JASPER – A local martial artist will be teaching taekwondo at the Jasper Activity Centre this fall where students can throw kicks and have fun.
Dez-Rohan Godfrey, a black belt who teaches at Folding Mountain Taekwondo in Hinton, has been thinking about bringing this martial art to Jasper since 2017, agreeing that it had been a long-time coming.
“That was the aim, to take it to Jasper here, to have a class in Jasper, so that’s why I’ve been working, tirelessly training,” he said.
Godfrey has thrown himself into training over the last few years and has won gold at tournaments both in Canada and abroad. He has been studying the traditional Korean taekwondo martial art in order to bring it to Jasper and plans to mix it with futuristic taekwondo.
“I’ve been training a lot, studying a lot, putting myself out here into competition to show people that, yes, I’m worthy, I’m worth it and I can do it,” Godfrey said.
The Jasper school will be called Ultimate Taekwondo Academy and serve as a sister school to Folding Mountain Taekwondo. Taekwondo will be offered from September 2025 to May 2026 with belt promotions during this time.
Godfrey described how Master William McLaughlin has been helping him set up the new school. They had been planning to launch last fall and had around 60 people signed up, but the wildfire delayed this for another year.
Being a resident of Jasper, Godfrey noted he will have a much easier time making class as opposed to having to drive an hour to Hinton. He is currently just waiting on the insurance from the Alberta Taekwondo Association.
These classes will be for all skill levels and split into two age groups: four to nine and 10 and over. There will be four classes per week, two on Monday and two on Wednesday, but Godrey said they may consider adding more classes if there is enough interest. He also hoped to set up an MMA gym someday, should everything go as planned.
Classes will start off with basic exercises and simple stretches before getting into poomsae, pre-arranged patterns of techniques used to simulate combat situations, and will ultimately teach self-defence and include sparring.
“Taekwondo is mostly based on kicks, so we’re going to focus ourselves on doing kicks and so forth,” Godfrey said. “We’re just going to make it fun for everyone in the community to come out and see what it’s like.”
Godrey added how students would get physical exercise, the chance to meet new people and learn new skills.
“Honestly, I just want everybody to come out and support it, and we’re going to have some fun, and I’m looking forward to working with the community,” he said.
The Ultimate Taekwondo Academy is expected to start on Sept. 3, with classes from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Those interested can send an email.
