Kāpiti Taekwon Do Club member Tom Meyer impresses at grading

Tom Meyer, front, with fellow gradees Kate Taylor and Kevin Naylor.

Kāpiti Coast Taekwon Do Club member Tom Meyer was awarded his second dan black belt recently.

It's an impressive achievement for Meyer, 17, who started at the club when he was 8.

His first dan black belt grading was in late 2018, with his second black belt grading, in which he achieved an A pass, late last year.

Meyer, a student at Kāpiti College, has also been successful at regional and national tournaments and has competed at the international level at a world cup in Sydney.

"I was over the moon," he said about his latest achievement.

"Achieving a second dan black belt wasn't in my main goal for last year.

"I was preparing to train for the world championships team but that got cancelled because of Covid.

"That was supposed to have been in Finland.

"So I switched focus to grading along with a few others from my club.

"I was very happy to get an A pass and to be the most senior person who trains at the club now.

"I have been with the club for 10 years now."

Meyer said the grading included some prerequisite stuff such as attending an umpire's course, gaining five contribution credits, and then the grading itself which was over a weekend [at Wellington East Girls College] and involved two seven-hour days with Taekwon Do masters."

He is looking forward to upcoming tournaments as well as coaching at the club before probably leaving Kāpiti to attend university next year.

Meyer enjoyed Taekwon Do for a variety of reasons.

"Obviously the skills you learn from the discipline, self-control, perseverance, courtesy, and integrity to the physical side of it.

"I love sparring in tournaments.

"And the camaraderie of the club and those I have been training with for several years.

"The club has become a second home really."

He got into the sport after his father suggested it.

"At the time I was playing rugby, swimming and other sports.

"My dad had done martial arts before and had a general idea what it was about.

"So I gave it a go and stuck with it."

The club, led by head instructor Chris Woodhill, a third dan, and co-instructor Sue Woodhill, a second dan, now has nine black belts.

It is a family-orientated club, which has been operating for over 20 years, with students of all ages.

The club, based in the Raumati South Memorial Hall, which meets twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday, has a junior class for new students from age 6 and a senior class for more experienced students/teenagers and adults.