Black Belts of Omaha Blue Waves Martial Arts

Our Owners

GM Helaney on the cover of Totally TaeKwonDo Magazine.

GrandMaster Jeffrey Helaney, IX Dan
Co-Owner: Omaha Blue Waves Martial Arts
Primary Style: Traditional TaeKwon-Do – IX Dan (Chang Hon)
Secondary Style: Hapkido – VII Dan (Tae Sool)

He has been practicing martial arts since 1969 and holds black belts in TaeKwon-Do, Hapkido, Sports Karate, and Pent-Jak Silat. GM Helaney received his 9th Dan in TaeKwon-Do on April 26, 2014. He is a multiple Hall of Fame Inductee, recognized by Who is Who in Martial Arts as a Pioneer and Legend, a Budo Magazine GrandMaster of the Year, and an Outstanding GrandMaster recipient of the General Choi, Hong Hi (founder of TaeKwon-Do) Awards, and a 2022 inductee of the Official TaeKwon-Do Hall of Fame in the category of Outstanding Leadership.

Want to know more about GM Helaney? (CLICK HERE) 

Master Michele Helaney, TKD V Dan
Co-Owner: Omaha Blue Waves Martial Arts
Primary Style: Traditional TaeKwon-Do (Chang Hon)

Michele Helaney has been involved in the martial arts since 1998. She holds a 5th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do, is a certified personal trainer, a certified weight loss specialist, and a licensed massage therapist.

HEAD INSTRUCTOR - TaeKwon-Do

Master Paige (Helaney) Marion, TKD V Dan, Head Instructor

Paige Marion is a licensed massage therapist, martial arts instructor, demo team coach, and minority owner at Omaha Blue Waves. Ms. Marion holds a 5th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do and is a United States Kido Federation Certified Instructor. She is a former Professional Karate Commission Ohio State Champion and Nationally Ranked Competitor.

ACTIVE BLACK BELTS (Assistant / Student Instructors) - TaeKwon-Do

Adam Bragg, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Mr. Bragg holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do and is a USKF certified Assistant Instructor. He currently works as a supervisor at a local transportation company.

Allisa Kuehn-Dykema, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Alissa Kuehn-Dykema holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do, a USKF certified Assistant Instructor, and is an avid sword student. She has a teaching degree and currently works as a speech pathologist with elementary school children.

Joseph Short, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Mr. Short is a currently a 2nd Degree Black Belt and a USKF certified Assistant Instructor. He is a current member of the E.D.G.E. tournament and demonstration team.

Olivia O’Neill, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Ms. O’Neill is currently a 2nd Degree Black Belt and USKF certified Assistant Instructor. She is a former E.D.G.E Team Member. She enjoys teaching and extreme martial arts.

Mary Bragg, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Ms. Bragg holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do and is a former Tournament Team Member. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s Engineering program and currently works for a major company at both their Omaha and Kansas City locations.

Rylee Cvilikas, TaeKwon-Do I Dan

Ms. Cvilikas holds a 1st Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do. She is active in the E.D.G.E. Tournament and Demo Team. She takes weapons, tumbling for martial arts, and Kung Fu classes.

Brody Humphrey, TaeKwon-Do I Dan

Brody Humphrey achieved his black belt at Omaha Blue Waves after having been a member for over 7 years. He is an EDGE Team, Sword, Extreme, and Weapons student.

ACTIVE BLACK BELTS (Assistant / Student Instructors) – Hapkido

Bill Humphrey, Hapkido II Dan

Mr. Humphrey is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Hapkido at Omaha Blue Waves. He is weapons aficionado and enjoys teaching. He currently works in the metropolitan area as an IT professional.

OBW Black Belts on the Move!

Eric Wu, TaeKwon-Do III Dan

Mr. Wu is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do. He spends his summers at OBW, but attends college at the University of California at Irvine. He is a past demo and tournament team member.

Isaiah Price, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Mr. Price is a graduate of the University of Colorado. He has studied TaeKwon-Do, Caporiera, and Ju-Jitsu. In high school he spent a year abroad in Japan and currently works overseas with the Peace Corps.

Connor Iddings, TaeKwon-Do I Dan

Mr. Iddings holds a 1st Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do. He is studying at Nebraska Wesleyan University. He continues study at Omaha Blue Waves when not in college.

Christopher Silligman, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

 

Mr. Silligman is a student at the University of Iowa. He is a former demo and tournament team member. He enjoys competing and staying active. Mr. Silligman stops in frequently at OBW during his breaks.

Bradley Kimmey, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Mr. Kimmey holds a second Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do. He is studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mr. Kimmey continues to train at OBW during summer breaks.

Jacob Price, TaeKwon-Do II Dan

Mr. Price holds a second Degree Black Belt in TaeKwon-Do. He is studying remotely at the University of Nebraska, but living in New Jersey as an HR Specialist with a national company.

HONORARY OBW MEMBERS – USKF Black Belts

Master Ben Thompson, TKD V Dan

Ben Thompson has studied with GM Helaney since 1997. He currently owns Open Space Martial Arts in Canton, Ohio. Although Mr. Thompson is an Ohio resident, this USKF certified instructor, can be found several times a year training at or attending events at Omaha Blue Waves Martial Arts. 

Master Matt Owens, TKD V Dan

Matt Owens (purposely blurred) was an instructor at Omaha Blue Waves from 2007 to 2014. He left to pursue his dream of working in law enforcement. Although no longer a fixture at the school, Matt still helps out with special events as his schedule permits. 

All of our black belts are certified through the United States Kido Federation