Whitecourt Taekwondo is gearing up for another fantastic championship

 

The local taekwondo community is getting ready for the 28^th Annual Whitecourt Taekwondo Championship which will be taking over the AJMC on Saturday January 27.  The club will once again be hosting the event in memory of Master Jim Rennie Sr. who was tragically lost in 2015.

There will be competitors from all over North America, including Alberta, BC, the Northwest Territories and there should also be a team up from Mexico.  The Whitecourt event is known amongst other clubs to be one of the best run tournaments in the province.  Younger children will start at nine and be done by lunch, whereas teens and adults will go on throughout the afternoon, with the event ending around suppertime.   There are several hundred competitors expected over the course of the day.  For those looking to watch top level performers, Master Mike Braun says there will be plenty to see.

“There will be some great national level black belt fighting, so if people want to come check out what it’s like at the Olympic level, then those sanctioned fights are worth checking out.”  Other events include tile breaking, family patterns and sparring.  “There will be something there for every level, for both competitor and viewer.  It’s kind of neat to see.  The fights and the competitions are ranked very fairly, so everybody has a shot at a medal.  They are all graded by somebody at their skill level, their height and their age.  We look at all those aspects” explained Mike.

On Thursday January 18, at Central School, national competitor, David Canavan was being filmed as he led a class through practical exercises, during the regular weekly classes.  Currently in a course to become a national coach, the footage helps the Alberta Taekwondo Association grade his work.  “Not just anybody can coach, you have to be certified” said Mike.

For those interested in taekwondo, you’ll be happy to know that you can sign up at any time and that all levels are welcome to join.  “Taekwondo is different things for different people.  We have 60 to 70-year-old people that do taekwondo, and everybody is expected to work at their own level.  So, when we watch these national or Olympic athletes, you can push to that level or you can do it just as fitness aspect and come out three times a week and do your fitness” said Mike.

The sport is great for both flexibility and core strength.  “The Whitecourt club has the highest expectations, in the friendliest environment.  So, we expect people to work at 100%.  A 15-year-old is going to work at a 15-year-olds 100% and a 50-year-old is going to work at a 50-year-olds 100%.  We can put an entire group of people together and have children, that are black belts, teaching adults.”

Another plus that people may not realize is that you no longer must fight in taekwondo.  “Patterns have become a national sport.  You can compete around the world doing patterns so it’s kind of given those people that don’t want the aggressive angle, their own thing to do.  So, it’s a great thing for someone who wants to push themselves athletically without having to worry about that combat aspect.”

For more information, join the Facebook page, Whitecourt Taekwondo.