I love finding stories like this. As I age I often wonder whether I’ll be able to keep going in Taekwon-Do, because it always seems to be getting harder and harder!
But when I read about guys like this, it really puts my own age into perspective!
This is from cherokeephoenix.org
Most people who meet the sharp, physically fit martial arts instructor Wilson Vann never guess that he’s 82 years young or that at the age of 80 he earned an eighth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. A Cherokee citizen, Vann is not one to boast of his health or skills, his accomplishments or his knowledge, but over the years he has quietly made an impression on many lives at his American Martial Arts Academy. As a child in the Sallisaw area, Vann spent a lot of time alone, and maybe that accounts for his interest in children. “I didn’t have a mother. I just did things mostly on my own; nobody would really be there,” he said. “When I grew up I just went in the Navy.” Vann was introduced to martial arts in the military, but once discharged he put that interest on the back burner. “I began martial arts around 1960 in the Navy when I took some self-defense classes. I really liked it.