Stevens Taekwondo Academy News

Recent Testings  

Sixty Stevens Taekwondo Academy students achieved new belts levels in the October testing at the YMCA Sunday, including six new or higher black belts. Daniel Bergermoved up to fifth degree black belt after his demonstration of the sipjin form, breaking 2 two-inch boards with a spinning side kick and a single board with a fingertip break, and then performing a T'ai Chai Chaun staff form.

The father-son duo of Matthew Pickard and 15-year-old Anthony Pickard achieved their second degree black belts together. They exhibited advanced kick combinations and sparring, performed the keumgang form and broke two-inch boards with spinning side kicks.

Chun Yee Wong and Heath Odau moved up to full black belt status after a vigorous demonstration of skills. Both performed all eight taegeuk forms and koryo, sparred and answered oral questions. Wong broke his board with a spinning side kick and Odau snapped his board with a spinning hook speed break.

Steve Decker joined the black belts ranks as a deputy black belt after he performed five taegeuk forms, sparred and broke two boards with a flying side kick over five people.

High green belt Daniel Majewski won the first place trophy for excellence in testing, high white belt Michael Blake earned second place and red belt Jonathan Anderson received the third place trophy.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens was assisted in the judging by Masters Bill Dragolovich, Henk Boese from Eau Claire and Greg Dorn from Verona .

Two martial artists earned trophies at the 2005 Capital City Classic Martial Arts Tournament in Verona, Wisconsin in September.

Mickey Held, blue belt, grabbed second place in both forms and sparring competition. Blue belt Ben Numelin brought home third place trophies for the same categories.

Grandmaster Dwight Stevens, instructor for Held and Numelin at Stevens Taekwondo Academy , participated in the celebration of 50 years in martial arts for 76-year-old Grandmaster Sang Lee Paik. The tournament sponsored by Paik's U. S. A. Taekwondo of Madison .

Several local martial artists excelled recently at the 25th Annual Mid-Wisconsin Taekwondo Championships at Midstate Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids . The tourney was sponsored by Park Institute.

Second degree black belt Donelle Ostrowski brought home four trophies, placing first in forms, second in sparring and first in board breaking in the women's red/black belt division. She capped that off by winning the women's advanced grand championship in forms.

Meghan LaPoint, second degree black belt, earned second place in breaking, third place in sparring and fourth place in forms for the same division.

Black belt Bonnie Waldherr took first place in board breaking, and third place in both forms and sparring for the senior women's division.

Local men swept the blue and under division, taking all three trophies in all events. Green belt Dan Majewski grabbed first in breaking, second in sparring and third in forms.  Yellow belt Mark Stenerson won first place in both sparring and forms and third place in breaking.   White belt Michael Blake earned second place in both breaking and forms with a third place in sparring.

The six students train at Stevens Taekwondo Academy and in the UW-Steven Point Taekwondo Program.