2008 Woodie Awards
Martial arts club re-opened, ready for kicks
Kris Singhaviroj
Issue date: 12/8/05 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Reopening this semester, the Martial Arts Club has once again become available to students who are interested in any kind of martial arts.
Jose Villafuerte, a junior from Ruminahui, Ecuador, has reopened the Martial Arts Club, hoping to give it a better future than previous chapters.
"(When) I came here I had the illusion to continue with this tradition but I found that the club of martial arts of Sacred Heart University had closed its doors, so I decided to search for information of the old club and I found that Robert Novotny was the advisor," Villafuerte said.
"I talked to (Professor Novotny) and I gave the idea of starting the club again with the desire of representing the university in futures tournaments," Villafuerte said.
The Martial Arts Club started in the late nineties. Students had been running the club when Novotny approached the organization, asking if he could help.
"I happened upon it by chance and since I hadn't been practicing martial arts for a while [I] thought it was a great opportunity to get back into it. So I got in touch with the person who was running it and asked if they needed a faculty advisor," Novotny said.
With the club starting out with an enthusiastic new member, Villafuerte is encouraging students with martial arts experience of any kind, or students with the desire to learn, to join the reopened club.
"The requirements to join the club are [that you] must be a student.," Villafuerte said.
"Everybody's welcome, every level of experience, even beginners. However, we also need as many highly ranked practitioners as possible, because people are instrumental in keeping the club running," Novotny said.
Villafuerte's background experience and enthusiasm shows his passion of reopening the Martial Arts Club and trying to make it a better club than before.
"I have practiced martial arts for 14 years. I have a black belt, first dan in Tae kwon do," Villafuerte said. "Nowadays, I'm practicing Tae kwon do by myself and I just began with another martial art which is Aikido, and I have a green belt in this art."
Novotny also has a black belt in Tae kwon do.
With this re-opening of the Martial Arts Club, Villafuerte has the experience to teach new recruits who are interested and have the desire to learn.
"I used to have a club of martial arts in Ecuador where I was the director and also the instructor. I have experience teaching children and adults, and the best memory that I have of working with them was that in the short time that we practiced, we won different tournaments in Ruminahu," Villafuerte said.
Anyone with any kind of experience in martial arts, or with the desire to learn martial arts, is encouraged to join the newly reopened Martial Arts Club.
Jose Villafuerte, a junior from Ruminahui, Ecuador, has reopened the Martial Arts Club, hoping to give it a better future than previous chapters.
"(When) I came here I had the illusion to continue with this tradition but I found that the club of martial arts of Sacred Heart University had closed its doors, so I decided to search for information of the old club and I found that Robert Novotny was the advisor," Villafuerte said.
"I talked to (Professor Novotny) and I gave the idea of starting the club again with the desire of representing the university in futures tournaments," Villafuerte said.
The Martial Arts Club started in the late nineties. Students had been running the club when Novotny approached the organization, asking if he could help.
"I happened upon it by chance and since I hadn't been practicing martial arts for a while [I] thought it was a great opportunity to get back into it. So I got in touch with the person who was running it and asked if they needed a faculty advisor," Novotny said.
With the club starting out with an enthusiastic new member, Villafuerte is encouraging students with martial arts experience of any kind, or students with the desire to learn, to join the reopened club.
"The requirements to join the club are [that you] must be a student.," Villafuerte said.
"Everybody's welcome, every level of experience, even beginners. However, we also need as many highly ranked practitioners as possible, because people are instrumental in keeping the club running," Novotny said.
Villafuerte's background experience and enthusiasm shows his passion of reopening the Martial Arts Club and trying to make it a better club than before.
"I have practiced martial arts for 14 years. I have a black belt, first dan in Tae kwon do," Villafuerte said. "Nowadays, I'm practicing Tae kwon do by myself and I just began with another martial art which is Aikido, and I have a green belt in this art."
Novotny also has a black belt in Tae kwon do.
With this re-opening of the Martial Arts Club, Villafuerte has the experience to teach new recruits who are interested and have the desire to learn.
"I used to have a club of martial arts in Ecuador where I was the director and also the instructor. I have experience teaching children and adults, and the best memory that I have of working with them was that in the short time that we practiced, we won different tournaments in Ruminahu," Villafuerte said.
Anyone with any kind of experience in martial arts, or with the desire to learn martial arts, is encouraged to join the newly reopened Martial Arts Club.