Pushing past mental and physical obstacles, local athlete proves that age is just a number and that determination matters most

By Serena Lapointe
 
For area resident Bill Priest, age is nothing but a number. At 54, when his son, then a
hockey player in minor hockey in Fox Creek, joined a community pop-up location for
Whitecourt Taekwondo, he couldn’t have imagined where that journey would lead him
and the experiences he would gain along the way.
“My wife wanted Jordan to do something else after the hockey season ended, and she
suggested taekwondo. Tara Rennie had started up a club in Fox Creek, and so he
joined. After a few months of watching him do it, I ended up joining. That was
September of 2011,” explained Priest.
When the family ended up moving to Whitecourt, the pair joined the Whitecourt club and
continued working through the belts. Jordan made it to green belt before life took him
from high school and into post-secondary. “Now he’s got a good career,” said Priest.
Having first joined to be with his son, Priest found community in the martial art and kept
it up.
“I like the workout, the students, the instructing, and the whole martial arts community. I
also really like the quality of the people who are involved in the taekwondo organization.
It’s a pleasant organization to be involved in. And I like that the challenge is always
there. You can never age yourself out. You can start at a young age or at an old age.”
Somewhere around 2018, Priest took a break from the sport and felt the pull to return
last fall. “I think I ran into Bill somewhere, and I was saying that it sure would be nice for
him to come back to the club. I wasn’t sure if that would work out for him, but I was
really happy when it did,” said Master Jim Rennie, seventh-degree black belt and owner
of Whitecourt Taekwondo.
“That’s one of the blessings of being involved in taekwondo, that you can leave for
whatever reason and you can come back and be welcomed back.  It’s special, because
you don’t get that a lot,” said Priest, who added that he had to “shake off some rusty
scales” after his seven-year hiatus.
On June 13, along with a dozen or so other athletes, Priest made history for the
Whitecourt Taekwondo Club by testing for his black belt. And it wasn’t just any black belt
either. “Bill is the oldest person that we’ve ever tested for a black belt in 47 years of
Whitecourt Taekwondo. I’m really proud of that. He’s almost at his 70th birthday. Not
only did he achieve his black belt, but it was his fourth-degree black belt. His 4th Dan,”
explained Master Rennie.

For Priest, the milestone reminded him that his age isn’t something that can hold him
back. “Every time a birthday comes around, I’m thinking, that number doesn’t fit. That’s
way more than what I am. Taekwondo, with its challenges and memory work, keeps you
young, and you realize that you can still get out there and work with and help the
younger people. I still feel like I’m in that age group with them,” he smiled.
As students move through the coloured belt levels, the wait time between tests is fairly
short, like a few months, but once the black belt level is reached, the wait is longer, and
the time between belt tests grows as levels are reached. Someone who earns their first-
degree black belt must wait a minimum of two years to test for their second-degree
black belt, and once they do, they must wait three more years before they can test for
their third-degree black belt. It continues in that pattern, making higher belts a significant
test of endurance and patience to achieve.
Given the timelines, Canadians within the circle of 4+ degrees are not a huge group, so
being part of it is no small feat. “Canada has 67,000 black belts, of which 1,700 made it
to their 4th degree black belt,” explained Master Rennie. Priest’s next promotion will not
come for four years, but at that point, he would be within an even smaller group, which
currently sits at only 764 Canadians who have made it to their fifth-degree black belt.
“Four years will go by quickly,” smiled Priest. Clearly, his eyes are already on the next
prize, which would also come with the title of master, making it that much sweeter.
Getting to be part of Priest’s journey has been special for Master Rennie, impacting him
and helping him push through his own physical challenges. “I have many mentors, and
they’re in all different countries, and they have higher degrees than I. It would be
unusual to have a mentor who’s a lower belt than yourself, but Bill’s an inspirational guy,
and he’s shown me how you can continue to enjoy martial arts as your body is resisting
and to keep pushing and not give up. If Bill can do it, so can you.”
Priest said getting to work with the younger students has given him a sense of
satisfaction, and it’s something he really enjoys. Master Rennie agreed and said that
Priest’s impact isn’t just found in teaching physical movements but also in his attitude.
“One time, I saw Bill stop a young student. We were shaking hands to congratulate
them after a belt test, and he stopped them and said, make sure you look into the eyes
whenever you shake someone’s hand. And it was just the way that young person clearly
took those words of wisdom. That is impactful.”
Something else that the pair have thanks to the sport is a friendship neither would take
for granted. “You develop friendships through this sport. I think people imagine that
when they graduate, they will be friends forever with their high school friends, but it
doesn’t work that way for the most part. But when you sweat together, and you work
hard together and conquer physical fears and extreme challenges, you’ve got brothers
and sisters as you have nowhere else,” said Master Rennie. Priest smiled in agreement.

“Taekwondo is a lifelong thing for me now. I’ll stick with it as long as I can. It’s in my
blood.” Congratulations, Bill!