Latest news with #Dartmouth-bound
New York Post
16-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Dartmouth-bound black belt kicks butt in martial arts — and in the classroom
She's the best around. A Dartmouth-bound Long Island high schooler is kicking the competition by earning a coveted black belt at an accelerated pace — all while keeping a 4.0 GPA with tons of extracurriculars in the mix. 'The black belt was at the top of my list and what I've wanted the most,' Westhampton Beach senior Willow DuBrovin told The Post of her major milestone in the traditional Korean martial art of Soo Bahk Do, which was popular before the rise of taekwondo in the 1960s. 'I'm ecstatic to be attending my Ivy League school, but I didn't think about college like I did with this. It's the longest time I've ever wanted something and successfully got it.' As a child, DuBrovin had a hard time in athletics because of migraines — and a lack of interest in team sports like soccer and basketball. However, after dabbling in Brazilian jiu-jitsu early in high school, she met Master John Kim of Westhampton's Studio Moodo and fell in love with Soo Bahk Do. 'I'm a very physical person, my sister and I used to fight a lot, so maybe it came from there,' joked the 18-year-old DuBrovin, who will study physics on a pre-med track. DuBrovin quickly soared under Kim, and the master realized she could be fast-tracked to vie for a black belt before the end of high school because of her dedication. She even helps him with youth classes and will become a Jo Kyo (certified assistant) after the paperwork for her black belt is processed. 4 Willow DuBrovin works out with master instructor John Kim at Studio Moodo in Westhampton on Long Island. Stephen Yang for New York Post 'She was coming here six, seven times a week,' said Kim, who ran DuBrovin through brutal drills such as throwing 120 punches in half a minute — about four per second — or holding a plank for six-and-a-half minutes to strengthen her core for kicks. 'It was a partnership, but she's the one who showed up … she was the perfect candidate to motivate and push.' She can kick it DuBrovin's two-and-a-half-year journey in fighting bolstered the rest of her extremely well-rounded curriculum vitae, she said. 4 Willow DuBrovin, who has a 4.0 GPA, received a black belt at an accelerated pace. Stephen Yang for New York Post 'Since I started coming here regularly, balancing my academics and outside life has been a lot easier,' added DuBrovin, who took 14 AP classes, writes a column for Dan's Papers, was president of her robotics club and helped lead her business club to an international championship. 'When you come here, you work out your mind and your body, but when you leave, you relax, have a clear head, and I can kind of get everything done really quickly. … I was able to increase my workload a lot.' Even her master can't help but marvel at the impeccable balance DuBrovin has achieved. 'My nickname for her is #TripleB: brains, brawn and then her mom added beauty,' Kim said. 'She's like a perfect package.' 4 Willow DuBrovin, 18, received a black belt in Soo Bahk Do, an ancient Korean martial art. Stephen Yang for New York Post Since December, the inseparable pair went into specialized training to prepare for her first — and only — attempt at the black belt in Baltimore earlier this month. From pencils to punches 'The test is about three hours long non-stop … it's brutal, absolutely brutal,' DuBrovin said. For starters, she had to memorize all the moves by their Korean names and then rigorously demonstrate tasks such as the 120 punches in 30 seconds and 120 consecutive kicks, half of which involve variations of jumping. 'The jump kicks were very hard for me,' she said. 'You have to really lift yourself up off the ground … it is a lot harder than it looks.' 4 Willow DuBrovin works out at Studio Moodo in Westhampton on Long Island. Stephen Yang for New York Post Then comes the grueling Hyung, combative dances that evoke the nature of certain animals. Naturally, DuBrovin chose the passai, or king cobra snake, to push herself as it is the most challenging. The trial also tested DuBrovin's mind as she was required to write an essay on a chosen topic. She penned a passage on her life before Studio Moodo and how her family moved to nearly 30 places over the tri-state before settling in East Quogue. 'I never really got to like hold on to community growing up,' she said. 'My essay was about how I found a home in the studio and the people that I train with every day.' Next, DuBrovin is looking into a martial arts club on campus to continue her training and making sure her master, who is giving her an inaugural scholarship toward Dartmouth, remains proud. 'I find socializing a lot easier, I find working under pressure a lot easier, all thanks to my training,' she said. 'I've definitely grown as a person here.'
