stevens Taekwondo Academy had a strong contingent in the blue belt divisions. Lydia Miller earned two first place medals, breaking two boards with a long-stepping side kick and a butterfly kick for the board breaking first, and then won the youth forms competition.  Her mother Jill Miller took first place in the masters division for blue belt forms.  Tanner Rogers won the mean blue belt breaking competition snapping three boards with an autobahn kick, a 270-side kick and a switching front kick.  Rogers also grabbed the second place medal for feather weight sparring.  Blue belt brothers Griffin and Reece Peeters won first and second place respectively in the cadet division for forms.  All blue belts performed the challenging tae geuk yuk jahn form.

The 2013 Wisconsin State Taekwondo championships were sponsored by the Wisconsin Taekwondo Association and drew more than 200 competitors to Middleton High School for the May 4 competition.  Medaling at the tournament qualifies these students for participation in the 2013 USA Taekwondo National Championships which will be held in Chicago, July 3 to July 9.

Contributing Rightly

Also in May, our demo team presented at the Children’s Museum in Stevens Point with Masters Kim Buehler and Karrie Lane, assisted by youngsters Raven and Jeffie.  Another great way of getting the word out about taekwondo for young and old, as even a small white belt demonstrated how to break a board.

More Celebration

The YMCA class enjoyed singing happy bierthday to Dr. Stevens, the day after his birthday, and sharing a birthday cake.  Dr. Stevens also received a book of photos from his birthday celebration with the black belts, last month.  Dr. Stevens also showed off his special uniform, gift of grandmaster Robert Stevens, which notes his service in Korea.

April Testing and Celebration

Kyle Spielvogel, Ben Lofgren, Gina Chung

Hendrickson flying sidekick, Peterson holding

Despite an April snow storm and slippery road conditions, more than 70 taekwondo students successfully tested for new belt levels at the Stevens Point YMCA recently.  The family and friends attending in support saw improving skills, perseverance and some exciting sparring and board breaking.

Lauren Shimulunas earned her third dan black belt  with  advanced kick combinations, sparring and performance of the taebek form.  She used a back spinning hook kick for her speed break.Peter Clark advanced to second dan black belt following his  demonstration of the keumgang form, advanced kick combinations and sparring.  He broke two six-inch boards with a spinning sidekick.

Shelby Finnessy and John Paul Bunn moved up to full black belt status in testing which included sparring, advanced kick combinations, demonstration of koryo and four taeguk forms, and an oral examination on taekwondo tenets, history and symbolism.  Finnessy snapped her board with a working step back-spinning sidekick.  Bunn broke a board with an axe kick.

Stephanie Tank, Erik Hendrickson, John Weigand and Elizabeth Oakland all achieved deputy black belt status in rigorous testing, which included sparring, 50 kick combinations and demonstration of five taeguk forms.  Tank used an inside crescent back-spinning hook kick to break her board.  Hendrickson wowed the audience with a flying sidekick over five people, smashing the board on the first attempt. Nine-year-old Weigand cracked his board with a back spinning sidekick.  Eight-year-old Oakland became the third member of her family to achieve black belt status, joining father Tom and brother Jacob, as she broke a board with a back spinning sidekick.

Trophies for excellence in testing were awarded to three of the 65 color belts testing.  New green belt Kyle Spielvogel won first place, green belt Ben Lofgren earned second place and high blue belt Gina Chung took the third trophy.

The testing was judged by Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.  Martial artists attending came from Waupaca Taekwondo, and Stevens Taekwondo Academy schools at the YMCA, Port Edwards, Wausau, Stevens Point and the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program.

                    * * * * *

Also in April, more than sixty black belts, family members and friends gathered in Plover for a special birthday celebration for Grandmaster Dwight Stevens.  

Senior Master Mark Henkel spoke for all those attending, noting that the remarkably large number of high ranking black belts who have stayed in association with Dr. Stevens indicate the very high regard they have for Stevens.  Stevens has taught taekwondo in Stevens Point for more than 30 years, training thousands of students and awarding more than 850 black belts over that time.
“He cares about his students,” said Henkel.  “He teaches them to get up when they are knocked down and keep on going.”

Schedule reminder:

YMCA class meets through 23 with no classes the week following Memorial Day (May 28 & 30)

The next session begins June 4.

June testing date is June 9 at 1 p.m.

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.

December 2012 Testing and Schedule for 2013

More than 75 martial artists from all over the state braved winter’s first storm to successfully test for new taekwondo belt levels, with a good turn out of friends, family and instructors filling the Stevens Point YMCA gym in support of them.

All the black belt candidates demonstrated advanced kick combinations and sparring skills.  Charles Zoromski performed the taebeck form and snapped a board with a spinning hook speed break., earning his third degree black belt.  Xichen Cheng earned his second degree black when he performed the keumgang form before smashing a two-inch board with a flying side kick.

Father-son duo Thomas and Jacob Oakland, Andrew Krause, Kerrigan Neidert, Abby Dremel, Reggie Stern and Caleb Siewert performed koryo and four taebek forms in excellent precision.   All these candidates answered oral questioning on the meaning of terms, history of taekwondo and codes and tenets of the sport.  Advanced board breaks using a back spin side kick for Andrew Krause and Thomas and Jacob Oakland,   a spinning hook kick for Kerrigan Neidert, Abby Dremel and Caleb Siewert , and a flying side kick for Reggie Stern completed their successful testing for first degree black belt.

Qualifying for deputy black belt levels, Tammy Weiss used a butterfly kick for her board break, Matthew Whitley and Laura Krings snapped their boards with flying side kicks and Shelby Finnessy broke her board with a back spinning side kick.  This quartet also demonstrated five taegeuk forms.

Three color belt students were awarded trophies for excellence in testing.  Blue belt Michael Buchkowski won first place, blue belt Grace Carroll took second place and high green belt Lydia Miller earned third place.

This testing included students from the Stevens Taekwondo Academy main school at the YMCA, branch schools on Isadore Street, in Wausau and in Port Edwards, the Waupaca Tae Kwon Do Academy, the UW-Stevens Point taekwondo program and the UW-Platteville Taekwondo Club.  The testing was judged by master instructor Dwight Stevens, assisted by senior masters Mark Henkel and Bill Dragolovich.

Schedule for YMCA Classes and 2013 Testings

January 8       New session (Winter I) begins

February 10   Belt promotion testing 1 P.M. in YMCA Gym

February 14   Last class of Winter I session

     NO CLASSES February 19 & 21

February 26   First class of Winter II session

April 4           Last class of Winter II session

     NO CLASSES april 9 & 11

April 14         Belt Promotion Testing  1 P.M. in YMCA Gym

April 16         First class of Spring session

May 23         Last Class of Spring session

     NO CLASSES May 28 & 30

June 4          First class of Summer I session

June 9         Belt Promotion Testing 1 P.M. All Purpose Room

July 11        Last class of Summer I session

    NO CLASSES July 16 & 18

July 23       First class of Summer II session

August 11    Belt Promotion Testing 1 P.M. all Purpose Room

August 29    Last class of Summer II session

Trophy winners from October

Tanner Rogers & Antony Van Tiem