American Taekwondo & Fitness: Morgan Andersen

On Friday, December 6th, 2013 Morgan Andersen tested and was successfully promoted to 1st Poom black belt. She is now the youngest black belt, and also the first female to achieve this rank from American Taekwondo & Fitness in Eau Claire, WI.

Morgan's exam began with an oral presentation detailing the history of taekwondo, her experiences and achievements in the martial art, and her future goals. Following the presentation, Morgan demonstrated the poomsae of Koryo, Taegeuk Pal Jang, and Taegeuk Oh Jang. Then she endured five rounds of free-sparring against five different black belt opponents. Next was the self-defense portion of the test where she was required to protect herself from a host of black belts acting as assailants. Drawing from her experience from taekwondo, hapkido, and ground fighting Morgan defended herself with multiple strikes, joint locks, throws, and grappling techniques. Board breaking was the final segment of the test. Morgan's first break was a routine she devised that highlights her special abilities that require great flexibility, speed, and muscle control. Over a dozen breaks were included, and most of them involved spinning, jumping, and flying kicks. Demonstrating Morgan's power technique, she broke a cement brick with a heel stomp. The grand finale involved a self-defense and board breaking routine - blindfolded. Without her eyesight, Morgan needed to break free from several grabs and locks and finished with a spinning-heel break.

The panel of examiners for this black belt test were Grand Master Henk Boese, Masters John McCrackin, Mike Fenske, Davin Ohms, and Deverick Ohms. Black belts assisting with the test were Mr. Skye Doering, Jesse Scheuermann, Dan Andersen, Mike McCrackin, and Toby Kinstler.

Morgan Andersen's Martial Arts Timeline: