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Taekwondo students cap busy fall season with belt testing

Tyler Auffhammer, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·4 min read

Nov. 28—Martial arts students at Blue Dragon Taekwondo School in Clyde had a busy September and October, participating in two out-of-state tournaments and testing for new belts back at home to cap the fall season.

The first tournament was the 10th Yong In University Presidential Cup International Taekwondo Open Championship on Saturday, Sept. 2, in Atlanta, Georgia. Six Blue Dragon Taekwondo students participated, and the results are as follows:

Black Belts:

* Raquel Galindo — 4th Forms and 2nd Sparring

* Jorge Galindo — 3rd Forms and 1st Sparring

* Sarah Smith — 2nd Forms and 3rd Breaking

Red Belts:

* Cory Robinson — 1st Breaking and 2nd Sparring

* Amy Lynn — 2nd Forms and 2nd Sparring

* Raylan Messer — 3rd Breaking and 2nd Sparring

Thirty Blue Dragon students participated in the Showdown Carolina Tournament on Oct. 7 in Anderson, S.C. This was the first performance for the Demonstration Team, which placed third.

Black Belts:

* Saloli Lossie — 3rd in Breaking

* Sarah Smith — 1st in Forms

* Raquel Galindo — 3rd in Forms, 3rd in Breaking, 2nd in Sparring

* Landon Allison — 3rd in Breaking and 2nd in Sparring

* Randy Lynn — 2nd in Forms

* Jorge Galindo — 1st in Sparring

* Eliza Lynn — 3rd in Breaking

Red Belts:

* Tyler Messer — 1st in Sparring

* Cory Robinson — 3rd in Breaking and 2nd in Sparring

* Breanna Parris — 3rd in Forms and 2nd in Breaking

* Jason Cooke — 2nd in Breaking and 2nd in Sparring

* Raylan Messer — 2nd in Sparring

* Brentley Fox — 3rd in Forms and 3rd in Breaking

* Molly Lynn — 2nd in Forms

* Indigo Kinney — 1st in Forms, 3rd in Breaking, and 2nd in Sparring

* Samuel Smith — 3rd in Forms, 2nd in Breaking, and 2nd in Sparring

* Jackson Saunders — 1st in Sparring

* Conner Wright — 2nd in Breaking

* Violet Kinney — 1st in Forms, 1st in Breaking, and 1st in Sparring

Blue Belts:

* Penelope Godfrey — 2nd in Breaking

* Grace Smith — 2nd in Breaking

Green Belts:

* Manuel Gonzalez — 1st in Breaking and 2nd in Sparring

* Blaise Orso — 1st in Breaking and 2nd in Sparring

* Brody Lynn — 2nd in Breaking

Yellow Belts:

* Summer Lynn — 2nd in Forms

* Alonso Cruz-Lopez — 3rd in Forms and 3rd in Sparring

* Elizabeth Sagar — 2nd in Forms and 3rd in Breaking

* Charlotte Sagar — 2nd in Forms and 1st in Breaking

* Luke Sagar — 2nd in Forms, 1st in Breaking, and 2nd in Sparring

* Hannah Smith — 1st in Forms and 2nd in Breaking

Safe Kids USA Blue Dragon Taekwondo School presented their 15th Annual Taekwondo Demonstration and 11th Black Belt Testing program on Nov. 4 at the Armory in Waynesville.

Students testing for new yellow, green, blue, and red belt levels had to perform poomseas (forms), break boards, spar and demonstrate knowledge of Korean Taekwondo terminology.

First-degree black belt candidates went through an intense two-hour testing period, which included performing eight forms, Korean terminology, one-step sparring techniques and breaking three boards.

Second, third and fourth-degree black belt candidates had to perform 16 forms and break concrete slabs (two for children under 14 and three or more for children 14 and up and adults).

After testing, students performed waterfall hand breaks, family forms, sparring exhibitions and an Escrima demonstration. The Blue Dragon Demonstration Team performed for the first time in a local demonstration. Their first performance in a tournament yielded a third-place trophy.

Master Marshall Hale broke 15 slabs of concrete in honor of this being the 15th anniversary of the school. The evening ended with the Black Belt tying ceremony.

During testing, the following achieved new belt levels:

4th Degree Black Belts:

* Kristina DeLaCruz

* Annette Eskin

* Masataka Kagawa

3rd Degree Black Belts:

* Saloli Lossiah

* Landon Allison

2nd Degree Black Belts:

* Beth Rodgers

* Archer Hill

* Randy Lynn

1st Degree Black Belts:

* Gabe Pate

* Molly Lynn

* Joshua Stiles

* Asher Toler

* Cole Askew

* Indigo Kinney

* Jason Cooke

* Violet Kinny

* Tristan McFeeters

* Sara McFeeters

* Leo Martinez

* Aadai Martinez

* Amy Lynn

* Conner Wright

* Ian Hatherlee

* Parker Hatherlee

* Heather McFeeters

* Cory Robinson

* Brentley Fox

* Charlotte Barden

* Jalene Hooper-Byers

* Sean Aaron

4th of 8 eliminations for 2nd Degree Black Belt (November 2024):

* Raquel Galindo

* Jorge Galindo

* Alazay Rose

* Eliza Lynn

* Aaron Stepp

* Asber Cosme-Escobedo

* Gary Eskin

* Arthur Fripp

* Sarah Smith

High Red Belt:

* Michael DeLaCruz

* Tara Keilberg

* Anna Belle Keilberg

* Elijah Keilberg

* Sol Sutton

* Jackson Saunders

* Samuel Smith

* Finn Tymon

* Breanna Parris

Low Red Belt:

* Lennja Altman

* Archer Metzger

* Marek McCall

* Penelope Godfrey

High Blue Belt:

* Grace Smith

* Seth Beaver

Low Blue Belt:

* Ember Tymon

* Jase Garland

* Brody Lynn

High Green Belt:

* Heather Beck

* Manuel Gonzalez Jr.

* Athena Gonzalez

* Blaise Orso

* Alex Jernigan

Low Green Belt:

* Alonso Cruz-Lopez

* Summer Lynn

* Davis Kirkland

* Lucas White

* Calab White

* Noah Pitts

* Connor Ramsey

* Stephanie Davis

* Alex Boyd

* Elizabeth Sagar

* Charlotte Sagar

* Luke Sagar

* Hannah Smith

High Yellow Belt:

* Westley Hooper

* Elizabeth Sagar

* Charlotte Sagar

* Luke Sagar

* Coen Quinn

* Hannah Smith

* Eli McCumber

* Jack Lackovic

Low Yellow Belt:

* Liam Koellmer

* Dylan Koellmer

* Mathias Brown

* Madison Brown

* Abel Golden

* Eleanor Sheppard

* America Crisp

Blue Dragon Taekwondo is a Korean Art of Self Defense school with deep roots that first developed in Korea. Blue Dragon owner and 5th Degree Black Belt, Marshall Hale, was a student of Master Young Soo Do. Master Do was originally from Korea and settled in the United States in Miami, Florida. His teachings are ever present today in the school and have been carried forward by Master Hale.