Students take on first martial arts competition
Students of Aurora’s American Taekwondo Association (ATA) Martial Arts have started off on the right foot in their competitive season as seven students between the ages of 6 and 15 years excelled in various events at the Lincoln Gold Star ATA Class C tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17.
The event was the first-ever such competition for the newly formed organization and also for each of the students. Every student placed or was recognized for excellence in the events they competed in.
Leading the students during the tournament was Master Vern Larson, who has been teaching as a master for eight months, but has studied the Korean martial arts since he was a teenager.
“I’ve been doing Taekwondo for 22 years,” Larson stated. “I started here in Aurora with my daughter when she was eight. She went through her college years and stopped after she started working, but I kept going.”
Larson and his daughter originally took classes in Aurora before the program shut down two years into their training and then transferred to Grand Island. By the time Larson received his First Degree Black Belt and was teaching in Grand Island, the Bremer Center was in need of a master who knew the “hand and foot way.”
“It teaches discipline, life skills, coordination, memory, self-respect and courtesy,” he stated.
In his classes, Larson teaches various forms of Taekwondo with the help of assistant instructor, Michael Boersen, Jr.
One of the popular forms of sparring involves the use of a combat weapon.
“It’s padded sticks so they’re going get all geared up and you’re hitting with them,” Larson explained. “So head shots, two points, anywhere on the body with these is one point and if you jump it’s a point.”
While students have the option of sparring with padded sticks, Larson also teaches the standard form of Taekwondo using just the arms and legs.
“Once again, you’re all geared up with your head gear, protector gloves and feet pads,” he said. “A kick to the edge, two points, kick to the body or punch the body is more important.”
Since he began teaching at the Bremer Center, Larson has taught students ranging from preschoolers to high school students. His youngest student was just 4-1/2 years of age.
“The young ones were a challenge for me, because in Grand Island I didn’t really teach them; I went into later classes, like teenagers and adults,” Larson explained. “So it was a learning curve for me to create a bond with all of them just like a teacher would at school.”
Larson said his favorite part of teaching is seeing his students get a foothold on what they’re learning and grow in it.
“It’s nice to see their progression when they test it out for their next belt and move on to their next belt,” Larson said.
Recently he took his students to Lincoln where they competed against 83 other disciples from the region to showcase what they have learned.
“This is the first one,” he stated. “They’re all year round in different places depending on if you want to travel, but like our regions, Nebraska and Kansas, we’re region 105. People can travel to other regions to compete. Lincoln happens to be the closest one.”
For Larson’s students, it was their first-ever martial arts competition.
“It was kind of a ‘get your feet wet’, that was how it happened,” he commented.
Most importantly, that first contest helped the students to prepare for their next competition at the Gold Stars Regional Heartland Championship Tournaments in Lincoln, set to take place on Saturday, April 6.
Larson said he hopes some of his students will eventually become his assistant teachers.
“Arley (McEndarfer) comes in and helps with the young ones,” he commented.
While the age to become a junior leader in Taekwondo is 16 years, Larson stated that several of his older students have the potential to take on the position.
“They can make good junior leaders in the future if that’s the route they want to go,” Larson stated.
Beyond winning contests and getting better at the sport, Larson said he hopes one thing lands with his students.
“If they ever get in a bad situation, hopefully they can defend themselves and learn some life skills in the process,” Larson stated.
Aurora’s ATA Martial Arts meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays with classes taking place at 5-5:30 p.m. for 5 to 8 year olds, 5:45-6:30 p.m. for 8 to 12 year olds and 6:45-7:45 p.m. for 13 years to adult.
“Usually you could start anytime, but at the beginning of a cycle would be best,” he commented. “I have a two-month cycle.”
The next cycle of classes is set to start April 1.
Potential students can contact Larson at verlarson64ata@gmail.com or call (402) 604-0927.
Results from the Lincoln tournament are as follows:
William McNeese, age 6, best form memorized, best weapon form.
Gage Bright, 10, 1st in sparring, 3rd in combat sparring, weapon form, form.
Adrik Diaz, 10, 1st in combat sparring, 2nd in form, 3rd in sparring.
Jonah Sigears, 11, 1st in form, 2nd in combat weapon sparring, sparring.
Isaiah Sigears, 13, 2nd in forms, 2nd in combat weapon sparring, sparring.
Arley McEndarfer, 13, 1st in combat weapon sparring, 2nd in sparring, 3rd in form, weapon form.
Tavin Nickolaus, 15, 1st in sparring, combat weapon sparring.