CTV News
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Dartmouth-bound lanes on MacKay Bridge to close Thursday night
Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) says all lanes heading towards Dartmouth, N.S., on the MacKay Bridge will be closed overnight Thursday. A news release from HHB just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday says all Dartmouth-bound lanes will be closed overnight between 7 p.m. Thursday and 5:30 a.m. Friday. The lanes travelling from Dartmouth to Halifax will remain open. 'The overnight closure will accommodate bearing replacement work delayed last summer, and work associated with the continual removal of the MacKay toll plaza,' reads the news release. Macdonald bridge closure this weekend The Macdonald Bridge in Halifax will be closed to vehicles this weekend as crews continue work to extend the life of the structure. HHB says the bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic from 7 p.m. Friday to 5:30 a.m. Monday. It will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists. The work is part of Project LifeSpan, a two-year, $70-million effort that will strip the paint from the bridge's towers to allow for inspection and repairs. The Dartmouth Tower is set to be finished later this year while the Halifax Tower is slated to be done in 2026 For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dartmouth commit Hiatt, Edmonds-Woodway overwhelm Lincoln in 3A quarterfinal
It felt clear minutes into Thursday Class 3A state tournament quarterfinal game against Edmonds-Woodway that it wasn't going to be Lincoln's night. The Abes were flustered, frustrated and out of sorts from the tip. Edmonds-Woodway — cool, confident and composed — was anything but. Edmonds-Woodway led by six after a quarter. The lead ballooned to 32 points by the end of the third quarter. Edmonds-Woodway held Lincoln to just 13 total points in the second and third quarters en route to a 73-36 rout. 'We're coming out confident,' Edmonds-Woodway senior guard Cam Hiatt said. 'We've been playing some really good basketball, we scouted them really well. We had a really good game plan and we executed it really, really well. I'm really proud of our guys, not just me, that's all of us top to bottom. We executed.' Hiatt, a 6-foot-4 Dartmouth-bound senior guard, was as good as advertised. He poured in a game-high 33 points with 14 rebounds and shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Edmonds-Woodway shot 48 percent from the field and held Lincoln to 23 percent shooting from the floor. Lincoln, which likes to get out in transition, never could get on the fast break. 'They come from a brand of basketball that likes to get up and down and that's tough,' Hiatt said. 'But when you get them in the halfcourt, you make them play possession basketball and you make them execute, that changes things and it changed it for us today.' Lincoln sophomore guard Trey Collier led the team with 11 points. No other Abes scored in double digits. 'Credit to them, they played really tough and did not give us anything easy,' Lincoln coach Ryan Rogers said. 'They executed well on the offensive end and it really hurt us not being able to get in transition. So credit to them, they had a good game plan and they stuck to it.' Lincoln unraveled emotionally as the game wore on, drawing several technical fouls, two to Lincoln players and one assessed to Rogers. 'It's always splitting hairs but I think the refs let a couple of things slide, which frustrated our young kids, which we have to be better at,' Rogers said. 'Being more composed. 'There's perks and disadvantages to having a young team and I think one of those things is just to continue to be mentally tough and get through those things and let the refs make the tough calls and make the decisions.' That's the silver lining: the Abes are young. Barring any unforeseen transfer activity, Lincoln will return its entire roster next season. For a team that won the 3A Puget Sound League and the 3A District 3/4 title, that's welcome news. Lincoln should be a 3A state title contender next season. While the youth hasn't bitten Rogers' squad many times this year, it reared its head against a veteran Edmonds-Woodway team on Thursday. 'The kids played hard, it wasn't lack of effort or anything like that,' Rogers said. 'Just things we have to continue to work on and get better at.' Edmonds-Woodway, meanwhile, advances to a semifinal matchup against No. 2 Mount Spokane, which rallied late to beat Bellarmine Prep in overtime on Thursday night. Lincoln will face Bellarmine Prep in a consolation game at 12:15 p.m. on Friday. The winner of the game will play for fourth/sixth place on Saturday.
