Niketa Wells - International Taekwon-do Federation of New Zealand
Niketa Wells - International Taekwon-do Federation of New Zealand
Niketa Wells - International Taekwon-do Federation of New Zealand
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REGULARMr Mark Hutton - VII danand students remember every time theyhad the honour <strong>of</strong> participating in one <strong>of</strong>General Choi’s seminars.We all, no matter how confident, rememberall too well how nervous he made us whenwe were asked to demonstrate, and I willnever forget after several seminars withhim the first time I heard him say “whereis Mark Hutton!”He wanted me to demonstrate stepsparring, then a pattern. I was dumbfoundedthat he remembered my name let alonewished me to demonstrate.Not long after I attended a seminar inDorking England, and I arrived late due t<strong>of</strong>light difficulties and missed the morningsession. As I was registering, the organiserapproached and said “oh Mark Hutton,General Choi has been asking where youare”. Again I was shocked (and very proud).When we lined up for the afternoonsession, the General acknowledged meand came over to shake my hand. Whenthe seminar resumed I was used todemonstrate everything we did and everytime a question was asked The Generalwould say “Mark”, and every time he didwas as great as the first – what an amazingthrill. I was on cloud nine. Of course as weall know many people had this honour, I amnot saying for a moment I was above any<strong>of</strong> them, but for me it could not get anybetter than that.I <strong>of</strong>ten think <strong>of</strong> the times I spent withour Founder and find myself still learningso much from the conversations I wasso fortunate to have with him. Theseconversations un<strong>do</strong>ubtedly greatlyinfluence the person I am today, I as we allare will be forever in his debt.What is your most embarrassing<strong>Taekwon</strong>-Do moment?Oh so many to choose from, however, Ihave to say it is still my very first night in<strong>Taekwon</strong>-Do.I was 17 and had tried twice before to walkthrough the <strong>do</strong>or to the Bathgate school,however, I was so shy I had literally turnedthe entry <strong>do</strong>or handle on two previousoccasions only to stop and go home (atwo hour round trip by bus).On the third attempt I was so frustratedI literally burst through the <strong>do</strong>or at whichpoint the entire class stopped to see whatall the commotion was, every person inthe packed <strong>do</strong> jang staring at me, at thattime it was the worst possible start I couldimagine. I just stood frozen to the spot, they<strong>of</strong> course quickly carried on training andnever gave it a second thought. I on theother hand stood for what seemed like aneternity, I then walked to the seats prayingno one would come near me.It may seem nothing now but sitting thereI wished the world would swallow meup. I will always remember how hard itwas for me to join and <strong>of</strong>ten see theembarrassment in beginners and tell themjust how hard I found it.What are your personal goals forthe future?My future personal goals, like all parents, bethe best Dad I can possibly be, giving mykids the confidence to make mistakes thusensuring they participate in life rather thanspectate as I did for so long.In TKD I have many, however for me thesethree are most important, and I would loveto help in any way.Communication SkillsI believe we need to emphasise to allthe importance <strong>of</strong> focusing on goodcommunication & self awareness, thus<strong>do</strong>ors will open for our students whereverthey go, and conflict will be identified andISSUE TWO, 201231