Ellixson's Tae Kwon Do Academy Hosts Battle of Boyertown--Martial Arts Championships

By Amy Muzopappa

The competition was fierce last month, as martial artist master Donnie Ellixson hosted the first annual Battle of Boyertown. The event, held June 11th at Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy in Boyertown, brought together more than 150 participants from the across the Mid-Atlantic region. The tournament was designed to offer something for everyone and drew students from ages 5 to 82, at all levels of competition.

Students competed in Forms Divisions and Weapons Divisions which are pre-arranged routines of martial arts skill. These "floor routines" are judged on speed, power, skill, balance, confidence and showmanship.

Some students also competed in Creative/Extreme Forms and Creative/Extreme Weapons Divisions, where students are combining martial arts with jump kicks, spin kicks and gymnastics. In addition, there were board breaking divisions and team events. Competitors were judged on focus, skill and level of difficulty.

Donnie Ellixson helps Dylan Swenk prepare for Sparring match

Promoter & Head Instructor of Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy, Master Donnie Ellixson, had this to say: “I am so excited to bring martial arts competition back to the Boyertown Area! As I have a passion for teaching martial arts, so do I have a passion for promoting competitions.”

In his past, Ellixson has traveled the country, heavily working on the tournament circuit, as a judge, coordinator, promoter and arbitrator. From 1996-2003, he hosted one of the top 15 national tournaments in the country. Now, twenty years later, he’s at it again and very excited to bring together and show off the top martial arts talent on the East Coast to "our little town of Boyertown.”

SCHOOLS ATTENDED

Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy, Boyertown, PA

John Chung Tae Kwon Do, Leesburg, VA

Destolfo’s Premier Martial Arts, Conshohocken, PA

Master Pagano’s Red Dragon Martial Arts, Glen Mills, PA

Vizzio’s Institute of Martial Arts, Fairfield, NJ

Garth Perkins Academy, Hyde Park, NY

Bourelly O.N.E., Sewell, NJ

Dragon Law Tae Kwon Do, Royersford, PA

Washington’s Martial Arts Training Center, Reading, PA

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do, Arlington, VA

Results:

Battle of Boyertown Grand Champions

Junior Black Belt Weapons Grand Champion -Adrielle Santiago

Junior Black Belt Forms Grand Champion -Charlie Ellixson

Charlie and Piper Ellixson won their division in team weapons

Junior Underbelt Weapons Grand Champion -Edmund Benca

Junior Underbelt Forms Grand Champion -Michael McCloud

Ellixson's TKD Student Michael McCloud performs his Tae Kwon Do Routine, goes on to win Grand Champion in the division.

Adult Black Belt Weapons Grand Champion -Dylan Swenk

Adult Black Belt Forms Grand Champion -Axel Gonzalez-Kim Jr.

Axel Kim Gonzalez, Jr wins Grand Champion Award in his Division and Master Donnie Ellixson.

Adult Underbelt Weapons Grand Champion -Sofia Chudnovskiy

Adult Underbelt Forms Grand Champion -Sofia Chudnovskiy

As part of this event, Master Joe Pagano(Master Pagano’s Red Dragon Martial Arts) was given the Hall of Fame Award, by Master Donnie Ellixson. “I’ve had the pleasure of having my team compete against Master Pagano’s Team over the last 20 years. You can tell a lot about an instructor by how loyal and dedicated their students are and how much they are loved and respected by their students and Master Pagano has that,” says Ellixson. “It was my honor to recognize him at the event in front of his students.”

Master Joe Pagano received the Hall of Fame Award from Master Donnie Ellixson

The tournament concluded with a Super Fight between Dylan "The Real Deal" Swenk (Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy) and Braden "The Bomber" Shackelford (Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do.) This impressive feat of martial arts skill and stamina and intensity of the fight left the audience holding their breath, as punches and kicks flew with a very close scoring throughout the 3-round sparring match. Ultimately, Shackleford took the win over Swenk, 15-14.

Ellixson’s enthusiasm for competition is infectious, as he offers, “keep your eyes and ears open for more to come.”

About Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy

Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do was founded in 1994, by Donnie Ellixson, Jr. Mr. Ellixson is a world-renowned martial arts expert who has won many awards and competitions. He has been named in the Who’s Who in the Martial Arts Hall of Honors, Chuck Norris Edition (2020) and has been inducted into both the Amerikick International Hall of Fame (2012) and the Pennsylvania Karate Hall of Fame (2019.)

Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy has a foundation deeply rooted in the 5 Tenets of Tae Kwon Do: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit. In 29 years of serving the Community, over 4,000 students have benefited from the training they offer.

Contact:

Donnie Ellixson Jr., Owner & Chief Instructor, Ellixson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy

Cell: 215-512-7488

dellixsonjr@msn.com

All photos courtesy of Amy Muzopappa, Muzo Media Productions.

Instructor Tom Rutter(back) with students L-R: Ava Moorhouse, Jasmine Miller, Anastasia Muzopappa

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