As my 10th anniversary as the director of Xtreme Tae Kwon Do approaches, I find myself reflecting on a decade filled with rewards and wonderful opportunities. I came to Wellington unfamiliar with this area that was just beginning to sprout and grow. None of the communities that now line State Road 7 existed back then, and Southern Blvd. had just two lanes of traffic in either direction. I was an unknown in town. It didn’t take long, however, for me to be welcomed into this community and accepted as one of its own.
Over the years, I have been invited to participate in many special community events, from Japan Day at Binks Forest Elementary School, to career days at New Horizons Elementary School, to the yearly kick-athon we hold at the gym to raise money for various organizations in need. It is so fulfilling for me to see my students want to get involved to help others less fortunate.
Ten years after starting out with just a few students, I now run a full program that includes toddlers, teens and adults. Some of my students started with me as little dragons and have progressed to black belts. Some are now in college, one is in the Marines, and many are honor students in middle school and in high school. They help out in class and pass on what they have learned to the next generation of students. We are truly a family and I am so proud of all of them.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my students for allowing me to do what I love to do and the Merrell family for giving me the place to do it in.
I look forward to another wonderful 10 years.
Gustavo Pope-Guerriero
Director, Xtreme Tae Kwon Do
Wellington
