As we all know, The Villages promotes the idea that it is THE place to live and experience an active retirement.  Offering many options to pursue a favorite sport, enjoy an artistic endeavor, or master line dancing.  And Villagers delight in doing all this in beautifully landscaped surroundings. These reasons and more are why people from all walks of life move to The Villages.

For our Taekwon-Do dojang members, there are several particular reasons why The Villages was their top retirement choice.  Mainly, it is because The Villages had an authentic Taekwon-Do school. 

Kyosahnim (KSN) Elizabeth Huxford picked The Villages specifically for that reason.  She wanted to be able to continue her TKD training while living half-time in Florida.  According to KSN Elizabeth, TKD “was the only activity I couldn’t live without.”

KSN Elizabeth began her Taekwon-Do journey when she first took her daughter to evening classes in their town of Oakland, MD.  Elizabeth would wait for her daughter in the school’s parking lot because it was too far to drive a round trip.  In January 2011, her daughter suggested she should take TKD rather than wait in the parking lot!  Elizabeth said, “I did and never looked back.” 

In December 2014, KSN Elizabeth earned her first-degree black belt from her Maryland school.  A year later, she attained her second dan black belt ranking.  Her school in Maryland taught WT Taekwon-Do forms and practices. (Note:  there are several TKD federations – each teaching Taekwon-do basics, but have differences in the patterns.)

When KSN Elizabeth joined The Villages Taekwon-Do dojang in the fall of 2015, she had to learn the ITF Taekwon-Do forms.  ITF forms are very different from 

                                                                                                                   the WT forms or poomsaes.  However, that didn’t deter her from continuing her martial art training.  In May of 2016, Elizabeth earned her ITF first-degree black belt.

There is a saying in TKD that states a black belt is a white belt who never quits.  A quote attributed to Jet Li says, “If you want to be a true martial artist, you must be able to adapt to any situation.”  Both of these quotes apply to Elizabeth’s perseverance and desire to pursue Taekwon-Do.  She quickly adapted to the ITF TKD.  And continued her practice at The Villages Taekwon-Do dojang for close to ten years.  As a result of Elizabeth’s grit and dedication, she earned her 4^th Dan black belt in March of 2023.  She also gained the KSN (instructor) designation.

Elizabeth loves to be able to teach.  And she feels we shouldn’t hold ourselves back from taking Taekwon-Do because we think we’re too old.  She says, “You may not choose your age, but you do get to choose how you let that number affect you.”  She said her greatest privilege was watching an 80-year-old Villager test and receive his first dan black belt.  KSN Elizabeth gains a great sense of satisfaction from teaching.  Especially when she witnesses the aha moments in a student’s progress.  Or when she sees their little wins, and when her trainees accomplish their goals.  It’s her way of paying it forward for all the gifts she’s received from her training.

Outside of the dojang, Elizabeth enjoys a variety of fun activities such as reenacting, volunteering, playing mahjong, kayaking, and travel.  In fact, she was able to visit Korea with the TKD group of schools The Villages TKD dojang is associated with.  For her, it was a cherished event to see and be at the birthplace of Taekwon-Do.