Twenty-two students at Grantsville Taekwondo tested and received new belt ranks last month.
Of the 22 students who increased their belt ranks, three of them received black belts or higher. Trisha Hill became a second-degree black belt, and Mason Versluis and Sadie Johnson both received black belts.
Avery Garrard, Brandi Putnam, Karel Peterson, Luke Garrard, Stevie Simonds, Justin Hall and Mathew Erisman all received their yellow belts. Nick Versluis received a red belt, and Joey Scorsone and Chandler Engar received green belts.
Cortley Maughan, Alan Hunsaker, Nathan Putnam, Steve Simonds, Dakota Withers, Hayden Schmidt, Jaxson Smith, Connor Crowe and Laura Erisman all received their yellow stripes. Dawson Engar and Keagan Wicker received their green stripes, and Danielle Hunsaker received a blue stripe.
Grantsville Taekwondo has testing every three months, and these were the students who chose to test in March. Students must meet the technique, philosophy and Taekwondo spirit requirements associated with each belt level in order to test. There are also a series of kicks, punches, blocks and self-defense movements assigned with each belt level. Students must also write a report with each belt level.
Finally, students must have good grades in school and be well behaved at home. For example, to test for a black belt, students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.2 at school.
Grantsville Taekwondo owner Guy Versluis said having high grade requirements gives students goals to reach in the future if their grades are not where they should be.
Not all of Guy Versluis’ students currently attend school, so their advancement is based on an assessment that is filled out by a spouse.
If students can’t meet all requirements, then they won’t be permitted to test for advancement.
“These 22 students who tested for their next belt level worked very hard for the opportunity to test,” Guy Versluis said. “Their hard work and determination over the last three months and almost five hours of testing has earned them their new belt ranks. I’m so proud of them all.”