Martial Arts America
My Tae Kwon Do Journey
The beginning of my Tae Kwon Do journey began back in the early 1980's when I dreamt of doing a flying sidekick. It wasn't until much later that I realized what the dream would become. Before I turned 18, I climbed a mountain with my Boy Scout troop, played my French Horn in Carnegie Hall, and succeeded in other endeavors, but none of them offered the continuing benefits of better health and balance that Tae Kwon Do can provide to those who participate.
My first year of college, like many freshmen do, I gained weight. When I graduated college and entered the workforce full time, I had a desk job, didn’t do as much walking or physical activity as I did in college, and gained more weight.
Music has always played a large role in my life, and it was thru music that my interest was sparked in Tae Kwon Do. When I married my wife, Laura, I transferred my church membership to Elkhart Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), where I became involved in the musical activities of the church and joined the worship committee. It was thru the church that I first met Mr. Russ Dobson and Mrs. Brenda Dobson.
Over the years, when my weight would increase, I would just buy bigger clothes. Finally, I came to realize that something needed to be done so that I wouldn’t need to continue buying larger clothes. I also noticed that as my clothes got larger, my health became worse.
As Laura had been participating in Weight Watchers for awhile, I thought I’d give that a try. Weight Watchers has a good system of quantifying food intake and activity for the purpose of losing weight and once goal weight is reached, maintaining weight. I consulted my doctor to find out what my goal weight should be, and thru weight watchers, reached my goal weight. I still wasn’t in the best of physical condition, so I looked for ways to get in better shape.
I remembered what Mrs. Dobson said about Tae Kwon Do classes in Elkhart being on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I suggested to Laura that we check out a Tae Kwon Do class to see what it was like. Thank you, Mrs. Dobson, for showing me the beginning of the Tae Kwon Do path and for your help along the way.
Exercise, self defense, mental discipline, a great group of people to be in class with, it was a win – win situation. The basic principles of physical fitness and mental sharpness along with the tenets of Tae Kwon Do agree with the principles I learned in Boy Scouts and church. Many of the people in the Elkhart class were people I knew from church, including Mr. Tom Cory, Mr. Spencer Cory, Mr. Gavin Cory, and from the local area, Mr. Randol Goodrich and Mr. Kevin Tankersley. Laura and I had a lot of fun, and we signed up that same class.
I began to feel in better health within just a few weeks. I was less winded by strenuous tasks. More energetic. Amazed when my first board broke on the first attempt.
After a few months, I talked our daughter, Gabrielle, into attending a buddy night. She started coming to classes. Later our son, George, also attended. Tae Kwon Do was now a family activity for us and has brought our family closer together.
Under Mr. Dobson’s leadership and with help from the higher belts in the Elkhart branch, learning the basics went well, and I discovered that Tae Kwon Do is more of a journey than a destination. Always striving to improve what you have learned and always something new to learn. Thank you, Mr. Dobson, Mr. Goodrich, & Mr. Tankersley for all you have taught and helped me to learn.
Each belt level builds on what was learned before and improving on what was learned before. There’s also learning some basic Korean language and history involved. White belt was about learning the basics. Yellow belt was about making turns fast. Orange belt was about spinning and not getting dizzy. Green belt was about improving balance. Blue belt was about learning hooking kick and other techniques. If you think of Tae Kwon Do as a language, Brown belt is about starting to talk in sentences. When I tested to go from white belt to yellow belt, I met Grandmaster Wells. In the larger Tae Kwon Do family, he is like a grandfather to me. He always has good advice and is knowledgeable about many topics. Thank you, Grandmaster Wells, for doing what you do to bring Tae Kwon Do to so many people, including me.
All during the time I was working on colored belts, unbeknownst to me, physical conditioning was going on. The phrase “time flies when you are having fun” applies even to Tae Kwon Do. Things I move around in the house began to seem lighter. While a yellow belt, I attended my first tournament, won a medal in forms and in board breaking, but more importantly, met Grandmaster Jung from Cedar Rapids. Thank you, Grandmaster Jung, for bringing Tae Kwon Do to Iowa from Korea, and also for teaching my son, George, the jump front snap kick. While I do not have photos of my children in my wallet, I do have videos of some of my children’s “shining moments” in my phone. George learning the jump front snap kick from Grandmaster Jung is one of them.
Once I made it to brown belt, a new experience opened to me – Brown and Black Belt classes under Grandmaster Wells’ leadership. It was like being a white belt again, only at a much faster pace. My Tae Kwon Do family also became much bigger that day. Learning names is always something I’ve struggled with, however I’m continuing to work on learning the names of the Black Belts that have helped me to learn and improve.
Thank you Master Sledge, Master Garrett, Mr. Aves, Mr. Shonka (elder and younger), Mr. May, Mr. Mroczkowski, Mr. Bice, Mrs. Bice, Mr. and Mrs. Bassett, Miss. Bassett, Mr. Kleinwort, Mrs. Bucklin, Mr. & Mrs. Ostrander, Mrs. Burrell, Miss Adkins, Mr. Hass, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Trestle and other black belts who have helped with comments and encouragement to help me improve to the point I am at now.
During the last couple of months, I have started attending Mrs. Master Wells’ forms class, Master Cross’ Friday afternoon class and Mr. Brewer’s Saturday morning “dawn patrol” class in preparation for the upcoming test. All have been a positive experience. Thank you Mrs. Master Wells, Master Cross, and Mr. Brewer for leading your classes at the main school in Ankeny. I feel that I have learned much from participating in your classes, and also that there is still much to learn.
It is interesting to see examples of Palgwe in what I’ve experienced, conflicting yet harmonious, balancing opposites, hunger and fullness, work and rest, joy and challenges. Maintaining balance in the face of adversity is a challenge made easier after studying Tae Kwon Do. Both physical and mental balance. Helping with Church, Scouts, and Family, and also allowing time for self, to recharge, takes balance.
I’ve heard there is an ancient Chinese curse that goes “may you live in interesting times”. One only has to read or watch the news to see that we do indeed live in interesting times. All the more reason to have some self defense skills, and I am thankful that so many black belts in the central Iowa area take the time to help teach Tae Kwon Do. To pay it forward, if you will.
A while after I started attending class in Elkhart, Mr. Tankersley started a new branch in Maxwell. Although he is missed in Elkhart, I look forward to being able to help him out in Maxwell, when needed, once I am a black belt. I already help when needed at the other classes I participate in, and look forward to helping when I can.
Tae Kwon Do is a way of finding balance in an unbalanced world, and a way to better health, a journey I am glad I started, and look forward to continuing.
