2 Bodystrong athletes pass tests

Published 2:25 pm Friday, March 21, 2014

The Sequim-based Bodystrong Taekwon-Do Academy saw two candidates for black belt testing – 14-year-olds Samantha Schock and Jacob Mora – pass their tests in mid-May.

The regional black belt testing was in Battle Ground on May 15.

Schock, testing for her second dan (dan is a level or grade), also received an award for the best self-defense demonstration.

Mora, testing for his first dan, received his black belt after completing a mid-air, 180-degree, back-piercing kick on two pieces of 1-inch pine boards.

The examiner was senior master Renee Sereff, eighth dan, the highest-ranked woman in the United States. After the testing, Sereff held a seminar attended by more than 100 students on jumping techniques, goal-setting and basic principles such as courtesy and discipline.