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Connor Ryan figures he'll earn his black belt in tae kwon do in about a year.
“I'm really looking forward to it,” Connor said, “because it's really fun and I like doing it. I like just having fun and learning self-defense and discipline. I don't misbehave anymore ... not as much as I used to.”
The 11-year-old Oregon resident, who has been involved in martial arts for three years, is working his way up the “belt” ladder – he is currently a red belt. Connor's younger sister, Delaney, 9, has been in martial arts for two years. Both Ryan siblings train at Toneff’s Tae Kwon Do, 4320 Navarre Ave.
“Connor had started with (martial arts) at the YMCA and kind of swayed away from it, and then he showed interest again,” said Connor's mother, Lorianne. “We took him to Mr. Toneff and he fell in love with it from day one.
“Delaney was taking dance across the hall, at Brewer's Dance Studio, and she
quit dance to start tae kwon do. She would rather take tae kwon do than dance. She loves it - the discipline and the interaction she has with the other children there. She has made some very good friends.”
Connor and Delaney Ryan were two of eight students who competed for Toneff's at the Weston Warriors Global Tae Kwon Do Federation (GTF) Tournament on March 27 at Humberg College in Toronto, Canada. All eight students are between the ages of 9-13 and competed in sparring and patterns/forms.
“We usually do about four tournaments a year,” said Toneff's owner and instructor, Patrick Toneff. “We have some tournaments at our school and we go to another one in Ottawa, Canada. We've been hosting tournaments ourselves, usually in the fall.”
Toneff, a sixth degree black belt in tae kwon do, opened his school in 1987.
“We started an adult education program with the Oregon Board of Education years ago,” Toneff said. Tae kwon do is the Korean art of self defense. The tenets of tae kwon do are important, which all of our students know: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. That's what we try to stress.
“My objective is to make them all better people, better students following those tenets. They get a good physical workout with exercises - sparring and patterns, kicking, and takedowns.”
The other Toneff's Tae Kwon Do students who competed in Toronto were Oak Harbor residents Jaclyn and Michael Wojciechowski and Oregon residents Josh and Caleb Meinke, Aaron Fanett and Andrew Titgemeyer.
Connor Ryan won two silver medals, Delaney Ryan won gold and bronze, Jaclyn Wojciechowski won gold and silver, Josh Meinke won silver, Fanett won silver and bronze, Caleb Meinke won gold and silver, Michael Wojciechowski won bronze and silver, and Titgemeyer won two bronze medals.
Toneff said the tournaments are used for more than just earning medals.
“Part of their training also is to develop some leadership qualities,” he said. “They've all been trained for a long time at our school, and they're all higher rankers. Most of them, by this time next year, will be testing for their black belts. For their age, they're doing extremely well.
“To find students who stick with it this long, a lot has to be said about the parents as well. If the parents have the children stick it out, they learn the secret of succeeding. The repeated success builds confidence in the students. They learn how to succeed from the training.”
Lorianne Ryan said she's glad her children got involved in martial arts.
“Connor enjoys martial arts as a whole, and he loves tae kwon do, the aspect of it,” she said. “It gives him something to be proud of. He's only been in it three years and he's only two stripes away from being a black belt. Mr. Toneff is just wonderful with his students. Absolutely phenomenal. He has the patience of a saint with those kids.”
For more information on Toneff's Tae Kwon Do, call 419-250-1183.
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