LOUISVILLE, Ky. — From a 7th-degree belt in Taekwondo to public safety officer to coaching softball, a Louisville man seems to be do it all.

What You Need To Know

  • Bellarmine University Public Safety Officer holds a seventh degree Taekwondo belt 

  • He also teaches Taekwondo at the university

  • He explains a seventh-degree belt is no small feat. This level earns him the title of grandmaster

  • Rieber said he may strive to earn the last two degrees of Taekwondo

Kyle Rieber’s day begins in the Public Safety Office at Bellarmine University.

“I’m usually not in the office a whole lot because I’m moving around a lot and so I can be anywhere from either going to a lot of meetings, addressing concerns, pre-planning, events that we may be having on campus or off campus,” Rieber said.

He’s always moving to one thing or another at the age of 59.

“I was a fire chief. I was a battalion chief, deputy chief — all in the fire department. I was an EMT, still, and I was a, you know, Taekwondo instructor or CPR instructor. I was a rescue diver. I was a rope technician. I was an extrication auto extrication international judge where I’d go around and judge competitions of people taking people out of cars as a competition,” Rieber said as he listed his many roles.

Those also include officiating softball and football. But the thing that stands out is bringing Taekwondo to the university.

“My first three degrees I got through the World Martial Arts Federation, and then my fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh I got through IMF (International Taekwondo Federation),” Rieber said.

He explains a seventh-degree belt is no small feat. This level earns him the title of grandmaster.

“Taekwondo is truly a way of life. It’s not one of those things you just pick up, you drop, you never come back. It’s with you forever. I started in (19)85. I’m still doing it. I’ll do it until I can’t do it anymore and it’s just one of those things,” Rieber said.

Almost 40 years ago, Rieber fell in love with the martial art after watching “The Karate Kid.” The discipline provided some unexpected benefits.

“So it really helped me become focused and I noticed when I started teaching down the road, I had a lot of ADHD kids and it helped them focus,” Rieber said.

Taking part in all the competitions brought a sense of community to him.

“I mean, you know, my side-kick would be good, but then, then my spinning round would be bad and then I’d work on that. And there’s always something to work on. So I wouldn’t like it. Never got stale, you know? And you meet these incredible people,” Rieber said.

Now he is teaching this wisdom, discipline and respect to the younger generation.

There are nine degrees in this Korean martial art. Rieber said he may strive to earn the last two degrees.

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