Achieving a black belt can be tough for anyone at any age, but Parksville’s Gabriela Conn managed just that at age eight.
Conn, who started her training at just three years old at Parksville Taekwondo School, recently achieved her black belt status in Nanaimo. During her testing, Conn successfully broke three target boards in less than seven seconds.
According to Nanaimo TKD instructor Steve Large, students normally come to the martial arts school between ages six and nine and it usually takes about three years to obtain a black belt.
Thanks to her start she got here in Parksville, Conn excelled through the colours on her way to her black belt.
“It’s good to see that she’s stuck with it all this time,” Large said. “She had to make some transitions when she came here from Parksville, because every school is different. She did really well in the transition.”
After earning her first stripe in Parksville, Conn knew she wanted to continue to pursue higher levels.
“I thought it was really cool,” she said. “So I said to myself I’m going to go to the top and I won’t quit.”
- With files from Nanaimo Daily News