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agriculture & industry • community • faith & charities Education • down through the years • family & home business & health • life • neighbors • people A PUBLICATION OF THE ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE • FEBRUARY 2014
How they get their kicks …
I started taekwondo because it sounded like fun.
Northland Karate owners share why they enjoy martial arts Story and photos by Micah Bader micah.bader@albertleatribune.com
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aekwondo is alive and kicking in Albert Lea. Northland Karate owner Dana Nelson set up a dojang in 1996 on the third floor of the building at 206 S. Broadway to share his love for the sport. Punching and kicking are involved in taekwondo, but Nelson said that only scratches the surface. “It’s a lifestyle,” he said.
“It’s something that’s healthy, and it’s a total body thing. It helps with focus and flexibility.” Classes at Northland Karate utilize an American version of taekwondo with 50 percent punching and 50 percent kicking. Nelson said he opted to use the word karate in the business name because it is more recognizable than taekwondo. “Sometimes it’s best to
use a shorter word that everybody knows,” he said. Nelson, a six-dan black belt, started his journey with the sport when he was 21 years old. He’s a proud member of the Albert Lea community. “I graduated from high school here, and I was baptized and confirmed here,” he said. “The roots run deep.” 4Kicks, Page 7
I like doing the Chon-Ji exercises.
Braden Heavner
I’ve been doing this since 2000, and my son, Andrew, has been coming for the last two years.
It’s been two years since I started. My favorite part is doing forms.
Madilynn Howe
Xander Haugen
Andrew Phillips
Aaron Phillips