Pniel: Mark van Wyk

Pniel: Mark van Wyk

Karate

Mark was introduced to karate in 1993, at the age of nine, and it has been part of his life ever since. Firefighter by day, he trains his 50 karate students in the Dwars River Valley region between 17:00 and 19:00 from Mondays to Thursdays. The students are taught and evaluated on the virtues we should all strive to install in our own children, namely effort, patience, temperance, respect and honesty. Mark’s father once said: “It’s important to set goals for yourself. You may reach some of them; others not. But it’s important to set them.” Mark surely understood these words and is always setting goals for himself to achieve. One of his greatest achievements was that he was the South African Champion of Kumite (fighting art) from 1998 to 2002 running. He recommends that children be introduced to the sport at the age of five. Meeting Mark personally, I can only say that I have tons of respect for this sensei and can recommend him to anyone interested in joining a karate class. Mark is also involved in an anti-bullying campaign. Contact number: 082 757 1831

René Jooste