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Lake Dallas Elementary student wins Two Taekwondo World Champion Titles

Brandon Engel, Traditional Forms and Weapons World Titles

By Cindy Engel

Published: Thursday, July 5, 2012 5:41 PM CDT

Brandon Engel is no stranger to competition; he has been competing in sports since the age of 4….so going on to win 2 World Titles was just achieving two of the many goals he had set out for himself years earlier after winning his first taekwondo tournament back in 2007 at the age of five. Brandon won his 2 World Titles in the Traditional Forms and Traditional Weapons Division.

Brandon, now ten, has been training with the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) for the last 3-1/2 years, earning his black belt in May 2010. As a black belt student, he was able to start earning his way to the World’s Top Ten competition in Little Rock AR, which culminate after a year of competing in select tournaments throughout the season. Fellow martial artists compete for overall points in various events, with only the “Top Ten” competitors allowed to compete at World’s Top Ten. These top ten competitors come from ATA in the USA, Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) from South America, and World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) from Canada, England, Portugal, Germany, South Africa, Japan and Sweden.

This season Brandon competed in 19 regional and national events winning 18 Traditional Form events and 10 Traditional Weapon events coming into the Top Ten Competition ranked second in both events, thus allowing him to compete in the ATA Top Ten Competition in Little Rock AR, home of ATA Headquarters. Brandon competes in the Boys 9-11 age category, one of the toughest rings in all the divisions. “That is one of the toughest rings to be in. The forms and weapons and sparring you see are amazing and the level of competition is so much higher,” Brandon said.

Besides Taekwondo, ATA teaches its students Life Skills along with every martial arts lesson. When Brandon’s not working on a kick or a block, he is learning all about goal-setting, leadership, discipline, self-control, and perseverance. Brandon must have been paying special attention to the perseverance lesson. Just weeks before the “Tournament of the Year” on June 4th, Brandon was in a freak bicycling accident, an accident that almost derailed his hopes of even competing, much less winning the prestigious event. Brandon impaled his upper left thigh when the hand brake broke, requiring internal and external stitches to close the wound. Weeks before the competition, while other competitors were training to peak performances, Brandon was moving around on crutches and lying on the couch! The tension was high in the Engel household, but Mom kept a positive attitude and Dad focused on healing the wound and some light physical therapy.

Brandon, along with his dad, Kevin, and sister, Erin, train together at the Lewisville ATA school on Main Street under Master Eric Pechacek, owner, and Mr. Cody Coleman, head instructor. Much of Brandon’s success goes to these two instructors, both World Champions themselves. Not all instructors have the knowledge or willingness to provide training. Brandon can draw on their expertise and excel with their willingness to help him achieve his goal.

"In my 21 years in Martial Arts, I've seen many forms of determination in my students, but none that compare to the tenacity I see in Brandon,” Pechacek said.

Brandon not only has a high standard for his martial art training but also for his academic training, maintaining an average 95 overall. He is a self-driven leader and high achiever. Mr. Oliver Jones, Lake Dallas Elementary fourth grade teacher, was instrumental in taking extra effort to make sure Brandon had all his lesson plans for the days Brandon was out of the classroom.

“Brandon is a focused and determined young man. Once a goal is met another needs to be set. I am sure Brandon will be setting and aiming toward new goals,” Kevin said.

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