Kicking it with Mission's Ashley Courville

ST. IGNATIUS - Last month, multi-sport athlete Ashley Courville

reached a milestone in a journey that she started nearly 10 years

ago. The Mission High School standout, who can be seen playing

numerous sports for the Lady Bulldogs, was promoted to Black Belt

at Big Sky Martial Arts in Kalispell.

ST. IGNATIUS - Last month, multi-sport athlete Ashley Courville reached a milestone in a journey that she started nearly 10 years ago. The Mission High School standout, who can be seen playing numerous sports for the Lady Bulldogs, was promoted to Black Belt at Big Sky Martial Arts in Kalispell.

"I started Taekwondo in second grade," Courville said. "My brother and I joined after watching Stephanie Trudeau in a talent show. She had an amazing performance, and that's what inspired me to start."

Courville trained under main instructor Randy Trudeau before the Taekwondo center in St. Ignatius closed a year ago.

Trudeau taught the core principles of the martial art that not only focus on physical moves but also a strong mental approach to life. For Courville, that no doubt carried over into school sports, where she has been one of the best athletes on the court.

"Randy taught us the importance of sportsmanship," Courville said. "He was also huge on respect, so I took a lot away from the classes. Physically, Taekwondo has kept me in great shape. You work a ton on flexibility and core strength, oh and can't forget: the push-ups!"

When the center closed, Courville continued to train at home and received tutelage from black belt Naomi Dulmes.

"Without her, I wouldn't have been able to test," Courville said.

When Courville traveled up to Kalispell for the black belt test, her 10 years of knowledge and practice in Taekwondo were immediately put under scrutiny. A black belt in Taekowndo must have a cumulative knowledge of the sport.

"The black belt promotion was tough," Courville said. "It took over six hours and we were moving the whole time. My dobok [uniform] was drenched with sweat within the first hour and it stayed that way the entire time."

The test had several different parts to it and black belt candidates have to perform these in front of senior black belts.

"Training-wise, I had to do a lot of repetition with forms, self defense, throws, board-breaking and individual moves," Courville said. "Naomi and I had a few sessions in her front yard where we were throwing each other to the ground. It made for some great laughs."

If there's anyone with enough discipline, mental toughness and grit to make it through a black belt promotion, it's Courville, who has managed to juggle doing multiple sports at the same time for Mission High School.

Now in her senior year, she's looking towards the future.

"After high school I plan on going college for a long time," Courville said. "I want to be a dermatologist, and it will require a lot of school. As of now I'm filling out tons of scholarships, and I'm hoping that I will get the chance to go out of state. There are a few schools in Northern California that I'm really interested in. For now I can only wait and see what happens."

Courville was the leading runner for the Mission cross country team that finished fourth at state this year. She placed 16th individually. While the team was only in its second year of existence, Courville was no stranger to running, and that certainly showed.

"My whole family is big on running and I spend a good portion of my time running distances," Courville said.

But that isn't her only talent. She was a leader on the Mission volleyball team that won districts in 2010 and surprised plenty of higher ranked teams this year in postseason play. Courville's senior season was certainly memorable.

"It makes for an emotional year, that's for sure," Courville said. "You just can't let the fact that it's your last chance slow you down. It honestly didn't hit me until senior night, then I was like "Whoa, wasn't I just a freshman?'"

The Mission student was very appreciative of the crowd that cheered her and the Lady Bulldogs on.

"Mission fans are the best! They're always ready to cheer, no matter what sport it is," Courville said. "The Thunder Cats were notorious this year. I would attribute a great amount of our success to them. During volleyball senior night, it was so loud in the gym at one point that my ears were ringing. It was a great feeling! One of the most memorable for sure."

With college on the horizon, Courville has been busy applying to schools and figuring out what to do in the future. She took the winter basketball season off, but chances are she'll be doing plenty of great things for years to come.

"I took basketball season off to focus on my future, and that was a really tough decision," Courville said. "I know a lot of people were disappointed, but I had to do what was best for me."

Helping her out has been her younger brother, Tyler, who she has plenty of kind words for.

"My inspiration comes from Tyler," Courville said. "He's one of my best friends, and he's helped me through a lot this year. Especially getting through my college applications."

Courville has certainly been busy, but it's something she's shown she's more than capable of handling. This ultimate multi-tasker will be looking toward the next challenge in life and if her black belt is any indication, she'll be kicking down the door.