Thompson Valley Taekwon-Do students recently traveled to Kelowna for the Taekwon-Do International Canada, Western Canadian Championships on Saturday, April 28.
Students were also privileged to meet a Taekwon-Do Pioneer Grand Master, CK Choi, during a seminar on Friday night.
Along with the Kamloops school were several members of the Thompson Valley’s satellite school from the Barriere/Simpcw club. In all, 22 competitors went to compete, along with Robert Gill, 5th Dan Head Instructor and Coach.
Gill said the team had a good showing, especially as many of these young students were competing for the first time. Fourteen-year-old Cheyenne Betz, 2nd Dan Black Belt, led the way, winning gold in sparring and gold in Patterns.
Taekwon-Do athlete Cheyenne Betz continued on her gold medal run, winning her third Western Canadian Championship, to add to a national championship in 2010, and five provincial championships since 2007.
Robert Gill, 5th Dan Black Belt Taekwon-Do instructor at Thompson Valley Taekwon-Do, was recently named instructor of the month for the month of April, by the international magazine Taekwon-Do Times; which wrote, “What sets Robert Gill apart from most is that he has stayed true to the art. He made a promise to General Choi before he died that he would just teach TKD the way it should be and he has kept that promise.”
Gill started his first school in Barriere in 1987, and currently teaches on Mondays and Wednesdays in the upstairs room at the Barriere Ball Park building. Classes are ongoing sign-up so there is always room for more students. They can sign-up on Monday or Wednesdays, or they can call Duane Eustache at 250-672-1090, or Robert Gill at 778-471-5770.
Here are the students final results:
Barriere/Simpcw Students
Lee Dionne, 4th in Patterns
Jeremy Strongeagle, 5th in Patterns
Justin Lampreau, 4th in Sparring
Louis Eustache, 6th in Sparring
Lucas Eustache, 5th in Sparring
Kamloops School Medalists
Patterns Sparing
Cheyenne Betz
age 14, Black Belt gold gold
Luciano Carnovale, age 12, Black Belt gold
Tristin Arnold,
age 12, Black Belt silver
Harvey Koochin,
Red Belt bronze
Krystal Armstrong, Red Belt silver silver
Marthew Blaschek,
age 11, Red Belt bronze silver
Jackie Chamness,
Red Belt silver
Will Serre,
Green Belt gold gold
Hanna Serre,
age 6, White Belt bronze
Hailee Arnold,
age 8, White Belt silver
Charmain Schocat,
Yellow Belt bronze