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| Monday, May 21, 2007 Best of the Best Tae Kwon Do Unlimited Scores Big
Tae Kwon Do Unlimited had some competitions this month at the AZ Best of the Best Tournament. Seventeen TKD students competed and 17 students took home a trophy. That included the Fully Loaded Demo Team taking first place and winning $150.
"This was a tough tournament, all our kids who took home a trophy had to work hard for it." said Mrs. Alldredge, administrator of TKD.
AZ Best of the Best was held in Mesa on Saturday, May 12. The tournament was held at Brimhall Jr. High School, and it was host to over 300 competitors in the areas of forms, weapons, sparring, Bonker sparring and Demo Team competition divided by age and belt levels, white through black belts.
"All the students have been competing all year and this has been their best competition yet," said Labarda, head instructor and Demo Team coach.
Team Fully Loaded has been together for about two years, and this was their best performance yet. The money they earned will go towards new team uniforms.
TKD is always improving and making new changes. In June they will be moving to a new location in the Villa Plaza, between the Cove Parkway and Main Street. "We are looking forwarded to the move, and all the new students that will be joining us." Said Mr. Labarda.
The new studio will have many new improvements such as a new building, gym matting, and air conditioning.
Saturday, March 10, 2007 - Tae Kwon Do
TKD Dominates Valley of the Sun
Tae Kwon Do Unlimited dominated its first tournament of the year Feb. 24.
Owned and operated by head instructor Caleb Labarda and Chemin Alldredge, TKD Unlimited has been in the Verde Valley for the past 10 years.
Valley of the Sun Nationals were in Mesa. TKD had 21 students compete, all placing first-third. The tournament was held at Skyline High School in Mesa, and it was host to over 200 competitors in the areas of forms, weapons, and sparring, divided by age and belt levels, white through black belts.
"Mr. Labarda and Mrs. Alldredge, are so supportive of each and every student, they were by every students side when it was time to compete, coaching and cheering them on," said one parent of a Black Belt and a Lil'Dragon.
All of the students took private lessons and practice all the time.
"I am so proud of all our students. They trained hard and in the end they were rewarded, and this is only the beginning," said Labarda.
Labarda is a third-degree black belt and national champion. He loves teaching and watching the students learn and grow in the martial arts.
"We are a team. The students support and cheer each other. That's what we are all about; we teach our students to have respect for others, confidence in themselves, discipline and motivation to peruse their goals," said Alldredge, administrator and owner of TKD. "We have a strong team of students and parents."
Competition results were as follows:
Trent Barteau LD Green Belt Forms 3rd Sparring 2nd
Kenneth Beech Gold Belt Sparring-2nd in the Intermediate Division
Maddie Bejarano-LD Gold Belt Forms- 2nd Sparring-3rd
Jared Browning Gold Belt Forms- 4th Sparring 3rd
Braiden Campbell-Brown Belt Forms-3rd Weapons 1st Sparring-2nd
Kyle Capawanna-Gold Belt Forms Finalist Sparring-Finalist
Chris Conover LD Gold Belt Forms 2nd
Chuck Conover Black Belt Forms 2nd Sparring-2nd
Kirsten Conover-Red Belt Forms- 1st Weapons-1st
Gavin Furry-Purple Form-1st Sparring-3rd
Thekla Hutyra-Cellar Forms-1st Weapons-2nd
Kiara Jaraczewski Green Belt Forms-1st Sparring-3rd
Kaitlynn Lewis Red Belt Forms-1st Sparring-3rd
Tyler Lewis-Orange Belt Forms-1st
Marcus Luna Orange Belt Sparring-2nd
Brad Meyer-Purple Belt Forms-3rd Sparring-2nd
Micha Navarez Forms-1st Sparring-2nd
Sarah Ortiz Red Belt Forms-3rd Sparring-2nd
Garrison Skornik-Gold Belt Forms-2nd Sparring-1st
Elijah Smyth-Gold Belt Weapons 1st Sparring-4th
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Karate: It is a family affair By JON HUTCHINSON, Staff Reporter Caleb Labarda loves teaching martial arts
Many of the stories you read here focus on individuals, but after talking with Caleb Labarda, you realize teaching tae kwon do is a family affair in his studio.
Like many young boys, Caleb Labarda was drawn to karate by the movies. He began attending Eric Mendoza's karate studio when the Karate Unlimited was located in a tiny strip mall that included the popular Waffles and More in Cottonwood. Walgreens was built in place of that mall. The karate studio moved to South Mingus Avenue near the airport.
