The Daily News

Now celebrating 25 years of teaching martial arts to the young and old, Greenquist Academy in Breckenridge featured some of its star students Thursday at the Wilkin County Fair.

Although summertime is notorious for low participation, Grand Master Eric Greenquist spoke highly of the 30 attendees who performed off the cuff. Traditional Taekwondo skills and a method called Hapkido, or street and battlefield self-defense, were portrayed by all ages, ranging from a 4 1/2 year-old to folks in their 50s.

"This is something that they're training for all of the time," said Greenquist. "Performing in front of people is part of the martial arts."

Jesse Johnson, left, and Natalie Mojica perform their skills in front of the earthen stage at Welles Memorial Park in Breckenridge Thursday during the 119th Wilkin County Fair. The demonstration was part of a bigger Tae Kwon Do exhibition by the Greenquist Martial Arts Academy of Breckenridge. photo by Scott Sorum • Daily News Advertisement

With 25 schools spread across four states, the martial arts academy has helped hundreds of students develop a confidence that parents call amazing. Greenquist recalled a female student of his who had advanced the ranks of Taekwondo and used those skills recently to save her own life.

Prior to the Fourth of July, the 26-year-old female was attacked on the East Coast by four young men who knocked her off her bike and drug her into the brush in an effort to "beat, rape or kill her," said Greenquist.

"She's small, she's thin, and they had her pinned down onto the ground in the bushes, away from other people," he said. "She used her Taekwondo skills and fought back. They think she broke one of the guy's noses."

The student freed herself from their grip and fled to safety. Last week, her mother called Greenquist.

"She called me just trembling, and said,'I want to thank you for Megan's martial arts training...because it probably saved her life,'" he said. "That's as real as you can get. She wasn't thinking about any technique, she just reacted and did everything she could."

Martial arts teaches people both the practical safety of self-defense and an overall sense of personal development. Greenquist said his students learn to acquire a positive mental attitude and reach to attain goals.

"That's what it's about," he said. "They get their first belt, then the next and gradually that bleeds over into their school work and lifetime skills."

Although some students arrive to the gym armed with attention deficit disorder and plenty of other challenges, they really gain a chance to personally develop, he said.

"And they have fun doing all of the kicking and punching," he said. "They're a lot more focused."

Greenquist has been training in Taekwondo since 1973 and studied martial arts at the former North Dakota State School of Science. His wife and daughter rank as 5th and 4th degree masters, respectively.

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