EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: TaeKwon Jack

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Achieving your black belt is no easy task in the world of martial arts. It takes determination. We found a man, 81 years young, whose determination led to him finally getting that black belt 50 years after he first started the journey. Jack McGann is our Extraordinary Person of the Week!

Inside Master Yu’s Dynamic Martial Arts School, you find all ages. You find Jack McGann.

“He is the youngest student we have(laughs),” joked Master (Matt) Yu.

81 years young. 82 come May.

“I started 50 years ago and then for one reason or another, it didn’t work out,” Jack McGann told Daniel Seamans. “Then 10 years later started again. Didn’t work out. Then again 10 years later I started again and got brown belts.”

Jack just earned his black belt in TaeKwonDo.

“I like breaking boards,” he said. “I can still punch hard but not as hard as I used to.”

He can punch hard enough to break wood as we witnessed inside the dojo.

“He had to do they same testing as any other student would have to do,” Master Yu said of the process Jack went through. Master Yu continued, “He had a six hour workout prior to testing for his black belt, which included 250 push ups, 250 sit ups, 250 jumping jacks, about 10 miles and six hours of non stop pushing himself.”

“I got my haircut next door and saw the dojo here,” Jack said of Dynamic Martial Arts. “One day I decided to walk in. I’ve been here ever since.”

That fateful day led to Jack, after 50 years, finally earning the coveted black belt.

It’s also earned Master Yu’s “youngest” student a place in the hearts of all warriors.

“Having Mr. McGann at our academy is an inspiration, it really is,” Master Yu said. “Whether it’s the little student that we have or the older students that we have, people look up to him. They are inspired by him. It motivates me as an instructor to have a student like Jack McGann. That’s why I train and do what I do.”

It’s definitely a workout. “I got into it to get myself in shape and stay in shape,” Jack said. “I didn’t expect to get a belt. Laughs. It keeps you in condition.”

It’s keeps you young. “It felt great. It felt great,” Jack said of getting the black belt. “It felt like I accomplished something.”

Yyes you did, Jack McGann. Your determination, 50 years in the making, is not only worthy of a picture on the wall. It’s EXTRAORDINARY.

You can find more information on Master Yu’s Dynamic Arts by clicking here.