Big Things Do Come In Small Packages

You'd never expect Spencer Sang would be able to make such an impact. He's 8 years old, stands 4 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds, and he's relatively quiet, as 8-year-old boys go.

But the third-grader at District 96's Country Meadows Elementary School has people taking notice. It's all due to his prowess in the Korean martial art of tae kwon do.

Just three years after his parents first registered him for classes at the Buffalo Grove Fitness Center as a beginner, Spencer has earned his black belt. He's the first student, adult or child, to earn that distinction since the Buffalo Grove Park District began offering the program in 2005.

"Spencer is the icebreaker over here," said Spencer's instructor, Aris De Guzman, who has earned a fourth-degree black belt. "He [showed] that a park district program can produce that level of student. It makes me very proud, being proud as an instructor because he set the standard."

Since his parents first registered him for instruction as a 5-year-old—to help him become "a little more assertive, expressive," according to his father, Chris Sang—Spencer has attended two classes per week, progressing from level to level until De Guzman determined earlier this year that Spencer was ready for the black belt test.

After about six months of preparation, which included daily practice at home in addition to the regular classes, Spencer endured a two-and-a-half-hour test this summer at the fitness center in front of a U.S. tae kwon do official. The test was broken down into four parts: a physical and endurance test; forms such as basic stance, blocks, strike and poomse, or a series of movements in a set pattern; sparring and an oral examination.

The result was official Kukkiwon black belt certification, which is recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation.

Spencer was presented his black belt during a brief ceremony following a class on Aug. 28. His parents, Long Grove residents Chris Sang and mother Renee Sang, received the honor of tying the black belt for the first time. "This celebration is not only for you, but for your parents," De Guzman told Spencer during the ceremony.

Spencer's classmates, all lower belts, also paid tribute by bowing and offering their congratulations.

"I hope you remember the tradition," De Guzman told Spencer. "Remember this event all your life."

Spencer, who acknowledges that his tae kwon do training is "hard," offered another one-word answer when asked how it feels to become a black belt.

"Good," he said.

De Guzman, a Buffalo Grove resident who's been teaching for 15 years and is a former member of the Philippine national team, said Spencer is an "action guy," indicating that "he talks very little."

But Spencer's actions speak loudly.

"Spencer has the potential to be a master, level fourth degree," De Guzman said. "We don't only teach kicking and punching. We teach life skills. For Spencer, I think he's going to be a very successful individual."

While Spencer is the first black belt to come out of the Buffalo Grove program, it's pretty certain he won't be the last. De Guzman indicated that others are developing the skills required of a black belt and could face the test in the not-too-distant future.

Much of the credit goes to De Guzman, who indicated it's unusual to have a full-time tae kwon do instructor at the park district.

"Our program is comparable to a private program," he said, adding that the classes are less expensive.

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