KyoSahNim Crane:

Rank: 3rd Degree Black Belt

Start date: November 1994

Hobbies/Interests:  Reading, Golf, Music, travel

Goals:

            Short-term: To get my kicks to be great

            Mid-term:  To earn my 4^th Degree Black Belt

            Long-term:  To train as long as I am able. 

Tournaments:  Several Presidents Cups, and U.S. Cups

Why I train:

            I train for physical fitness and the intangibles TaeKwonDo gives you; confidence, Discipline, the camaraderie of working with others.

Advice/Tips for fellow students:  The hardest part of training is getting to class.  Get there and you will be all set.

Mr. Horace "Coke"

Rank: 2nd Degree Black Belt

Start date: February 1995

Hobbies/Interests:  All sports

Goals:

            My goal is to stay on track get better and reach my 4^th Degree Black Belt

Why I train:

            I love to train in Martial Arts.  It really does help the mind and body and you really do meet great people.

Advice/Tips for fellow students:

            Set a goal and try to reach it.  Please!

Mr. Chhap

Amir Khan

2nd Degree

Mr. Segundo

Rank: 1st Degree

Rank: 1st Degree Black Belt

Ms. Ebony

K.O. Orloske

Rank: 1st Degree Black Belt

Date Started; March 1996

Hobbies; Applied mechanics, video games

Why I train:

   To keep myself mentally and physically strong and also because I enjoy it.

Goal:

Short-Term Goal; Find a quality Tae KwonDo school that teaches real Martial Arts in ynew place of residence, Chicago.

Mid-Term Goal; To surpass my previous peak

Advice/tipa for fellow students; The best aspects of Tae Kwon do are not experienced after the attainment of a particular goal but rather during the striving for that goal.

Mr. Ignatiius "Iggy"

Rank: 1st Dan Black Belt

Years training: 9 years

Hobbies/Intersts: Electronics, Cars, Tae Kwon Do, Mountain Bike, Gymnastics, Archery

Goals:

Short-term: Build new kit car

Min-Term: Learn some more Korean

Long-Term: MBA

Why I train: I need exercise and someone trained to push me, encourage me and coach me to always get better.

Ms. Pixy

Ms. Bora

Rank: Second Degree Black Belt

Years Training: 9 years

Hobbies:  Reading, golf, dressing, organizing, singing, dancing, researching, arts & crafts, learning new words, drawing, writing

Goals:

            Short-term:  Become the valedictorian of Wilby 2006 and be accepted to an ivy league school.

            Mid-Term:  Finish college in the top 5% and get a job that I like with good pay and good benefits.

            Long-term:  To be married once, forever, and always in love.  To have at least one child.  To be content with my life and have my children be manageable.

Advice/tips for fellow students: Keep trying and striving for your goals, because hard work, passion and devotion will bring you where you want to be.  Take please out of what you are doing.

Why I train: Training is somewhat worked into my schedule so it is only natural for me to go to Tae Kwon do practice,  However, the biggest reason of all is that I love Tae Kwon Do.  I have a great passion for it.  When I first started, I was too young to really know if I would like attending class.  Tae Kwon Do was simply a hobby; I just went for something to do.  Now I couldn’t stand to quit.  I perchance I was forced to quit; I would find some way to return in the future.  Take Kwon do is fun, helpful, and forever challenging; classes are varied which lead to wonderment.  No matter how far up you go in ranks, there’s always something to learn or improve on.  A major part of Tae Kwon Do for is sparring.  10% of the rime, I like sparring, the other 90% of the time, I love it.  Tae Kwon Do also is of my exercise sources.   Tae Kwon Do is such a large parts of my life; it gives a feeling that never fails to make me smile.

Mr. Miguel “Kanguru”

  Start date: 14.Mar.1995

Hobbies/Interests:  Besides TKD, I enjoy dancing and playing soccer

Goals:

• Know all my forms and techniques of TaeKwonDo.
• Try to perfect them.
• Transfer my knowledge to others

Why I train:

            I never did any kind of Martial Arts in life, before.  This was my first time and I liked it.  Not only because we have a great master, but for the people that train in this school.  We have great students that have become my second family.  I continue to practice because it helps me to have more control over my actions, be a better person and keeps me physically in shape.

Advice/Tips for fellow students:

            Do your best and have fun.

Mr. Patrick “Timex”

Age: 42

Start Date: 1997

Hobbies/Interests: TaeKwonDo, Tae chi Chuan, reading, stamp collecting

Goals:

            Short-term:  To continue to increase my proficiency in TaeKwonDo.

            Mid-term: To obtain my second Dan

            Long-term: To continue to advance in TaeKwonDo and in my teaching abilities.

Advice/tips for fellow Students: Be consistent with your training and patient with yourself.  Attempt to accept your strengths and weaknesses inside and outside the dojang.  Trust the process.  Set goals for yourself and strive to achieve those goals.  Don’t give up.

Why I train:

            I train in Martial Arts to develop myself physically, mentally and spiritually.