Thirteen years later Caleb is a third-degree black belt instructor at age 21, teaching children as young as he once was. The studio, now called "TKD Unlimited" on Mingus Avenue, is probably the oldest studio n Cottonwood. A hundred students attend, and the school continues to grow.
"I never had any doubt" about teaching karate, Caleb will tell you when you ask him about his ambitions as a kid.
His father Charlie acquired the studio and became a teacher because of his son's interest. Charlie is a now a second-degree black belt. He turned the studio over to Caleb and his sister eight months ago, but he continues to teach intermediate and adult classes.
His sister Chemin, now married, is a first-degree black belt. She anchors the front desk with a big smile and also teaches cardio kickboxing classes to adults. Their mom attends one of those classes.
Chemin says since she was 14 years old she always wanted to be the woman behind the counter. "I love this job."
Of Caleb, Chemin says, "the kids really enjoy him. Caleb is their role model. They want to be just like him and not let him down."
Parents really appreciate him as well. They will often thank him. "One student got pink slips from school for a week straight. His mother came to me and said 'You have to help, he won't listen to me,'" Caleb says.
"I told the student I would take away his belt. He got no more pink slips.
"Their belt is very important to them," Caleb says. They have worked hard for it.
The studio teaches the jhoon rhee form of tae kwon do, often called the American form. The Korean practitioner came to America in 1956 to study and created the form now widely used in the United States. Caleb explains that the stance is more upright, not crouched.
The practice is very "family oriented." Three important words: Honesty, Respect, Friendliness are mounted on the office wall.
Caleb says karate "builds confidence and teamwork, keeping attitudes positive. We teach students to be asset to society, not a detriment."
They also teach students to be positive in everything they do. "They don't say: 'I can't'. They say, 'I will try sir." Those skills work well in school and family life.
Caleb teaches that "fighting is the last option." Charlie admits that teenagers have the most difficulty with that tenant and will sometimes show off their skills in school.
But there are students who have needed the talents they learned from the Labardas.
"One mom, who is now a writer for the Walt Disney company in California, used her skills to defend herself when she was attacked at an ATM," he says.
"We encourage parents to come and watch their children. It then becomes part of what the kid is learning. Kids perform differently with their parents around. We find there are a lot of children of single parents, mostly single moms, and children who live with their grandparents.
"Divorced parents come. The studio often brings them together with their kids. It is a foundation for what they have got."
Some entire families have gotten their belts at the studio. Among one family, every member has his or her own black belt.
They have trained over 40 black belts in the studio. Fifteen black belts continue to attend. They receive their belts in Washington, where they go every year. "To test, to update the curriculum and to look over forms." Black belt students are expected to assist with teaching younger students.
Students are also encouraged to participate in other sports in the community as well.
Tae kwon do, explains Caleb, is "hands and feet." Students come onto the sparring area clothed in protective gear.
"I love teaching children," he says.
Children start out at 4 or 5 years old as Little Dragons. Caleb smiles, admitting they have little patience at that age and are only good for about 10 minutes at a time. "Once they get their gold belt, then they stick with it."
"Standing in position" is the hardest skill. "It is easy for them to be loud. I let them be loud"
For the older kids, the most difficult task is memorizing.
He believes the training goes far beyond mere physical skills and self defense.
"They are all life skills they can use throughout life. Without realizing it, they learn respect."
"By the time they get their green or purple belts they need to look sharp."
Yes, he does have some disappointments. "It is a disappointment when students move. We become very attached to them. It is a personal relationship that develops."
"We do things together outside of class time as well. Every year we go snowboarding. But I always keep friendship and being an instructor separate."
One former student died while hiking in Sedona. "The entire studio came together and helped the family. That was our biggest tragedy."
Students of the studio get a chance to test their skills in competition. TKD Unlimited travels to Phoenix to compete with other schools, or they come to Cottonwood to compete.
One team took first place in Washington last year. "Team Fully Loaded" is a high performance demonstration team. The team combine tumbling and "tricking" with karate movements. The team is fast, accurate and impressive.
Caleb returns to his students, where they are taking jabs and kicks at each other as he calls the shots.
"It is exciting to see kids grow," Chemin says. "You start with a Little Dragon at three years old, and suddenly they are in the military." | |
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