Taekwondo sparked the interest of Dallas Wagemann several years ago, when he watched his younger brother practice and compete at tournaments.
But Wagemann says it was a movie and martial arts star from the 1970s that nudged him to give it a try.
“It was probably because of all the martial arts movies I was watching,” said Wagemann, now a 16-year-old Fargo North junior. “There had been a few of them. But it was mostly Bruce Lee. Mainly, ‘Enter the Dragon.’ ”
Wagemann, an offensive and defensive lineman on the Spartans’ football team, is the first North Dakotan to earn a spot on the AAU United States National Taekwondo Team. He will represent the U.S. in international competition this spring.
Wagemann’s tournament schedule has not been finalized, but he will likely travel to Germany or The Netherlands, Northwest Martial Arts Academy instructor Roy Gilbertson said.
“It’s huge,” said Gilbertson, who has instructed Wagemann for the last eight years. “He’s a really modest kid and very laid back. But he has progressed immensely. He’s big and he’s super fast for his size. That’s his biggest asset. This is just a stepping stone for him.”
Wagemann has come a long way from a chubby kid who picked up the sport because of the movies.
He’s now 6-foot-1, 200 pounds with unlimited taekwondo potential.
Wagemann insists he’s just having fun.
However, Gilbertson sees big things in Wagemann’s future.
“If he wants it, he’ll make it (to the Olympics),” he said.
Wagemann said he earned his black belt in three years.
Next year will be his final year competing at the junior level. After that, he’ll have an opportunity to work his way onto the senior team. Gilbertson said the senior team is a feeder system for the U.S. Olympic Team.
Wagemann would be eligible for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
“Dallas is a hard worker,” North football teammate Dan Aberle said. “Whenever he sets his mind to something he seems to achieve it. He’s one of the toughest kids I know.”
Wagemann said taekwondo helps keep him in shape during the football offseason and helps his footwork.
He missed seven practices and the Spartans’ first two games this season when he was competing at the AAU Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
But he’s getting back into the swing of things on the gridiron. Wagemann is starting to see significant time on North’s offensive line.
“He’s learning discipline, he’s learning how to be an athlete and he’s learning how to control his body (in taekwondo),” said North football coach Kelly Kalina, whose team travels to Jamestown on Friday. “And he’s probably bettering himself as a football player, too.”
By: Heath Hotzler
http://www.inforum.com/
Strike force: Fargo North football player makes North Dakota history in taekwondo
