Head of Kootenay Christian Martial Arts School reaches Sixth Dan Black Belt level
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Crescent Valley’s Dean Siminoff joined an elite company after the local martial arts expert tested, and passed, his Sixth Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo.
Siminoff achieved the feat during United States Chung Do Kwan Association (USCDKA) recently in Florida.
“Florida was fantastic,” Siminoff said.
“I tested alongside three other Masters and even though any testing is very intense and hard work there is extreme feeling of accomplishment when it is finished.”
According to World Taekwondo Federation statistics, there are only 130 – 6th Dan in Canada out of 42,831 registered black belts.
GM Brenda Sell and GM Melanie Wyatt of the UCDKA headed the exam.
Siminoff, head of the Kootenay Christian Martial Arts School in Nelson and Crescent Valley, also had an opportunity to compete as the USCDKA held its National Championships.
“There were schools from all over the USA and just a hand full from Canada,” Siminoff explained.
“In this division I competed in continuous free spar and came out with gold,” he added.
This is an exciting time for Siminoff and his KCMA School. The Nelson-based training facility is moving to a new location near the Nelson Airport beside Nelson Home Building Centre.
Siminoff has also been instrumental in founding a local-based Martial Arts For Justice chapter in the area.
“Martial Arts For Justice is a non-profit organization dedicated to uniting “all” martial artists for the cause of justice,” Siminoff said, adding the cause has grown ten-fold since starting out.
More information can be found on Siminoff’s Facebook Page.
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