From a Small Fish In a Big Pond…
User Story
By Kari Wisniewski
My husband opened our small Taekwon-Do school (Tien Lung) in Edmonton back in 1992 with just 52 students. Initially classes were offered in school gyms - thanks to the Edmonton Public School Board.
Four years later, we’d grown to the point where we needed a permanent facility for our 300 members. So we got a basement location on 124 Street in 1996 and did a low cost renovation (translation – we did the work ourselves). At that time we weren’t aware of the support that was available through grants from the City of Edmonton and the provincial government.
As we grew, our programs grew too. At first we offered evening classes for all belt levels combined. Then we started to offer a “Little Dragons” program for 4 – 7 year olds. That was followed by black belt programs, competitive programs, preschool and parents & tot programs, and most recently an after school sports program that provides a healthy alternative for 120 children.
Over the years we continued to need more space – we now have all three floors in the building at the 124 street location and about 650 members. We opened a second location in the south side in 2004 where we have about 350 members.
For us, Edmonton has been a great place to build a business. This is a strong community. Fortunately we have not been affected by ups and downs in the economy. We’ve been able to maintain steady growth.
Edmonton’s big enough that we have a broad base on which to build our school. And it’s a city that’s well laid out and that makes it easier for people to get where they want to go. That’s important for us. It removes a barrier to coming to our school.
Edmonton’s also a family town, and we’re a family oriented Taekwon-Do school. Almost half of our memberships are from families - with 2 to 5 members involved - and 80% of our members are under 18 years of age. Even our seven year old daughter Isabella is an active member of the school.
And we’re proud that we’re helping put Edmonton, the City of Champions on the map. In recent years we have consistently produced 30% of the Canadian National Team attending the World Taekwon-Do Championships and most recently we took over 80% of the Canadian Team from Edmonton to the 2009 World Championships in Russia.
When we started out we were really little fish in a big pond. With a lot of hard work and the support of the people here in Edmonton, we like to think we’re on our way to becoming a much bigger fish in the pond!
Where Next?
Kari Wisniewski
Kari has lived in Edmonton since she was eight years old. She holds a BA in Recreation Administration from the University of Alberta. She is a 5th degree black belt and has competed at three World Championships, two Pan American championships (won medals at both) and has coached medal winning athletes at three World Championships. Kari is also severe to profoundly deaf.
