Saturday, January 18, 2025
AZLE — An Azle teen is making flying leaps in the world of special abilities taekwondo.
Just four years ago, Phillip Dunn began practicing taekwondo in lieu of physical therapy. Today he’s a three-time state champion and a foundational member of the first noncontact taekwondo team headed for the Special Olympics
Dunn and his mother Cynthia Payne moved to Azle from Crowley 10 years ago. They love animals, owning dogs, cats and hamsters. Dunn is a fan of building model villages, woodworking, hunting and has a passion for classic cars. Among Dunn’s hobbies, none are more impressive than his participation in Songahm Taekwondo through ATA Martial Arts.
Dunn, aged 16, is on the autism spectrum. At age 12, he began practicing taekwondo after a recommendation from his therapist.
“He needed therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, but he didn't want to do the traditional because he felt too old for that,” Payne said. “So, I thought, why not try martial arts because his therapist recommended martial arts. He fell in love with it.”
In the time since, Dunn has made strides, winning almost countless competitions and earning a pile of shiny medals. Dunn has proven himself to be a formidable force, the top rank for his age in the special abilities category for the last three years and winning the ATA South District, comprised of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, twice. Dunn recently achieved another major accomplishment, earning his black belt Dec. 20. After placing first in eight events, Dunn hopes to bring his winning streak to the July ATA World Championship held in Phoenix, Arizona.
To train, Dunn visits Keller ATA Martial Arts four days per week from 4 p.m. to about 9 p.m. While it’s a long drive, Dunn and his mother feel the sense of family and fulfillment provided by the dojo are well worth it. Dunn is involved in the dojo’s leadership program, where he assists others and teaches younger students.
“It really brought him out of his shell,” Payne said. “He was hardly talking. He would barely associate with a lot of people and now you find him everywhere. He's this. He goes out and talks to everybody. He's willing to help. He does have his issues, but this is his comfort zone right here.”
Through practicing and competing, Dunn has learned to do cartwheels, flips, hand-to-hand combat and how to perform choreography with weapons. When competing with the Bo Staff for the first time, Payne said he received a standing ovation.
The experience has left a major impact on Dunn, who hopes to one day open his own special abilities dojo. Dunn has aspirations to major in business management in college and is currently an A and B 10th grade student at Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville. Payne said the flexibility of an online high school has more easily allowed Dunn to pursue his interest in taekwondo. While traveling throughout Texas and beyond, Dunn often continues to attend classes on long car rides and in hotel rooms. His school has also been a major source of support for Dunn, with his classmates and teachers keeping a close eye on his martial arts achievements and cheering him on along the way. After news of his state ranking broke, Dunn was named a spotlight student of the semester. Among his closest supporters are his mom, dad, stepmom, grandmother and ATA instructors and fellow competitors.
“It doesn’t matter if you're disabled or not, you're in wheelchair or anything, they're going to be right there with you,” Payne said. “They travel in a group. They're there for each other's competitions. They shake each other's hands. They high five each other. It is a phenomenal program. Most of the kids are peers their age, so he loves it. They really love this program.”
Dunn said taekwondo has been a healthy outlet to release his anger and learn discipline and that mentoring younger students makes him feel good inside.
According to Payne, getting special abilities accepted into the Special Olympics was a major goal for the wife of Songahm Taekwondo’s founder before she passed. Thanks to the efforts of Dunn and others at his school, that dream is becoming a reality. Thanks to support from instructor Mary Johannesen, Dunn and other boys at ATA Keller successfully petitioned the Special Olympics to include a no-contact taekwondo event. This January, ATA is assembling its first no-contact taekwondo team with its first competition happening in April. The team is expected to compete alongside other special abilities athletics for the first time this summer. Payne hopes this will encourage and inspire other disabled students to compete and reach for their dreams, in athletics, the Special Olympics and all avenues.
“It means a lot when you have an IDD (intellectually or developmentally delayed) child that they can excel in something and say, ‘hey, I've done it myself,’” Payne said.
With the success of its students, ATA Keller itself hopes to grow and improve with the dojo currently fundraising to be able to host its own tournament in Round Rock.
Payne and Dunn want others to pursue their dreams and believe no goal is impossible with enough hard work and determination.
“It was kind of hard, but you push through it,” Dunn said. “Just don't quit while you're going through it.”
