Local martial artists bring home national honors

Kelly’s Tae Kwon Do of Kasson Minnesota participated in a national Chung Do Kwan Invitational tournament in Fishkill, New York this month. The tournament included participants from the New York City region as well as schools from as far as Florida and Minnesota.
Grandmaster Paul Kelly, and six students from the Kasson school participated in the annual event bringing home medals for their achievements within their belt rank and category.
Trevor Moreland and Evan Pecinovsky took first place medals for their performance in martial forms, which consist of a complex series of attack and defense moves performed to exacting standards.
Ben Hildebrand scored a first place medal in a sparring competition. The competition pits martial artist against one another in a controlled fight where opponents make punches, kicks, and various strikes that come within inches of their opponent while maintaining the control necessary to not cause harm. The interplay between blocking the opponents blows while striking and counterstriking can happen at dizzying speed. This makes the judges work hard to determine the winner of each one-minute round. Hildebrand sparred with furious offense combined with elusive defense and strict control to win the yellow belt title.
The team brought home nine medals for top finishes in the tournament categories. J. Josiah Marsland swept second place in his division, losing only to someone who advanced to the next belt rank (and out of that category) at the end of the tournament.
The highlight of the invitational for all who attended was the black belt rank testing that Grand Master Paul Kelly underwent. The cofounder of Kelly’s TKD tested for his 8th dan black belt. This is a distinguished rank granted only to those who have not only achieved great physical martial prowess but have also trained students for decades.
Kelly has been teaching students for forty years and really put on a show as he did forms to perfection, sparred with the best in the county, and impressed master and students alike with his mastery of Tae Kwon Do. Kelly now holds the title of Grand Master or Master of Masters in the National Chung Do Kwan organization, joining an elite handful of people who hold that honor.
Tae Kwon Do classes are taught at the TACC Christian School located at 205 S. Mantorville Ave in Kasson. You can call 507-259-9128 or email Pfkelly34@yahoo.com or visit kellystaekwondo.com for more information about the program.