Niketa Wells - International Taekwon-do Federation of New Zealand

REGULARMr Mark Hutton - VII danand students remember every time theyhad the honour of participating in one ofGeneral 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 toflight 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 anyof them, but for me it could not get anybetter than that.I often think of the times I spent withour Founder and find myself still learningso much from the conversations I wasso fortunate to have with him. Theseconversations undoubtedly greatlyinfluence the person I am today, I as we allare will be forever in his debt.What is your most embarrassingTaekwon-Do moment?Oh so many to choose from, however, Ihave to say it is still my very first night inTaekwon-Do.I was 17 and had tried twice before to walkthrough the door to the Bathgate school,however, I was so shy I had literally turnedthe entry door 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 door at whichpoint the entire class stopped to see whatall the commotion was, every person inthe packed do jang staring at me, at thattime it was the worst possible start I couldimagine. I just stood frozen to the spot, theyof 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 often 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 of focusing on goodcommunication & self awareness, thusdoors will open for our students whereverthey go, and conflict will be identified andISSUE TWO, 201231