Members of the Parksville Taekwondo School got quite the training camp this past weekend as Master Dan Thornton, Canadian Junior National Taekwondo coach, gave out pointers.
Thornton, who runs a taekwondo studio in Surrey, brought his years of experience to Parksville for their second annual Olympic Taekwondo training seminar, which allows students from across the Island to gain experience and knowledge from an elite master.
“We’re very fortunate to have him here,” Master Brett Fee of Parksville Taekwondo School said. “This is the second time we’ve held this seminar and our hope is that we’ll be able to hold one seminar for every season going forward.”
“We’ve already been looking into the next one early in the New Year, so we’re pretty excited about that. Giving our students, as well as others on Vancouver Island, the chance to come here and learn from someone with so much experience and knowledge is such a great thing.”
“It can help them realize what it takes to get to that next level, if they choose to do so,” Fee said. “And it can give them some insight into some of the training that goes on and things that they can apply for themselves when it comes to taekwondo. It’s very informative and very hands on, so it’s a great experience all around.”
Having the opportunity to welcome someone like Thornton to their school is a big deal, with his national team connection and experience, including spending more than ten years training in Korea’s most elite university and high school programs.
“My brother, Dustin, has known him for years,” Fee said. “So it’s really through his connection that we’re able to make this happen.”
“Having Master Thornton here for the weekend — though it’s just a short amount of time — allows us to expand our little family that much more. He’s told our students that if they ever find themselves over on the mainland to come on by his studio in Surrey, which we’ve actually had a few students take advantage of.”
“Making these kind of connections is important for the taekwondo community. It allows you to expand not only your network but to give students a chance to broaden their horizons as well when it comes to learning. It’s all about developing your students and doing it from the ground up and having something like this, it gives you that chance to do it.”
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the training seminar, taking place just ahead of the B.C. Masters tournament. There will be a dozen members representing the Parksville school on the mainland, many of whom picked up a thing or two this past weekend.
“It’s great timing,” Fee said. “That was a great way to get members even more interested, the fact that they could take what they’ve learned here and apply it to the tournament that’s coming up on the Mainland. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve learned and what they can apply for themselves.”