            Martial Arts has helped me to maintain good health and a healthy lifestyle.  I am able to stay in shape, increase my coordination, balance and control of my muscles, limbs and my entire body.

            Martial Arts has helped me increase my ability to concentrate and focus.  Memorizing poomse (forms), self defense and one step sparring movements has helped incr4ease my ability memorize facts and events; increased my ability to focus at work and helped me to concentrate on my studies in graduate school.

           Studying Martial Arts has helped me to become a more understand person and has improved my leadership qualities.  Teaching other students has helped me to become understanding of the students’ needs and talents an increased my ability to lead others.

Mr. Berns

Rank:  Second Degree Black Belt

Years training:  10 years

Hobbies/Interests:  Coach youth sports (Baseball, Basketball), spending time with  my family and friends.

Advice/tips for fellow students:

Train on a consistent basis.

Always review and practice previous belt curriculum.

Try to find a training partner.  This will give you someone to push you, encourage you, support you and keep you humble.

Take notes.  Keep a diary of your Martial Arts adventure, notes on belt curriculum, pictures and tips.  It comes in real handy!

When in doubt, always ask questions.  Higher-ranking students enjoy sharing what they know.  Remember, we all started out as White Belts.

Goals:

            Short-term:  Training and working towards 2^nd Degree Black Belt.  Working on technical mechanics, the details, stances, hand & foot positions, etc.

            Mid-term:  To continue training, helping other students learn TaeKwonDo, and be healthy and physically fit.

            Long-term: To continue training with friends and share my knowledge with others (teaching and advancing TaeKwonDo), stay healthy and physically fit.

Why I train:

• Good health-mental & physical
• Comradery-friendships
• Sense of accomplishment
• Self defense
• Diversified exercise (strength building, stretching, cardio, etc.)

Mr. Huy

KyoSahNim Gumby

Rank: 2nd Degree Black Belt

Age; 44

Date Started; January 1999

Hobbies; Baking, cooking, and stenciling

Why I train:

      There are several reasons I continue to train in Tae Kwon Do. The first is to maintain the knowledge that I have acquired thus far, as well as, to improve my skills and learn the required material for my next belt rank. Secondly, to continue to develop and nurture a comradeship with the students I regularly train with. Thirdly, to remain both physically and mentally fit through this exercise regiment. However, the main reasons I train are because I not only enjoy the challenge Tae Kwon Do provides for me, but I also derive a great deal of satisfaction from improving my skills through practice and commitment.

Goal:

Short-Term Goal; To learn all required material for my present belt rank.

Mid-Term Goal; To continue to improve my teaching skills and provide further instruction to the students.

Long-Term Goal; To achieved Master Level Black Belt.

Advice/tipa for fellow students; Try to remain humble, focus your training on bettering your skills, and take every opportunity to learn from all available students. If you keep an open mind, you will be amazed at the education lower belts can provide for you.

Mr. “Snowman” Adams

Rank:  Second Degree Black Belt

Age: 53

Years Training: 12 years

Hobbies/Interests:  Home improvements, Activities with my family, challenging myself mentally and physically, walking and playing with my dog.  Teaching Tae Kwon Do to other students.

Advice/tips for fellow students:

• Always have an open mind to learning new things you may have not considered in the past.
• Always do your best, not what others may think your best is.
• On days you don’t really feel like challenging yourself, have a strong mind and attitude to overcome that feeling.  Also, remember that even doing a less is better than doing nothing.
• Always, always, always have fun with your training.

Why I train:

• It’s fun to challenge myself mentally and physically.  As you grow, you change physically and mentally so I don’t want to become complacent.
• As I am pushing the other side of 50, I want to stay in the best physical shape I can so that I can continue to get out and enjoy life.
• I also train because of the very deep friendships that have developed with fellow students over the year.  This is very important to me.
• The following is my favorite quote, and one I try to live by.  “Everyday is a good day, some days are just better than others.”

Goals:

My short term goals are my long-term goals.  They are very simple.  To learn something new every day, be the best husband and father I can be, and just have as much fun as I can in everything I do.

Mr. LaChance

Mr. Riordan

Age: 46

Years Training: 9 years consistently at the Han Guek Kwan after a 10+ year hiatus

Start date: March 1999

Rank:  Second Degree Black Belt

Hobbies/Interests:  Reading, Jogging, used furniture/antiques, coins & movies

Goals:

            Attain the level of Second Dan.  Continue to improve in flexibility, kicking and sparring.  Mix up my training to become a better rounded Martial Artist.

Why I train:

            I train because I realize that “right” doesn’t always win.  I train because there are many people out there who don’t fight honorably.  I train because time inevitably robs us of strength, speed and flexibility.  I train because of the satisfaction it gives me.  My favorite part of training is the self defense aspect, the sparring and the weapons.

            I train at the Han Guek Kwan because it offers traditional Martial Arts/TaeKwonDo training.  It’s affiliation with the World TaeKwonDo Federation and our SahBohmNim (master instructor).  SahBohmNim La Rée is the type of person who has the ability to pull the best out of each student and has the skill level and experience I was looking for in an instructor.

