Zachary Taranto

Since I can remember, Taekwondo has always been a part of my life. I never would have imagined, at 7 years old, that something my mom signed me up for, to ultimately keep me out of the house and not bugging her, would actually be something that I would fall in love with and spend my life pursuing.

It's been 11 years since I started, and I am even more in love with the martial art than when I started. After 2 years, a green belt at my first Taekwondo school, I ended up switching to a different school nearby, and it didn't take long for me to realize that this was where I belonged. My new instructor, Chief Master Arcemont, now Grand Master Arcemont, came to me with open arms and pushed me to my limits. It's been 9 years of hard work, perseverance, and dedication under his guidance to get me to where I am today.

Throughout my journey, over the last 5 years, I have ventured in and out of the competition side of martial arts as I trained and competed in tournaments all across the U.S. This allowed me to immerse myself further in Taekwondo, as I built a network of friends and competitors from all around that changed up the average scenery of normal classes.

On top of competing in tournaments, for the last 4 years, I adopted a teaching role at my school, even having my first job there as an instructor, getting to shape the next generation of martial artists. Teaching Taekwondo classes was hands down the most enjoyable, but stressful thing that I have ever done, and had a huge impact on how I approach things today, hence the picture of me alongside my co-worker with some students right before their testing was about to start.

As of September 2024, I became a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I was overwhelmed with joy and pride, knowing that all the hard work that I put in paid off, and how much of an impact I have made at my school and even other schools around the nation.

It's on to number 5!!