Grandmaster Thornton began his Taekwondo journey on Vancouver Island at the age of 7 under the mentorship of Grandmaster Woo Kim. By 16, he was already teaching at the recreation center where his training began. By 19, the Woo Kim Courtenay School had grown into one of the largest schools in the association. At 22, he moved to Korea to deepen his expertise, training with some of the world’s top teams. In 2004, at 30, Grandmaster Thornton returned to establish the Woo Kim Surrey Taekwondo School, now known as Vortex Taekwondo. Today, he is recognized as one of the leading coaches in Taekwondo, both provincially and nationally.