Dojang Digest Winter/Spring 2005

A quarterly newsletter for students and friends of Kicks Martial Arts for Women		Inside this issue: Feature Article: "We are Family" by Molly Pavlechko ITU News: Meet the Mascots Cool Link of the Month: The Ophelia Project Upcoming Events

Located at the Heiter Community Center • 100 North Fifth Street • Lewisburg, PA 17837		Winter/Spring 2005

We Are Family

CardioKicks! Fitness Tip

by Molly Pavlechko,
Assistant Instructor Kicks Martial Arts for Girls

Thursday night we said good bye to one of our kicks students and as we left the studio, my daughter Ella turned to me and said, “I’m really going to miss her, she feels like part of my family. All the girls in the Tae Kwon Do class, feel like part of my family.” In that moment, I knew I was doing something more than student teaching the girls class, I was caring for a family, my Tae Kwon Do family. I have had the pleasure to work with these young women for the past four months. They have been working hard perfecting their punches and learning new forms and their dedication, hard work and commitment amaze me every class. What makes our school feel like a family? The friendship, support and respect these girls demonstrate toward each other. Every junior belt brings something unique and special to the art of Tae Kwon Do and to our school.
Hannah (right) is 11 years old and attends 5th grade at Linntown. She loves maple yule logs and says the thing she likes most about Tae Kwon Do is her fellow students.

	Martina (left) is 8 years old and goes to school at Kelly Elementary. Her favorite color is blue, so it's no wonder she's been really working hard for her next belt -- a blue belt. Martina loves to learn new kicks.

Kyra (right) is in the third grade and just got back from an exciting family vacation to Walt Disney World. Although pictured here receiving her gold belt from Master Hansen, Kyra was recently promoted to orange belt and is well on her way to green belt!

	Maggie (left) just received her gold belt this December. She likes doing her forms and looks forward to learning how to play the guitar.

Ella (right) loves to eat spaghetti and just received an award for self defense. Her favorite part of Tae Kwon Do is coming to class

	Joanna (left) earned her green belt in August 2004 and is the highest ranking junior belt at Kicks. She resolves to earn her blue belt during the new year.

Skeeter (right) loves to punch (and, as all the girls know, to ki-hap - LOUDLY!). So long Skeeter. We're really going to miss you!

Contact Kicks for more information about our girls program or to schedule your daughter's free trial week.

We'd love to hear from you!
Please send us your comments, feedback and suggestions.

Click here

More than a resolution; fitness must be a lifestyle.

Each New Year's Eve millions of women vow that this year will be the year they start a fitness program and stick to it.
According to a USA Today study, only about 22% of people who establish New Year's resolutions actually follow through with them. There are many reasons why so many people fail to keep their personal promises. One of those reasons is lack of planning, another is often a lack of commitment.
Each winter the fitness industry bombards the media with advertisements around the holidays. Miracle diets and magic machines are described as the new and easy way to get fit and stay fit. Consumers often end up bored and discouraged after spending hundreds of dollars. The problem rests in setting a goal of weight loss instead of a goal of fitness as a lifestyle.
In order to succeed with a fitness program, the goal itself must be to implement a plan and follow through with it. In other words the key to any weight loss program is consistency. There simply are no miracles or magic involved in getting fit and losing weight. Martial arts is a great choice to help achieve that goal. Those who practice martial arts learn to understand goals, make plans (resolutions) and develop the skills to achieve those plans. In addition, martial arts are a lot of fun. No one will stick with a fitness program that isn't enjoyable. It is much easier to commit to a fitness goal and achieve lasting results if you're having fun doing it. Because it's so much fun, martial arts is a great way to get in shape and stay in shape while learning self defense and valuable life skills in the process. Make martial arts part of your fitness lifestyle in 2005!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming rank tests on February 5th, April 2nd and June 4th at 2:00 PM. Good luck to all those who are testing. You can check out Kicks' test photos by clicking here.

Advanced level classes will be held on March 5th and May 7th from 2PM - 5PM. All senior students ranked green belt and above should plan on attending.

Master Tom Merritt will be here this spring. Look for details soon!

Empower! Self-defense for Women - 12 hour course on Saturdays, February 12th, 19th and 26th, from 12:00 PM through 4:00 PM.

Cool Site of the Month

The Ophelia Project is...

dedicated to creating a culture that is emotionally, physically and socially safe. We serve youth, families, schools and communities with an expertise in covert peer aggression and issues unique to girls. We promote healthy character development and mentoring relationships through awareness, education and advocacy.

Promotions and Honors

Junior Promotions
August
Green: Joanna
December
Gold: Maggie
Orange: Ella and Kyra
Green: Martina

Senior Promotions
October
Gold: Dagny
Green: Karla and Rachel
Blue: Molly
Purple: Alyssa
and Coralyn
December
Gold: Bridget, Jackie K.
and Karyn
Orange: Arica
Blue: Deena
Purple: Lindsey and Liz
Red/Black: Gaby

Congratulations to Kicks Junior Students of the Month.

September - Maggie
October - Kyra
November - Joanna
December - Skeeter

Keep up the great work!

Discover your power.

Kicks Martial Arts for Women offers Empower! courses both on and off site. Our instructors will custom tailor a course specifically for your group's needs. Whether you are are involved with girl scouts or seniors, college students or working women, Kicks has an Empower! course for your group. Contact us for more information

The next 12 hour course will be held on Saturdays, February 12th, 19th and 26th, from 12:00 PM through 4:00 PM at the Donald Heiter Community Center.

ITU News: Meet the Mascots Taek & Wrinkles

It's common knowledge that ITU president Tom Merritt is a phenomenal martial artist. But did you know that he is also a true animal lover? For example, when you walk into ITU headquarters one of the first things you might notice are the two rescued tarantulas that live there. But there are two ITU animals that every ITU member should know about. The Dojang Digest would like to introduce everyone to ITU mascots Taek and Wrinkles.

taek

Taek Wrinkles
Taek is a vervet monkey
Wrinkles is a macaque monkey

Sabum Nim Kamienski had the opportunity to monkey around a bit at ITU headquarters. She is pictured below (left) with Taek and Mr. Hansen and with Gizmo, a rescued Marmoset (right). Gizmo has since passed away and will be greatly missed.

lktaek

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