Fort Wayne TKD

Greatness.

Approximately 15 years ago a teen student of mine, John Nagel, medaled at the AAU Junior Olympics. He was nominated that year for the prestigious National Sullivan Award. College star athletes are always on the yearly list of nominees. John was attending Bishop Dwenger High School. WOWO 1190 am sports and ESPN radio heard about this. John was the first athlete from Fort Wayne EVER nominated. John was invited for a live Saturday morning interview. I was invited to witness this event. During a commercial break the host , Mr. Jim Shevlin looked at me and said “You’re on next.” I wasn’t told anything about this in advance! I said that I wasn’t prepared. Host brushed it off. Then we went live. The first question asked me was “When did you first see greatness in John?”. My spur of the moment honest answer was “I see greatness in everyone that walks in my door. The hardest part of my job is getting everyone to believe me. John believed me “. Moving on. A couple of decades ago Mr. Rod Swann and a close friend attempted to get a Raccoon out of his fireplace chimney. Rod fell off of his house severely injuring his lower spine and hip. Many years later he started training with me. Multiple awards. Rod Gold Medaled at the AAU Indiana State Championships for one. Fast forward to August 25th, 2025. Mr. Swann passes his 4th Degree Black Belt test with flying colors. He had been struggling with some hip pain for several months and worked past it. He finally got diagnosed. Apparently Rod had his hip joint fully disintegrate. Went to bone on bone. Early December he had a hip replacement. Just weeks before he was sparring teenagers and doing jump kicks! He is expected to fully recover and get back to training with me soon. Rod is nearly 60 YEARS OLD! The moral of this story? Like John, I saw greatness in Rod. Rod BELIEVED ME. Be like Rod. Don’t give up no matter what and …..STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM RACCOONS!

Have faith in yourself.

November 8th 2025 Noblesville,In. Grand Master James Crays hosted his 39th annual Taekwondo tournament. Great event. All 10 Fort Wayne Taekwondo competitors pictured placed in the top 3 of their respective divisions. Forms and Olympic Sparring were the main focus. Some placed in the top 3 in both. There were approximately 250 competitors total that attended. We all greatly appreciate the level of quality and hard challenges that Grand Master Crays provides. He has made a huge difference in so many peoples lives. We are grateful.

October 9th 2025. My Bodyguards. I turned 66. I gave them a much deserved birthday party. Pizza, Cupcakes, Starburst and the 3 Stooges. It’s good to be me.

Student update. Former student Thomas started his Tae Kwon Do journey in the summer of 2018 at Cunningham’s Fort Wayne TKD and became a deputy Black Belt in Fall 2021 (pictured before practice on the left). Currently he is a Lance Corporal serving his country in the United States Marine Corps. Pictured on the right after passing a gray belt test in MCMAPS (Marine Corp Martial Arts Program). Good job Thomas and thank you for serving our country!