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Community Corner

Martial Arts Duo Learns Discipline

Brother and sister Michael and Mary Sutton develop their taekwondo skills and their character at the ATA Black Belt Academy in Oakmont.

To say Mary and Michael Sutton get a kick out of martial arts would be an understatement.

The brother and sister, students at St. Irenaeus in Oakmont, take taekwondo classes at the ATA Black Belt Academy on Hulton Road. Both are rising through the ranks at ATA—but for this pair, it's about more than edging out the competition.

Michael is part of the Superior Winning Attitude Team, or SWAT for short. Oakmont ATA instructor, Karyn Graff, said his sister Mary may not be too far behind.

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The SWAT is a leadership program at the ATA Oakmont, Graff said. SWAT students are selected to help with classes.

In those classes, Michael holds pads and boards and helps lower rank students with forms and drills, Graff said.

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He has been a part of SWAT for about nine months and has volunteered about 80 hours of help.

“I like it when I get to do the forms with the other students,” he said.

The eight year old is currently a blue belt. He has been studying taekwondo for more than a year now.

His mother, Mary Sutton, can see how far he’s come.

“He’s learned a lot of discipline and focus,” she said.

Mary just started doing taekwondo in January, Graff said. The fifth grader is already competing in tournaments and placing in them, just like her younger brother. 

Ten years old, she currently is an orange belt.

“You have a lot to fun but you have a lot to learn,” she said. “There are a lot of nice people here, and I can be with people my age doing things that are fun and new.”

Michael and Mary recently competed at the Tournament of Champions — Songham Vision Tour held March 25 and 26 at Murrysville’s Franklin Regional High School. 

A total of 20 students from ATA participated.

Both Michael and Mary placed in the tournament’s competitions. Michael placed second in weapons and third in forms. Mary placed first in forms, second in sparring one-steps and fourth in creative forms.

“Tournaments are really hard and you have to do your best,” Michael said.

The third-grader participated in the weapons competition with a bo staff made at home from a broom handle.

Mary, who formerly took dance lessons, created her routine for the creative forms section with the help of Graff. She performed to the song "Kung Fu Fighting" and competed against others of all ages and ranks.

"She had people who were almost black belts in her ring. These people had been trying for two years," Graff said. "It's not bad (receiving fourth place in creative forms) given her amount of training.”

Mary is the first of ATA Oakmont’s students to compete in creative forms, Graff said.

While competing is exciting for the siblings, their mother suggested another reason they keep coming back.

“I’m proud of everything they’ve done down here,” she said. “And I don’t think we’d spend so much time down here if it wasn’t so much fun.”

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