‘They stuck with it’: Taekwondo academy kicks in 10 years with anniversary celebration in St. George

Written by Nick Yamashita
November 10, 2022

ST. GEORGE — Current and former students helped a local taekwondo academy celebrate 10 years of operating in St. George on Saturday night.

Villatuya’s Tae Kwon Do Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary of being in St. George, Utah, Nov. 5, 2022 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St. George News

Villatuya’s Tae Kwon Do Academy had a night in the dojang with food, dancing and a celebration of martial arts instruction.

“I honestly didn’t think I would even get up to 10 years,” Ma’am Polly Villatuya said. “We were doing good until the pandemic. The pandemic hit, and boom.”

Once a highly successful business, the academy opened in November 2012 and saw over 50 students. And while that number has dropped to around 20, Villatuya said she has seen students returning lately.

The school started when Villatuya moved from the San Francisco Bay area. Focusing on more traditional taekwondo, she emphasized the importance of practical self-defense, especially for women and children.

Villatuya started her taekwondo training in 1982 in a studio located in south San Francisco, Califronia.

After moving to St. George, she started with only the church kids as her students, but shortly after, she was asked to start teaching at the recreation center two nights a week. Teaching four nights a week helped expand her diversity of students. She also works a day job for Katering Koncepts.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved into a former dance studio located at 1495 S. Black Ridge Drive. With more room, she said she was able to grow her class sizes.

The studio is lined with pictures of her students at each belt test, from when they started to where they are currently. She also has bigger pictures above the mirrors with all of her black belt candidates during their tests.

Villatuya’s Tae Kwon Do Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary of being in St. George, Utah, Nov. 5, 2022 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St. George News

“That one,” she said as she pointed at a specific black belt picture, “was a special one. That was during the pandemic. They had to stay in their training a lot longer because nothing was open and keep training at home. They stuck with it.”

Several of her black belt students were present during the festivities and even one joined in on video chat from Nashville, Tennessee, where she currently resides and works.

“She really gets to know each of her students,” Cameron Carroll said. “With every single lesson, she really pushes us a little more and it helps to know where my limits are.”

Carroll is one of her original students who is a current instructor and a 2nd-degree black belt. He currently attends Utah Tech University as a senior in high school through the ACE (Accelerated Cooperative Education) program.

Carroll and two other black belt instructors, Destiny Garcia and Elliot Haediges, commented on how Villatuya played a major role in their character growth and as leaders. She has them teach at the brown belt level, which puts them out of their comfort zone but also helps them, she said.

Garcia, a home-schooled high school junior, is a 1st-degree black belt and helps teach classes. Haediges is a 1st-degree black belt attending Pine View Middle School.

Villatuya’s Tae Kwon Do Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary in St. George, Utah, Nov. 5, 2022 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St. George News

All of the students mentioned the fact the style of martial arts is more focused on self-defense and more aggressive.

“It is not Olympic-style. We do more Korean karate-ish,” Villatuya said. “More power, deeper stances, more strength.”

With around 50 people in attendance, the party had dancing, dinner and a chance to catch up, especially with past students. Festival Sounds provided the music.

“This school is family oriented, but I am also trying to train teenagers to become leaders,” Villatuya said during an interview.

She said she teaches confidence building, understanding and preparing for bullying and attacks, physical and mental lessons challenges, positive thinking and perseverance.

After 10 years of providing inspiration and life lessons to her students, she has kept going even when times have made it tough for her.

“I just want to do it to be a positive influence on someone’s life,” she said. “To teach self-confidence and empower them.”

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Yamashita has extensive experience reporting for small town media, covering a variety of subjects and events for The Virgin River Times and The Progress in Southern Nevada. Before a career in journalism, he worked a variety of jobs in criminal justice systems. Yamashita holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Southern Utah University. He is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has been published in scholarly articles and poetry compilations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches martial arts.

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Twitter: @STGnews

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