October 3, 2018
Minority & Small Business Week
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Page 15
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East County
Beaverton
Excelling in the Martial Arts
Portland martial arts students Olivia Edwards-El (left), Gracie Edwards-El, and Angelie Fitz-Cortez participate in competition.
Participants build on
discipline and spirit
Northeast Boys and Girls Club members
are excelling in the martial arts. Congrat-
ulations to seven students from northeast
Portland who recently took home trophies
at the 2018 Moo Duk Kwan Champion-
ships in Lake Oswego.
Among the winners were Jeremiah
Childs (red belt), who won second place
for sparring and third place for forms; Yes-
tin Norman (green belt), who won third
place in sparring; and Andrew Esperanza
(orange belt), who took first place win for
sparring.
Red belts Malcolm Bunyoli, Olivia Ed-
wards-El, Gracie Edwards-El, and Angelie
Fitz-Cortez, who also train out of the Soo
Bahk Do program at Blazers Boys and
Girls Club, also participated.
Boys and Girls Club martial artists’ in-
structor Sa Bom Chuck Smith, who is a
6th degree black belt, lauded his students’
efforts.
“Everyone did a great job and demon-
strated excellent discipline and spirit,” he
said.
Soo Bahk Do is a traditional martial art
originating in Korea many centuries ago.
It is noted for its explosive kicking tech-
niques and dynamic hand strikes. Harmo-
ny of body, mind, and spirit is also em-
phasized. The program seeks not only to
prepare students for physical defense, but
to build character in a safe, non-contact en-
vironment, according to Smith, who has 28
years of experience in the sport.
Portland Soo Bahk Do is hosted at the
Blazers Boys and Girls Club on 5250 NE
MLK Jr. Blvd. Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. There is no charge
for students who are club members.