The Karate Kids of Yorktown - Meet the Park's

For the four Park children of Yorktown, taekwondo is more than a family affair. In fact, based on their recent performances at state and national level meets, the kicking quartet, who range in age from five through 11 and train at World Martial Arts gym, have become a familial force to be reckoned with.

(Right) Grand Master Ko
demonstrating his ability
to break hard objects in
1988 video

Calera, the oldest, is a student at Tabb Middle school, and probably the most accomplished right now, having scored her first national title last July at the U.S. National Taekwondo Federation championships in Chicago.

“She was the first to start,” says Johnathon Renner, WMA manager and coach. “It must have been tough for her, being the oldest and having younger brothers following.”

Fortunately, Renner is not alone in the dojo, as four other coaches, and until recently, two interns, are also available at World Martial Arts to oversee each athlete’s progress. All teaching is conducted under the watchful eye of Grand Master Pyong Tuk Ko, himself an eighth degree black belt with over 30 years of teaching experience on the Peninsula. Grand Master Ko, a former president of the Virginia State Taekwondo Association, was honored by then-President George H.W. Bush in 1992 for his work as the tournament director of the 18^th National Championships, which served as the Olympic qualifying match and was held at Hampton Coliseum.

The three young Park men – Edmond, 8, Andrew, 7, and Benjamin, 5 are bunched closer in age, but also perform at a high level. Like their sister, both Edmund and Andrew have earned their black belts, while Benjamin is in probationary status.

Yet the youngest Park sibling is making a lot of noise, having placed third at the Chicago tournament.

“(Benjamin) is probably the youngest guy I’ve ever seen do this. What he can do at that age is unbelievable,” says Renner.

Expanding on the thought, Grand Master Ko added, “You can see the hard work that the students put in. To see the skill and precision that the young people display is admirable.”

Three other World Martial Arts students – Connor Marsell, Kirsten Marsell, and Ben Bashore, also qualified for Nationals.

But there’s more to WMA than the activity which occurs on the mats. One of the staples of the gym is its after school program. Renner feels the program helps the students to prioritize.

“We’re making sure their focus is on self-control. They know that school comes first and this comes after.”

Four vans make their way around York County, stopping at numerous schools to pick up most of the 70 students who participate each day. The afternoon sessions consist of a one-hour class, followed by thirty minutes of mandatory homework and reading.

Other classes offered at World Martial Arts include a variety of options such as hapkido,  weapons training, tai-chi, yoga, personal training for weight management and performance enhancement for elite athletics.

World Martial Arts & Fitness is located at 2115 George Washington Memorial Highway (Rte. 17) in Yorktown, VA (just south of Wal-Mart). For more information, please call the gym at 757-867-5085 or visit their website at www.kostkd.com.