"I'm the oldest fart out there," Carol Van Zile, 60, joked about being the only Seventh Level Taekwondo Black Belt, to her knowledge, in the United States. Though originally a gymnast, Ms. Van Zile has been practicing the martial art since 1990.
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Carol Van Zile is a Seventh Level Taekwondo Black Belt. The Sports ranking for Black Belts only goes to the eighth level. The 60-year-old is an instructor at Great Lakes Global Tae Kwon DO in Sylvania.
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Carol Van Zile kicks through four blocks of wood as part of a demonstration.
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Carol Van Zile, 60, discusses the self-defense benefits of practicing Taekwondo with students Hannah Chung, from left, 11, Malora Hakkarainen, 10, and Kendra Hakkarainen, 13.
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Carol Van Zile, 60, center, and her students Malora Hakkarainen, left, and Kendra Hakkarainen run through one of their movement forms together at Great Lakes Global Tae Kwon DO in Sylvania.
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Carol Van Zile, 60, runs through a movement form with students Malora Hakkarainen, 10, left, and Kendra Hakkarainen, 13.
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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Carol Van Zile demonstrates a self-defense technique with Kendra Hakkarainen, left.
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