36 - North Shore News - Wednesday, June 28, 2000

* SPORTS

Sister act features black belts

Jae-kwon-do teaches
children life skilis too

Jan-Christian Sorensen
Contributing Writer

BOYS be warned: this sister act
means business.

You might want to think avice before tug-
ging on their ponytails in the schoolyard.
Lindsay VanLecuwen, 9, and sister Julic, 8,
are two young black belts that are quickly
climbing the tae-kwon-do ranks. Lindsay is a
second level junior black belt and Julie recently
earned her first level junior black belt.
The North Vancouver duo first entered the
dojo when they were only four years old.

Julie’ display the junior black belts
that both girls hava earned.

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method of sclf- defense.

‘Their mother Cheryl decided to get them
involved in the sport after deciding it would be

good for the girls to leam
self-defence. ;

“We wanted to make sure ;

they knew how to defend’
themselves,” said Cheryl.
“They're still young and
hopeiully they'll continuc on
and I would hope that in
their teen years they'll. be

very capable of defending.

themselves against | someone
if they ever had to.”
The girls train three times®

a week at Clarke’s; Family : . aes :
EIGHT-VEAR-O1.D . biack
“strates a jump side kick.

Martial Arts Centre in North
Vancouver.

Darren Clarke, who owns
the studio and teaches’ both
Julie and Lindsay,’ has devel-

oped'a new program geared’. ”

more toward children.
“The older, more -tradi-

tional style. of  tae-kwon-do
was. never intended to be.

‘taught to children,” he said.
. As_a result, Clarke -devel-

coped a style of tae-kwon-do
that. blends the traditional art -.
‘with elements. of ju-jitsu and -

boxing . and: provides for a
. balanced,

“It’s more ‘about the kids

having fun’ and Aeveloping

Road.
Pes

effective.

skills they can use,” “he said. :
“They don’t learn how to.do .

some of the nastier techniques
like how-to. break knees, but

“ there’s still lots of stuff that
- they have to do, and they have

requirements that are compa:
rable for children.”

“Clarke also said the new

blend of traditional and mod<
ern elements now . means
youngsters. no longer have to
wrack their brains to memo-

rize. numbers of. complicated °

movements.

“Kids loved: (the art) but if...
they: didn’t t have the memo- -

rization skills they were out af |
it,” said Clarke. “Come test-
ing time you’d tell them they

had. to memorize all “hese i i

-forms and the kids. would

freak out and you'd icel terri-

ble because you want to “sce... ;
‘them be successful.” .
“We kepr saying There has.

to be a better. way’.”

’ As a result,- Clarke’s now ©
features three separate ! pro-:

grams geared specifically: for
youngsters: a. dragons. pro-
gram for kids age 4-6, a junior
program’ for‘ seven- -to~12-

year-olds and an’. adult pro- .

BRINE DRIVRKE
~COUNTERATIAGK

improvement in the girls’,
‘tude : both :at “home.“and

er. two Me eNoe :
‘They're so dedi

sy Wi
cer, : softball and swimmin,