Advice/Tips for fellow students:

            Like a college degree, take your time, one belt at a time.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed if you think of all you have to learn.  By focusing on each class, each block of material, you can reach your ultimate goal.  This is relatively easy, because we are taught in a very progressive manner.  Be persistent but don’t be in a rush.  Enjoy the journey, mix up the workout, and grow with your brothers and sisters in the art.  One of the best quotes I ever heard was that, “The only difference between a Black Belt and a White Belt is that the Black Belt didn’t quit.”

 Mr. Dominguez

Mr. Alex

Age: 10 (High Honor Student)

Start Date: August 1996

Rank:  First Degree Black Belt

Hobbies/Interests:  Saxophone, Trumpet, Drum corps, School Band

Goals:

            Short-Term:  Improve kicking skills

            Mid-term:  Become 2^nd Degree Black Belt

            Long-term:  Help others achieve their goals

Advice/tips for fellow students;
            Don’t give up!  Always try your best and you will reach your goal.

Why I train:

            Martial Arts is a part of my life.  It helps me maintain self-control, (over my mouth, my behavior and hopefully my life).  It has taught me valuable skills that will help me throughout my life, like never give up and anything worth having is worth working for.

Mr. Luis “Gringo”

Starting date: September 29, 1999:

Rank:  First Degree Black Belt

Hobbies/Interests: writing, reading, playing basketball

Goals:

            Short-term:  consistently land 540˚ kick

            Mid-term:  Improving kicks

            Long-term:  Earn 2^nd Degree Black Belt

Advice/tips for fellow students: Keep your head up when kicking.  Don’t look down.  If you look down two things happen.  First, you aren’t able to see your target.  Second, if you look down, your shoulders will be skuid, throwing off your entire torso and you loose control of your center of gravity and balance.

Why I train:  I train so I can do the kicks that Bruce Lee used to do in his movies. 

Ms. D’Jamely

Rank:  First Degree Black Belt

Starting date:  September 29, 1999

Hobbies/Interests:  Playing basketball & softball, watching T.V.

Goals:

            Short-term:  keep on working/improving on techniques

            Mid-term:  learn everything I need to learn about 1^st Degree Black Belt

            Long-term:  Earn 2^nd Degree Black Belt

Advice for fellow students: 

Never give up if you can’t do something, just keep trying until you get better at it.  And even if you never get it “Jackie Chan” great, you can be the best you can be.  And that’s the best you can do.  Being your best in all aspects of your life is success.

Why I train:

            I want to train because I think it’s a good activity to do after school.  It keeps you in shape and it keeps you from hanging around the streets.

Ms. Finnimore (JoKyoNim)

Rank: 1st Degree Black Belt

Age: >40 

Starting date:  Feb99

Occupation: Engineer

Hobbies/Interests: Shopping, Gardening, Cooking, Piano, Reading, Writing, Math

Advice/tips for fellow students: Higher belt students are always eager to help lower belts with their training. Always feel free to ask.

Why I train: I train to maintain healthy body, strong mind, and build relationships with others who want the same.

Goals:

Short terms: Try to perfect everything learned in colored belts.

        Mid term: Black Belt

         Long term: 9th degree black belt (92 yrs old??)

Mr. "Tang" Vazquez

Rank: 2nd Degree Black Belt

Age:  37

Occupation: Bus Driver

Starting date:  June 2002

Hobbies/Interests: Working on cars, and help teaching at the Kwon

Advice/tips for fellow students: My advice: to those who wish to train in Martial Arts is don’t let anybody tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. The Han Guek Kwon is a place that I call my second home, my fellow students are like my brothers and sisters. Here the people are very nice and not to mention the Master and other Instructors; they will help you as much as they can, but you've got too give your 100%, that’s the only way you can learn.

Why I train: I like to keep in shape, and for the Self Defense that I get from training. I like the feeling of belonging to this family at the Han Guek Kwan. I also like participating in and being a part of a tradition so much bigger than myself.

Goals:

Short terms: To get better at Martial Arts

        Mid term: To earn my 3rd degree black belt.

         Long term: help students achieve their best

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    Additional Staff

JyoKyoNim Cosmo

Starting Date: June 2007

Rank: 5th Kup

Hobbies/Interests: Carpentry, power mechanics

Goals: To become a Black Belt Master Instructor, a Marine and have a successful life.

Short-term: To attain my Black Belt.

Mid-term: To improve the skills needed for teaching and attain my next Kup level.

Long-term: To perfect all techniques in TaeKwonDo.

Why I train: I've always wanted to train in the Martial Arts, but didn't know exactly what that meant.  I've just seen all the movies and wanted to do that stuff, too.  Now I understand what training in the Martial Arts really means; so much more than I could have imagined before.  The camaraderie and sense of family that exists at the Han Guek Kwan is as much of the reason I train as all the deep, important stuff.  Nothing will deter me from earning my Black Belt.

Advice/Tips for fellow students: Try your best and be patience with yourself. Trust the process and trust SahBohmNim