leading and teaching more often than before we went. He takes on the responsibility more willingly and more confidently than he had before going to the Worlds. We have talked several times since returning, and each time he says he can’t wait to go back to compete again or travel anywhere to train with others. I asked him if anything about TSD has changed for him since going to the Worlds, and he said that TSD at GTSDC is exactly the same as before, but he is different now; he has expanded his perspective and experiences, and he feels more confident in leadership. “What do you think your future in TSD is?” I asked a month after we had returned. “I was thinking that I will be one of the teachers of Tang Soo Do so I can travel, like in [within] Tang Soo Do so I can take some groups to the Worlds,” he replied. Next generation of Tang Soo Do students, start lining up! • To enrol in classes , email gorokatsd@ gmail.com or message Facebook page Goroka Tang Soo Do Club
“Brook was one of the first people in all of PNG to reach black belt level in 2022”
Brook Stegman, 15, of Goroka, training earlier this year for her second degree black belt test (she passed)
the words in multiple languages to learn them thoroughly. From the time the club started to now, one PNG national student has been there the whole time – Brooklyne Stegman. Still only 15 (at the time of press – soon to be 16), earlier this year Brook tested for second degree black belt and was awarded this at our annual Goroka Championships local tournament. This event marked a new milestone not just for her but for the club, too, as she has became a symbol of what people can achieve with hard work and perseverance. It is an empowering story for PNG girls and women. She already stood out as one of the first people in all of PNG to reach black belt level after being awarded this in 2022. She was the only person to test at any black belt
level this year, and she ended the test with a powerful jump spin kick to break a very strong board on the first try while airborne. Many, many students stand out over the last eight years of the Goroka Tang Soo Do Club. People start training for so many different reasons, and everyone has a different journey in their training despite all classes being group practices. I could tell many stories of the group’s successes, challenges, and of individuals who persevered to achieve their goals. My dream to bring someone from the Goroka club to the Worlds started in 2019, and I had four skilled students sign up to attend the 2020 event, but then the COVID-19 global pandemic struck and halted events around the world. I decided to try again
in 2022. It was a last- minute decision, and so only one student had the means to make it happen. However, due to some unforeseen outside complications, we had to cancel that trip too. In 2023 I announced we would try again, and several students expressed interest, but I put up strict stipulations and mandates to follow in order to go. Nicholas was the only person able to fulfil all the requirements. In order to go to the Worlds, Nicholas was required to have perfect training attendance, attend extra practices, and be a student leader at our club. He volunteered in self-defence seminars provided to Goroka businesses as health and wellness initiatives. Now that we are back in PNG and training regularly again, I put Nicholas in charge of
PNG Air flies from Port Moresby to Goroka daily For bookings: Call + 675 7411 2644
VOLUME 40 2024
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