Kees Taekwondo will continue to hold martial arts lessons in Canora for all ages for the 20th year in a row.
Matthew Bodnaryk, head instructor for Tees Taekwondo in Yorkton, has been travelling to Canora to instruct students on taekwondo every Tuesday and Thursday at the Ukrainian Catholic Hall.
“I started in Yorkton, but wanted to take on a more important role in teaching in Canora,” Bodnaryk said.
Though he has been teaching for three years in Canora, Kees Taekwondo has been holding lessons in Canora since 1996, and takes in everyone from brand new students to trained black belts.
Bodnaryk has been impressed with the large following the program has gained in Canora.
“I started teaching with 12 students, and now we have just about 40 students from the age of five up to mid-20s.”
Those who attend practices may also participate in belt tests, or in any number of the five tournaments Kees Taekwondo members attend every year.
Regardless of how many tournaments Canora members compete in, the key messages of the lessons, in Bodnaryk’s opinion, are respect and dedication.
“We want to teach students that hard work and dedication pays off, and that they should be respectful to not just others, but themselves.”
“The students gain self-esteem and confidence,” Bodnaryk added.
According to the Kees Taekwondo website, the programs are designed “to meet children’s wants – fun, challenge, friends – and adults’ needs – fitness, focus, confidence, discipline, learning, leadership – and, of course, fun.”
Bodnaryk is most impressed with all of his students’ dedication to the program.
“When the going gets tough, they don’t give up,” he said.
