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Dallas Morning News Rockwall/Rowlett edition 06/07/2002
Nine degrees of separation
5-year-old takes the first of several steps to reach black belt

06/07/2002

By BLAINE BYBEE / The Dallas Morning News

Evan Cedor bowed in his starched white training suit, walked onto the canvas practice floor at ATA Blackbelt Academy and prepared to break a Г‚Вѕ -inch synthetic board with four magic words on the tip of his tongue.

"I will do it," he shouted before splitting the board with his elbow.

Evan basked in the glow of his achievement with a shy smile, bowed again and thanked the classmates who held the board.

Scenes such as this are common for Evan, who at 5 years and 11 months, is one of the youngest students studying tae kwon do at the Rockwall academy. He has been kicking, jabbing and sparring for half his life, and Saturday he will test for his first-degree black belt.

Evan, who completed kindergarten at Rockwall's Nebbie Williams Elementary last week, will be one of the youngest people in the world to test for the black-belt level in tae kwon do. He'll have to impress three judges by demonstrating the more than 50 moves he has learned. Evan insists he's ready for the challenge.

"Can't is a bad word to me," Evan said. "I'm excited about getting my black belt."

Evan's unwavering confidence is a far cry from his first day at the academy, said his mother, Linda.

"I don't think he made a sound that first day," she said. "He was so shy when he was younger."

But tae kwon do has changed that. Now, at 50 pounds and just more than 4 feet tall, Evan is quick to strike up a conversation about the upcoming black belt test or the upcoming World Tae Kwon Do Championships in Little Rock, Ark.

"He's gone from the shy little boy that would hide behind my leg when he met somebody new to what you see now," said his father, Pete. "It's been amazing to see how much he's matured since he's been involved with tae kwon do."

Evan has been training at least three days a week for nearly three years. His parents enrolled him at the academy at 3, the youngest age the school will accept students. Evan showed his enthusiasm for the art early and began to blossom athletically and socially, his instructors said.

"Evan has come a long way," said teacher Nancy Baker. "He's got that black-belt attitude that not many kids, or adults for that matter, have."

Baker and her husband, Gary, have been studying and teaching tae kwon do for 18 years. Both are fifth-degree black belts and have been in Rockwall for three years.

Chief Master Robert Allemier owns the ATA Blackbelt Academy. He is an eighth-degree black belt, which is the second-highest rank in the world. The only ninth-degree black belt is Grand Master Soon Ho Lee, one of the founders of the American Tae Kwon Do Association.

Tae kwon do originated centuries ago as a form of military combat in Asia. It was modernized and introduced to Americans in 1969.

The Cedors plan to travel to Little Rock next weekend for the 2002 World Championships, where Evan will compete against competitors from more than 10 countries in his age group. He also hopes to meet Grand Master Lee, a moment he's talked about before.

"Evan wants to be the Grand Master one day," Nancy Baker said. "That's his goal, and we try hard to reinforce it."

Baker said it is not unusual to have youths Evan's age in classes, but a reason he is further along than most is his dedication. She said Evan and his parents are consistent in coming to class and testing to move up in rank. The testing process occurs every eight weeks.

There are nine degrees to the tae kwon do black belt, Baker said. If Evan passes the first-degree test Saturday, he will train for the next level. However, rules dictate he must wait several years before moving up.

But that's OK for Evan, who seems content on the practice floor. And when he leaves the mat, he bows again and chants the word "integrity" the word of the month at the ATA Blackbelt Academy.

The words teach the students "respect," he said.

