Just for Kicks

August 1, 2019 by Amy Patterson

Colin is a sixth grade correspondent and son of Staff Writer Amy Patterson

By the time you read this story, Luke and Isabella Fazekas, of Auburn Township, will probably be on their way to Uzbekistan.

They’re going for the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan Aug. 7 to 10.

They are ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for their weight classes because they practice a whole lot and they work really hard.

Luke and Isabella train at two different dojangs. A dojang is a school that teaches Taekwondo.

I got to meet them at World Champion Taekwondo in Solon. They train there under Master Woo Chan Kwon, and also with their sparring coach Chris Hershberger at NexGen Taekwondo in Mansfield.

“We work out … for about six hours a day, six days a week,” Luke said.

Luke has been doing taekwondo for about eight years, and Isabella has been doing it for three or four years.

Luke had a very rare and aggressive cancer when he was 4-years-old called Burkitt’s lymphoma. His mom, Sue, said it grows very rapidly and it doubles in size every 24 hours. He went through chemotherapy treatments and survived.

His mother didn’t want to send him to school after chemotherapy because it weakened his immune system. Instead, Luke and Isabella are homeschooled. This means they also have more time to practice taekwondo.

When they practice, they do upper body strengthening, kicking and sparring.

Luke’s signature move is the spinning hook kick, which is where you spin around, lift up your foot, and make a hook with it after you hit your target.

I know what a spinning hook kick is because I also do taekwondo. I am one test away from a black belt, but I have never been to a national tournament, and especially not to a world championship.

I do taekwondo with my younger brother, Charlie, so I know what it’s like to have someone to practice with at home.

Luke said going to the world championships with his sister is pretty crazy.

“We both worked very hard to get here,” he said.

They train in Solon and Mansfield, but there are also other dojangs people can go to.

I train at Jr. Taekwondo in Chardon, which used to be called World Champion Taekwondo Academy. The dojang is right by Joey’s Italian Grille.

My dojang has a new owner, Master Justin Taylor, who has been doing taekwondo for 35 years.

My instructor Zachary Rutter told me it’s very easy to start Taekwondo.

“Most schools have a trial program and you don’t need to know anything about martial arts or even exercising before starting your first class,” he said.

Instructor Zach said he thinks kicking is the most fun thing we do in class.

Students at the dojang can compete in tournaments even if they are beginners, he said.

He also said taekwondo is very good if you’re in other sports.

“Taekwondo doesn’t have an ‘off season’ so it can help keep you in shape, and also helps you build up the discipline and mindset that will make you better at other sports you enjoy, and a better person on top of it,” he said.

I think that taekwondo is a really good sport to do, and it’s really fun, too. It’s really fun to go through all the different belts and learn all sorts of new things that you can try out, like learning different ways to fall safely and practicing them on a mat.

Pretty much anybody of any age can do it. There are students of all different ages at our dojang. There are really little kids that are five or six, and also older adults.

World Championships are hard to get to, but if you’re good enough, like Luke and Isabella, then you might be able to compete in one.

Besides taekwondo, Luke and Isabella said they are looking forward to the food in Uzbekistan. They researched it online a little bit and it looks like a lot of rice dishes, Luke said.

“They eat a lot of bread,” Isabella added.

Luke wants to compete in the 2024 Olympics, and Isabella wants to compete in the 2028 Olympics.

I asked Luke if he has any advice for other kids who want to do taekwondo.

“Just keep working hard, keep practicing every day,” he said.