The location has changed, but the world-class instruction will remain the same for Velocity Taekwondo, which moved from Tukwila to Kent earlier this month.
“We needed a bigger facility and, obviously, this one is a little nicer, too,” said Dave Pelham, who co-owns the facility at 18814 172nd Ave. with his daughter, Danielle. “This also puts us in a better area to attract students. We just felt like it puts us in a good position. There aren’t a lot of taekwondo schools in the area.”
The calling card of Velocity Taekwondo is it’s top-notch teachers, specifically Danielle Pelham, Jon Marc Cortez, Christian Valencia and Nicole Vancleave. Cortez is one of the top athletes in the nation and has qualified for two world championship team trials. Valencia, who was part of the 2008 collegiate national team, is a second-degree black belt as is Vancleave.
Meanwhile, Danielle Pelham, who is the other co-owner, is the current World Champion in the female bantam weight division. She is only the fourth woman in the nation to ever win a world championship in taekwondo and has been a member of 12 national teams.
Danielle Pelham, who commutes from Everett to run the Kent-based facility, is taking aim at making the 2012 Olympics in London.
“I’ve always wanted to make the Olympics and this is my year to do it,” said the 25 year old Pelham, who was named the Everett Herald’s 2009 Woman of the Year.
Velocity Taekwondo will be hosting an open house from Friday through Sunday (Aug. 20-22) at its Kent location. The open house will run from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on Friday; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. The main event of the open house will be Saturday’s “Velocity Brawl,” which will draw competitors from other taekwondo schools from around the area.
“People can come in and take a look at the new facility,” Dave Pelham said. “On Saturday, they can see what we do competition wise. And they also will be able to get their pictures take with Danielle and the other athletes who are or were on past national teams.”
For more information on Velocity Taekwondo, go online to www.velocitytkd.com.
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