Just over a month ago, Tracey Kuhn made a decision.

She wanted to be a part of the Toughman competition, so she approached Scott Zook at the Warsaw YMCA and asked him to be her trainer.

"I had seen the Toughman competitions on TV," said Kuhn, known as the "Blond Bomber" in the ring. "When I lived in West Virginia, it was very big, and then I saw the poster here (at the YMCA) and decided to try it."

Then on January 24-25, Kuhn participated in the Toughman competition in Fort Wayne's War Memorial Coliseum and came home a winner. She placed first out of four boxers, racking up two knockouts after her competitors quit during the matches.

"It is a single-elimination tournament," said Kuhn. "I went to the weigh-in Thursday in Fort Wayne and then started the competition Friday at the Fort Wayne (War) Memorial Coliseum. Then we were paired up by drawings and the competition began. Only four women competed, so I fought once Friday and then in the finals on Saturday."

The Toughman competition is an amateur boxing event. People who participate must have minimal training but cannot have participated in more than five amateur matches in the past five years. The participants suit up in 16 ounce gloves and head gear for the matches.

Kuhn's win in Fort Wayne qualifies her for a spot in the state finals to be held at a later date.

"They'll call me and let me know where I go from here," she said.

However, Kuhn's road to victory was not easy.

"I work out year round here at the YMCA, but when I decided to try the Toughman competition, I hooked up with Scott," said Kuhn.

Then the training began. Kuhn worked with Zook four days a week to prepare for the boxing, and worked with weights as well.

Now Kuhn is just awaiting word from the Toughman organization in regards to her next competition.

Meanwhile she continued to work with Zook, who is a Warsaw native who trained with Young Il Park and started Tigers' Den, a martial arts club at the YMCA that started about 14 months ago. Zook learned Tae Kwan Do from Park, a Grandmaster through the World Tae Kwan Do Federation in Seoul, South Korea, the most recognized federation in the world. In fact, the World Tae Kwan Do Federation is the original federation that designated Tae Kwan Do as a martial art.

"This is as close to the original form as possible," said Zook. "I learned first-generation in Seoul, South Korea, so there is nothing lost in the translation to myself. There is no change in the format from when I learned it."

Zook currently has 10 students, ranging in age from seven to 50, in his class. Members of the Tiger's Den recently traveled to a competition in Elkhart, where they brought home several awards. In the Second Annual Okinawa Buddha Institute Tae Kwan Do Tournament, six Tiger's Den Students competed and placed in the competition. Dylan Campbell, Kari Wildman, Mark Zook and Kent Wildman each earned first-place honors in the event. The team plans to participate in more competitions in the future.

Scott Zook currently teaches classes at the YMCA in seven-week rotations. During a seven-week class, students can expect to develop more flexibility and start to learn basic stances.

For more information about enrolling in a class, contact the YMCA at 269-9622. [[In-content Ad]]