Nine graduates for the Taekwondo exam

Alsmeer– On Saturday October 29, nine members of the Chung-do kwan gymnasium of Uithoorn in Aalsmeer took the exam for the first and second dan (black belts). Candidates came from De Kwakel, Uithoorn, Kudelstaart, Aalsmeer, Amstelveen and Amsterdam. Examinations were taken: endurance, knowledge of the sport, forms (tuls), breaking stones and sparring. Courtesy (‘ye-ui’), integrity (‘yom-chi’), perseverance (‘in-nae’), self-control (‘guk-gi’) and indomitable spirit (‘baekjool boogool’) were also tested. All nine candidates passed. The review was conducted by Master David (recently promoted to V-dan in South Korea) under the watchful eye (via video link) of South Korean Grandmaster Kim Hoon.

Part of the exam was also to give a taekwondo lesson to the children. Last week, all the candidates gave their lesson, which was recorded and studied in South Korea by Grandmaster Kim. During the nearly three-hour exam, a Korean candidate was also occasionally asked to retake a game. Hakim obtained his second dan. And eight participants obtained their first dan, the first black belt: Sonja (Soon-i), Zion, Jilan, Sietze, Mees, Kelsey, Fiona and Jamie.

Premiere in the Netherlands

A special mention is Fiona’s first dan. In 2019, Fiona Hoekstra won two golds and two bronzes at the Special Needs World Championship in New Zealand. And since last Saturday, the Aalsmeerse is the first official black belt of Specal Needs Taekwonde in the Netherlands.