Elizabeth Holtz and Hunter Kievet earned first degree black belts, performing koryo and four taegeuk forms, kick combinations and sparring. The two eleven-year-olds also used inside crescent back spinning axe kicks to break their boards and then answered numerous questions on the history, rules and techniques of taekwondo.
Joining the black belt ranks as bo dans, or deputy black belts, were Gretchen Solinger, Jamie Chariton and Natasha Semb. Their testing included kick combinations, sparring and performance of five taegeuk forms. Solinger broke her board with a switching roundhouse into a spinning side kick, Chariton broke two boards with a switching front kick and Semb smashed two successive boards with a switching front kick into an axe kick.
Three trophies were awarded to color belts exhibiting excellence at the testing. High red belt Elizabeth Lovejoy won the first place trophy; red belt Andrew Wong earned the second place trophy and green belt Cory L'Esperance took home third place.
Master Dan Berger, and black belts Meghan Dunn, Jill Reed and Donelle Ostrowski demonstrated the koryo form in a four-corner format.
The testing was judged by grandmaster and instructor Dr. Dwight Stevens, assisted by masters Bill Dragolovich and Mark Henkel.
Black Belts Qualify for National Jr. Olympics
Black belts Cody Hornik and Anthony Aden won bronze medals in sparring at the USA Taekwondo Junior Olympics Qualifying Tournament in Rochester MN recently. Placing in the medals qualifies both men to compete in the USA Taekwondo Junior Olympics National Championships at the Alamodome in San Antonio Texas June 24.
Hornik and Aden train both at Stevens Taekwondo Academy and Mosinee Black Belt Academy.