CRESTVIEW — Roughly 250 attendees packed Warriors Hall Dec. 12 during Gordon Martial Arts' promotional ceremony.
Approximately 80 students as young as 4 years old, and others into their 60s, tested for new ranks in the Korean martial arts of taekwondo or hapkido.
The actual testing was held the prior Monday and Tuesday.
Beginning taekwondo students were called up in groups of six to eight with students similar in level of training and expertise. Students then went through a prearranged set of movements. They were paired with a partner of like size to demonstrate self-defense movements against common strikes and grabs. The testing panel asked them to demonstrate specific techniques or answer questions about taekwondo history, curriculum specifics or meaning of tenets.
Intermediate-level taekwondo students did the same as beginners; in addition, they wore red padded safety gear and sparred other students, demonstrating a higher level of proficiency as they’ve progressed through the belt system.
In addition to sparring, advanced-level students broke boards to demonstrate power.
After warm ups and stretching, Hapkido students moved to the punching bags for a 15-minute cardiovascular workout. They spent a few minutes demonstrating correct falling and rolling techniques followed by a short water break. Testers then partnered up with another student of similar size and ability to demonstrate joint locks, takedowns and throws.
Students came up in groups by rank and performed some of their material for Friday's audience to see.
Afterward, most attendees stayed for pizza and mingled as Tony Larkins provided musical entertainment.
Student of the Year:
•Adult Competitor of the Year: Jonathan Bofinger
•Junior Competitor of the Year: Jacob Cieslak
•Adult Perseverance Award: Larry Havard
•Junior Perseverance Awards: Emma Bofinger and David Griffith
•Student of the Year: Caden Mavity
•Friend of GMA: Brenda Urich
•Above & Beyond Award: Alberto Barbon
New Black Belts:
•Eddie Dettmer, first degree in taekwondo
•Heidi Anderson, second degree in taekwondo
•Matthew Wilkinson, second degree in taekwondo
•Alberto Barbon, second degree in Hapkido
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gordon Martial Arts hosts testing, annual Student of the Year awards