Champion Taekwon-Do & Fitness

Everybody wants the black belt. Very few people ever tie one on.

Not because they were not capable.

Because the road is long, and the middle of it is quiet.

The white belt part is exciting. The black belt part is the picture everyone remembers. What almost nobody talks about is the years in between. The class you almost skipped. The pattern that would not click. The night your legs were done before class even started.

But that middle is not the obstacle. That middle is the whole point. It is where the discipline gets built, where the confidence stops being something we say and starts being something you own.

We have athletes in the middle of that road right now, and another group with a big one ahead of them next June. Every one of them got there the same way. They kept showing up.

That is the secret. There is not a better one.

Long road. Worth every step. One day at a time.

School doesn't teach focus. It just grades you on it.

Every September a teacher asks your child to sit still, listen the first time, and try again after getting it wrong. Nobody hands them a lesson on how.

That is what happens in the Dojang. Hold your stance when your legs are tired. Look your partner in the eye. Reset after a mistake without falling apart.

So…

When your athlete walks into that classroom next month, they are not starting from scratch. They have been training for it all summer.

Focus is a skill. Skills get built.

Bring them to class this week, we will keep building it.

Most people quit on the last two weeks of summer.

The calendar says the year is winding down. So the training winds down with it. One class missed becomes two. Two becomes September.

Here is what I have watched for eleven years: the athletes who show up in late August are the ones who look different in October. Not because these two weeks are magic. Because they never learned how to coast.

But…

Nobody remembers the classes you almost went to.

Finish what you started. Two more weeks, one day at a time.

See you on the mat this week, Champions.

Yesterday we walked in the Whoop-Up Days Parade.

And we didn't just walk in it. We showed up.

Our float took 3rd place in the Children & Youth category. A ribbon we are proud to hang in the Dojang.

That ribbon belongs to a group of Champions who built something incredible before the parade even started.

Kendra Deobald. Amanda Bonertz. Hadley Bonertz. Ms. Lehbauer. Savannah Deobald. Ms. Pritchard. Gwendolyn Kaufman. Robin Kaufman.

These moms and volunteers train right alongside us at Champion. They spent hours in a shop garage turning an idea into a float we could all be proud of. Then they waited with us in a parking lot for hours before the parade even started.

Here's the thing about community.

It doesn't show up on the mat. It shows up in a garage with pool noodles, hot glue guns, staples, and a vision nobody else could see yet.

But it also shows up in the parents who dropped their kids off to be part of this. And in the students who volunteered their own time to walk the route and represent Champion in front of the whole city.

This is what building strength and building community actually looks like. Not just a tagline. A group of people who show up for each other, again and again.

Thank you to every hand that touched that float. Thank you to every parent who made the morning happen. Thank you to every student who walked with pride.

This is why we love this Dojang.

Champion Taekwon-Do

Last night Pavan Park smelled like burgers and sunshine.

Our Summer BBQ brought out Champion families from every class, every belt level, every corner of our community.

Kids tearing around on a scavenger hunt. Parents catching up by the picnic tables. Athletes lining up for seconds.

This is what Champion is really about.

Big shoutout to our grill masters. Mr. Nakatani, Ryan Lehbauer, Chris Barton and Cam Farrell manned the grills all night, cooking up hot dogs and burgers for our whole Champion family. They volunteered their time so the rest of us could just enjoy the evening.

And a huge thank you to Another Pretty Face for bringing their airbrush artistry out to the BBQ. The line for tattoos barely stopped all night. Absolute hit with our Champions.

That's community.

Champion Taekwon-Do exists because of families like yours. Every single one of you showing up, cheering each other on, building something bigger than a martial arts class.

The Summer BBQ is our small way of saying thank you.

So to every family who came out last night… we see you, and we appreciate you.

Tag a Champion family you saw at the BBQ!

UTTC World Cup. July 4th and 5th.

Athletes from clubs all over the world came together here in Lethbridge. Every one of them worked years to get there. That's worth recognizing before anything else.

