A group of Hillsdale College students and community members tested for their black belts in Taekwondo on Sunday.
Senior Master Brian Anderson teaches Taekwondo for the college. Some students learn simply to practice Taekwondo, while others are competing nationally — and others even internationally.
For students, taking Taekwondo with the college can be a challenge when you have started the martial art elsewhere.
Senior Krista Noble and junior Alexi Noble both started their Taekwondo training at a different school and had to start at a lower level when they began training under Anderson. The girls were at black belt level in their previous school, and both even went to the Junior Olympics in 2004 before coming to Hillsdale.
Krista Noble said that, under Anderson, she is a much better fighter than she was at her old school. Anderson’s classes count as physical education credits. The only cost to students, outside of tuition fees, is their robes and the boards they break.
“It kind of de-incentivizes breaking a lot of boards,” Krista Noble said.
Taekwondo is not a team sport — it requires a lot of individual training. Some students practice it outside of the college’s classes.
Freshman Kellie Fairbanks, who is a second-degree black belt, competed over Easter break in the female middle-weight division at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association national team trials. The competition was held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.
Though Fairbanks is not in the college Taekwondo classes, she still represents Hillsdale College at these events. In fact, in May she will represent Hillsdale College, as well as the United States, at the World University Games in South Korea.
She said her ultimate goal for Taekwondo is to compete in the 2013 World Championship and then the 2016 Olympics.
She said in addition to Fairbanks’ constant training, competition leaves her little time for school work, so she is one of the few part-time students on campus. However, she said this constant travel keeps her close to her parents.
“I would not be able to do this without them,” Fairbanks said.
Fairbanks said the college has been supportive of her training and competition. She said that Dean of Women Diane Philipp has been very helpful and understanding about the constant travel.
“Hillsdale has been great,” Fairbanks said. “They gave me a jacket to wear at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association national team trials.”
Another student, junior David Barko, also trains and competes while attending Hillsdale. Barko is a first-degree black belt in the International Taekwondo Federation and has trained with the senior instructor of the ITF.
Barko was recently invited to the national competition, as well as the world competition to be held in Canada in August. Though he chose not to go to the world competition this year, he plans to train more next year and then go on to the world competition.
Barko said training at Hillsdale can be difficult without being a member of a Taekwondo gym or school nearby. He said he has to find creative ways to get in his three-a-day exercise while on campus.
In addition to running on the intramural fields, Barko also does strength training and kicks in the pool. Barko said he also practices in the arboretum.
“I’ve freaked out a couple of the people in the arb,” he said.
Besides the physical benefits, Barko said Taekwondo offers mental strength as well.
“True martial arts, at the core, is philosophy, and it’s a way of life,” he said. “That self-awareness [that you learn from Taekwondo] becomes sharp, and it never goes away.”
