Whitecourt Taekwondo summer camp a big success

 

Whitecourt Taekwondo held its first summer camp in almost 10 years last week and are excited at what the future holds for the event. From July 30 to August 3, the group took over the Eagle River Recreation Area and had a blast in the process. Participants camped at the site throughout the week unless they chose to be picked up and dropped off each day.

 

A couple of special guests joined in on the fun including Sabres Cheer, Evermore Yoga, and Cindy Richardson who held a freestyle Poomsae clinic. “The kids developed their freestyle Poomsae routines to show their parents at parent demo night. They incorporated some of the things they learned from Sabres Cheer,” explained parent volunteer Melissa Baker. “One group threw someone into the air and did a kick and catch. It was very, very cool!”

 

The camp featured a mix of taekwondo and summer activities. “We spent an afternoon at Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park, and we also swam in the creek. We did scavenger hunts, painted rocks, and we played fun race games. They also did yoga, some sparring, and even had a weapons demonstration. They all had a lot of fun and played hard. They went home exhausted every day,” said Baker with a giggle.

 

She said Whitecourt Taekwondo used to have these types of camps often but that things stopped happening for a while. “We decided to try it this year. We didn’t have a huge enrolment with 17 kids taking part, but it was awesome for everybody to get back into it and see how it works.” During one of the days, the skies opened and rained all day and organizers were thrilled when the AJMC staff accommodated them at the last minute. “They juggled some stuff around and fit us in. They were great.”

 

Melissa said she thinks it will become an annual event. “We were pleased with how the event went, and even if we got the same enrollment next year, we think it had enough of a benefit for the people who were here. We had everyone from white belts to third-degree black belts, ages six to 13 participate and everyone joined in on the activities. Once they go back to taekwondo, I think they will be excited to tell everyone what they did and how it was.”

 

Registration for the fall session will be starting very soon and will be done entirely online at their site (www.whitecourttaekwondo.com). “Unlike other sports, there is no big rush to register because we don’t cap class sizes. We also register at any point during the session and adjust the price for how many classes you’ve missed. Of course, it’s best for the student to start from the beginning but if you are on vacation or unable to start right away know that you can start at any time,” explained Melissa Baker. Classes start the first week of September.