E-mail bbybee@dallasnews.com

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Fort Worth Star Telegram Article from 5/05/2002 Posted on Sun, May. 05, 2002 Little Big Man 'Can-do' 5-year-old will take the test to get his black belt By REBECA RODRIGUEZ Star-Telegram Staff Writer ROCKWALL - Evan Cedor has been punching, kicking and sparring for half his life, and next month he'll test for his first-degree black belt in tae kwon do. All that, and he hasn't even entered the first grade yet. Evan is 5 1/2 years old and one of the youngest people to reach this level of mastery in the Korean martial art. "It's pretty amazing," said teacher Nancy Baker of the Black Belt Academy in Rockwall, where Evan studies. "We've had 6-year-olds test for black belt, but I haven't heard of many who are still 5 years old." Baker and husband Gary have been learning and teaching tae kwon do for 18 years. They both say Evan's enthusiasm and love for the art far exceeds that of most kids his age. "I've never heard him say he can't do something," Gary Baker said. "He has that can-do attitude." The school is owned by Chief Master Robert Allemier, an eighth-degree black belt, the sec- ond-highest rank in the world. The only ninth-degree black belt is Grand Master Lee, founder of the American Taekwondo Association. In June, Evan will meet Grand Master Lee at the 2002 World Championships in Little Rock, Ark. It's a moment to which he's looking forward. "He talks about being the Grand Master," his mother, Linda Cedor, said with a smile. "That's one of his goals." Evan has been training in tae kwon do three days a week for 2 1/2 years. His parents encouraged him to begin at age 3, the youngest age at which the school will accept a student. He took to it immediately and has rarely missed a class since. In addition to providing training in martial arts and the use of weapons, the classes have given Evan confidence. "When I first brought him in, he wouldn't even speak up in class," Linda Cedor said. It's not unusual for young children to begin taking martial arts classes, but staying with the program through the black-belt level is rare. Linda Cedor said several toddlers started with Evan, but only one is still around. There are nine degrees to the tae kwon do black belt. If he passes the first-degree test in June, Evan will continue training for the subsequent degrees, although the rules dictate that he will have to wait several years before achieving the higher degrees. In January, Evan's father, Pete, began taking classes. The two often practice together at home. "I'm a little better than him, but he's a better teacher at some things," Evan said. During class, Evan fiddles a little with his uniform and occasionally turns to smile at his parents. At one point, his father calls him off the mat to give him a pep talk. "I told him to keep it strong, not just go through the motions," Pete Cedor said. Tae kwon do, "the art of unarmed combat," is an ancient Korean martial practice. It was originally practiced by the Hwa Rang Do class of noblemen and, eventually, the military. As Confucianism took over, with its emphasis on poetry, philosophy and music, tae kwon do became something for the commoner. In 1969, Grand Master Lee formally introduced Americans to the art through the American Taekwondo Association. After class, Evan reverts to a shy boy of 5, answering questions with his eyes down and slight nods of his head. After a while he gets comfortable and his eyes dance as talks about his favorite part of tae kwon do - weapons. On the red and blue mat, the uniformed boy picks up the padded tools of his craft - the jahng bahng (long stick), ssahng jeol bong (nunchuks) and bahng mahng ee (short stick). In addition to learning to use weapons and one's own body for self-defense, tae kwon do also teaches a student to hone mental abilities and harness inner strength. Every month, a different word is introduced to the class. This month's word is discipline, and Evan knows exactly what that means. "Your mind controls your body," he said. Rebeca Rodriguez, (817) 390-7754 rrodriguez@star-telegram.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2001 dfw and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dfw.com
Dallas Morning News Rockwall/Rowlett edition 06/07/2002 Nine degrees of separation 5-year-old takes the first of several steps to reach black belt 06/07/2002 By BLAINE BYBEE / The Dallas Morning News Evan Cedor bowed in his starched white training suit, walked onto the canvas practice floor at ATA Blackbelt Academy and prepared to break a Г‚Вѕ -inch synthetic board with four magic words on the tip of his tongue. "I will do it," he shouted before splitting the board with his elbow. Evan basked in the glow of his achievement with a shy smile, bowed again and thanked the classmates who held the board. Scenes such as this are common for Evan, who at 5 years and 11 months, is one of the youngest students studying tae kwon do at the Rockwall academy. He has been kicking, jabbing and sparring for half his life, and Saturday he will test for his first-degree black belt. Evan, who completed kindergarten at Rockwall's Nebbie Williams Elementary last week, will be one of the youngest people in the world to test for the black-belt level in tae kwon do. He'll have to impress three judges by demonstrating the more than 50 moves he has learned. Evan insists he's ready for the challenge. "Can't is a bad word to me," Evan said. "I'm excited about getting my black belt." Evan's unwavering confidence is a far cry from his first day at the academy, said his mother, Linda. "I don't think he made a sound that first day," she said. "He was so shy when he was younger." But tae kwon do has changed that. Now, at 50 pounds and just more than 4 feet tall, Evan is quick to strike up a conversation about the upcoming black belt test or the upcoming World Tae Kwon Do Championships in Little Rock, Ark. "He's gone from the shy little boy that would hide behind my leg when he met somebody new to what you see now," said his father, Pete. "It's been amazing to see how much he's matured since he's been involved with tae kwon do." Evan has been training at least three days a week for nearly three years. His parents enrolled him at the academy at 3, the youngest age the school will accept students. Evan showed his enthusiasm for the art early and began to blossom athletically and socially, his instructors said. "Evan has come a long way," said teacher Nancy Baker. "He's got that black-belt attitude that not many kids, or adults for that matter, have." Baker and her husband, Gary, have been studying and teaching tae kwon do for 18 years. Both are fifth-degree black belts and have been in Rockwall for three years. Chief Master Robert Allemier owns the ATA Blackbelt Academy. He is an eighth-degree black belt, which is the second-highest rank in the world. The only ninth-degree black belt is Grand Master Soon Ho Lee, one of the founders of the American Tae Kwon Do Association. Tae kwon do originated centuries ago as a form of military combat in Asia. It was modernized and introduced to Americans in 1969. The Cedors plan to travel to Little Rock next weekend for the 2002 World Championships, where Evan will compete against competitors from more than 10 countries in his age group. He also hopes to meet Grand Master Lee, a moment he's talked about before. "Evan wants to be the Grand Master one day," Nancy Baker said. "That's his goal, and we try hard to reinforce it." Baker said it is not unusual to have youths Evan's age in classes, but a reason he is further along than most is his dedication. She said Evan and his parents are consistent in coming to class and testing to move up in rank. The testing process occurs every eight weeks. There are nine degrees to the tae kwon do black belt, Baker said. If Evan passes the first-degree test Saturday, he will train for the next level. However, rules dictate he must wait several years before moving up. But that's OK for Evan, who seems content on the practice floor. And when he leaves the mat, he bows again and chants the word "integrity" the word of the month at the ATA Blackbelt Academy. The words teach the students "respect," he said. E-mail bbybee@dallasnews.com
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