A summer to remember for a local mother and her son

Evan Hicks is a typical twelve-year-old kid unless, of course, you count that he’s a

second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. He began the sport in High Prairie at age five, and

when he moved to Whitecourt, he joined the club here and kept training. Though he is small,

don’t let his size fool you because this kid can move.

This past summer, Evan and his mom, Anita Hicks, took part in a trip to South Korea alongside

members of the Whitecourt Taekwondo Club and those from other clubs who wanted to join in

on the fun. Anita said she wanted to take her son to Korea as a reward for working as hard as he has.

“Watching him progress through the sport and seeing how much it has helped his confidence,

leadership skills and overall character especially after going through so much with COVID, and still

becoming a second-degree at eleven, I wanted this to be something special for him. I also

wanted him to experience a different level of Taekwondo so he could see where it could lead

him,” she explained.

Getting to South Korea isn’t cheap. Members who partake in trips work hard to raise the funds.

Anita said she was very grateful to have support from back home. “My family and our

community, Peavine Metis Settlement near High Prairie, had a walk-a-thon fundraiser to help

raise money for the trip, and we raised more than we needed. They were really supportive.”

She said that Evan did a demonstration during the walk-a-thon, and now residents from the

settlement are joining the sport, too. “The club back home in High Prairie gained a few more

students from our community because of the fundraiser and demonstration,” said Anita. Evan

even brought a Metis sash with him. A picture of Evan holding the sash in Kukkiwon was shared

by the Metis Nations, inspiring even more people to look into it.

With both of his communities behind him, Evan attended every single training session he could

while in Korea, using the experience to its full potential. Evan trained and practiced at

Taekwondowon, which houses the world’s largest training space for Taekwondo, and at the daily

practices at Yonsei University under the tutelage of Grandmaster Kim. “Evan was one of the

youngest attending the daily training at the University. All the students were university-age,” said

Anita.

Evan said being in Korea was “really cool” and different. “It was hot. It is more of a dry hot here,

but there it is humid. The training was a little harder and longer there and they didn’t have AC,”

he laughed. “Most of the stuff I didn’t know was the way they did warmups. They would do new

things, so I would need to get them to show me how to do it. It was fun to learn that.” he said.

Getting to train with Grandmaster Kim wasn’t something Evan thought he would ever do, let

alone getting to fly across the world. “When we tried to call our family, it was either really early

or late for them because of the time zone. So, that was interesting. I didn’t think I would get to

do anything like this.”

Anita said one thing that was unexpected about visiting Korea was how safe she felt being

there. “They live the five tenants of Taekwondo that we learn here; courtesy, integrity, self-

control, perseverance and indomitable spirit. We saw it in action every single day that we were

there. You could leave your valuables in the mall on a table to claim your seat so you can go

and get food from the food court. I watched them do it. They would come back, and their stuff

was still there. Everything is untouched. You can do that at the beach. No one would touch it.

You felt so safe over there,” she explained. “Evan found a wallet outside the University on a

bench, and we didn’t know what to do. Naturally, we picked it up and took it to someone who

works there, and they said to give it to Grandmaster Kim. So, Evan did, and Grandmaster Kim

said to leave it there, on the bench,” said Anita.

From July 13-27, Evan and his mom traversed the area with the group, visiting cultural and

historical sites in and around Seoul, including Jeju Island, Muju Park, Kukkiwon (World

Taekwondo Headquarters) and the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. “I

wanted him to experience the culture. As a mom, I love watching my kid grow, and I thought it

would be a cool experience for me, too. I love to travel, so I joined him. I hope he gets a

travel bug so we can go on more trips,” laughed Anita. “My experience was getting to see just

how far he’s come and where he’s at. It was a proud moment for me,” she added.

For Evan, his favourite part of the trip might not be what one would expect. “It wasn’t the places

we went, but it was the journey there, like walking and the trails. Sometimes, we would have to

climb uphill or downhill. Sometimes, we took a bus or the subway. It was cool. With the

transportation there, everyone is fast, so you have like five seconds to get in or out before

the doors close,” he chuckled.

He will also never forget the food. “One time we went to a restaurant, and they had like raw beef

(maybe, sashimi or tataki?), and a lot of people liked it for some reason, but when I put it in my

mouth, I spit it out right away. Everyone made it look like it tasted good, but then I tried it,”

laughed Evan. “It was gross.” He also said that everything was spicy but liked most of what he

tried.

Through his Taekwondo training, Evan knows a few words in Korean, which he used when

ordering food or dealing with staff at the hotel. “I liked that I could chat with them and surprise

the workers. One time, we were eating, and this older man passed me a spoon and fork when

we were eating with chopsticks, I said thank you in Korean, and he was surprised.”

Anita said she was proud of her son for being so polite. “When we passed by a housekeeper at

our hotel, Evan said hello to her in Korean, and she took a second look to see that it had come

from him. She had a big smile hearing Korean spoken by Evan, a foreigner and a kid. It was the

same in taxi cabs. He was very polite, saying hello and thank you.” Evan said next time, he

plans on learning a new phrase. “It would have been better if I had learned to say excuse me

because there’s so many people around, and you’re bumping into people,” he laughed.

Anita said she is grateful to Master Jim Rennie at Whitecourt Taekwondo for organizing the trip

and for everything Evan is learning at the club. “It was great to experience a whole different

world. It was overwhelming, but a good overwhelming with happiness and joy. I loved being able

to share it with Evan.”