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Five students from Valley Tae Kwon Do in Ben Lomond have earned new black belt rankings. The students are under Randall Smith’s tutelage and have advanced their practice in the ancient art of Tae Kwon Do.
San Lorenzo Valley residents Chris Highlander, 27, and Jessie Angelini, 29, both earned their third don (degree) black belts after a lifetime of commitment.
Highlander has been active in tae kwon do for 21 years and Angelini for 18 — both since childhood. Highlander won the California state championships in 1995-96 and in 2008 he took third in the national championships.
“This feels really good,” Highlander said. “I have been working toward this since I was six.”
The testing lasted nearly four hours and took place in Park Hall in downtown Ben Lomond. The trial was overseen by Smith, who has been a tae kwon do instructor in the community for more than 30 years and teaches at both Valley Tae Kwon Do and Santa Cruz Family Martial Arts in Santa Cruz.
“Tae kwon do is the teaching of both discipline and respect,” said Angelini. “Fighting without those two things is merely brawling.”
Felton resident Alissa Engel earned her second don black belt at the testing along with Carl Gyllenhammer and Craig Yeomans who earned their first black belts.
The belt ranking system is used as a measure of skill and understanding working toward the coveted “Black Belt”, a culmination of training and performance in the martial arts world.