A real thank you to Legacy Tae Kwon Do Lethbridge and the UTTC for hosting. Events like this take a club willing to put in the work so the rest of us have somewhere to show up. We see it. We appreciate it.

And thank you to Mr. Nakatani and Ms. Scotland for coaching our team all weekend. Early mornings, long days, eyes never off our athletes.

Our Champion team competed hard, and here's where they landed:
🥇 Holly Lehbauer — Gold, Patterns
🥇 Joyce Stannard — Gold, Patterns
🥇 Charlotte Nakatani — Gold, Patterns
🥇 Paige Hueppelsheuser — Gold, Continuous Sparring
🥈 Frida Orellana — Silver, Patterns & Silver, Point Sparring
🥈 Steven Brown — Silver, Patterns
🥈 Natacha Pimpong — Silver, Continuous Sparring
🥉 Holly Lehbauer — Bronze, Point Sparring
🥉 Charlotte Nakatani — Bronze, Point Sparring
🥉 Paige Hueppelsheuser — Bronze, Point Sparring
🥉 Isabella Pena — Bronze, Point Sparring
🥉 Ryan Lehbauer — Bronze, Point Sparring
🥉 Nathan Bene — Bronze, Patterns

So…

Congratulations to every athlete who stepped on that mat this weekend, whatever club they wore. That takes guts.

Tag a Champion who competed at the World Cup this weekend.

Happy Canada Day, Champions.
Today we get to slow down and just be grateful.
Grateful for a country that lets us build something like this. Grateful for a community that shows up on the mat, day in and day out.
You are the reason Champion is what it is.
See, I sold most of you on kicking and punching. But you stayed for the community. And that community is you.
So today, be with your families. Enjoy the day. Enjoy the country we get to call home.
Then come back ready to keep building something great together.
Happy Canada Day from all of us at Champion. 🇨🇦

June 27th. Black Belt testing at Champion.

You don't just show up and pass a Black Belt test.

You earn it.

Years of showing up. Early mornings. Hard classes. Moments where quitting felt easier.

But…

Our Black Belts didn't quit.

They walked onto that mat and showed exactly what years of real Taekwon-Do training looks like.

Patterns. Power breaking. Sparring. Fitness. All of it.

Not just physical toughness.

Mental toughness.

That's what a Black Belt is. Its not a rank you get. Its a standard you earn. Every single day.

To everyone who tested on June 27th... we're proud of you. This is just the beginning.

👊 Happy Father's Day from Champion Taekwon-Do! 🥋

Today, we had an absolute blast hosting our annual Dads in the Dojang event, and what a morning it was! 🎉

Dads, uncles, and incredible father-figures of all kinds stepped onto the mats alongside their Champions for a fun-filled hour of Taekwon-Do, teamwork, and some seriously great memories. Watching families kick, laugh, and sweat together is exactly what this sport — and this community — is all about. 💙

A huge shoutout and thank you to Mr. Nakatani for leading such an energetic and welcoming class. You set the perfect tone for the morning and made sure every single person in that room had a great time. 🙌

To every dad who showed up, gave it their all, and made their child's Father's Day extra special — thank you. You are what makes our Champion family so amazing. 💪

Wishing all of the incredible fathers in our community a very Happy Father's Day! 🏅🥋

🏅 What a Day at SportFest 2026 — Thank You, Lethbridge!

This past Saturday we had an absolute blast representing Champion Taekwon-Do at SportFest 2026 at the Servus Sports Centre! 🎉

SportFest is all about getting our community moving, exploring new sports, and connecting with the amazing people and organizations that make Lethbridge such a special place to live — and we were so proud to be a part of it. 💙

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by our table, tried something new, asked questions, or just came to say hello — you made the day so much fun for our team! Events like this remind us why we love this community so much.

A big shoutout to the Lethbridge Sport Council for putting on such a well-organized, inclusive, and energetic event. If you missed it this year, keep an eye out — you won't want to miss it next time! 👀

For more info on SportFest and what the Lethbridge Sport Council does for our community: https://lethbridgesportcouncil.ca/events/sportfest/experience-sportfest

We can't wait to do it again! 💪🥋