World Class Tae Kwon Do of Tae Park Tae Kwon Do JUNE 2012 Important Dates: November 9-10 World Class Taekwondo of Tae Park Taekwondo Tournament June 21-23, 2013 Meijer State Games of Michigan July 30 August 4, 2013 National Congress of State Games State Games of America Inside this issue: What Defines Traditional 2-3 November Tournament 3 2012 State Games Is The Biggest Yet! The 2012 Meijer State Games of Michigan, which took place on June 22nd and 23rd, was a grand success! This year was the third year for the Taekwondo tournament and the biggest thus far. With a whopping number of 256 participants, the Taekwondo tournament was the second largest out of all the sports next to track and field. Friday night, the Opening Ceremonies took place at East Kentwood High School. There, all of the athletes from each sport marched in together in the Parade of Athletes. After that, a team of extreme bikers and skydivers put on a performance of tricks as entertainment for the spectators. The Taekwondo tournament began on Saturday morning June 23 rd at 8 a.m. at Cornerstone College. The Color Guard kicked off the opening ceremony with a patriotic twist as they marched in to the song To the Colors. Special guests included Representative Dave Agema of the 74 th district and Mike Gusweiler, Executive Director of the West Michigan Sports Commission. Nine-year-old Andrew Van Baal sang the National Anthem, which was sponsored by Jack and Cindy Hendon from Fremont, Michigan. After a few speeches and recognitions, the tournament officially began. The three categories were forms, sparring and board breaking. The results can be seen on our Facebook page World Class Tae Kwon Do. If you haven t already joined, do so! You can find the results under Docs. Thank you to all who came out to compete and support! We greatly appreciate everyone s participation. This tournament would not have been such a great success without the help from all of you. State Games Footage 3 Thank You Sponsors 4 State Games Pictures 5 2013 State Games of Michigan 6 Get Online 6
Page 2 World Class Tae Kwon Do What Defines Traditional Tae Kwon Do? By Master Scott Oring One of the most common questions asked within Tae Kwon Do circles by leaders and Instructors is What is Tae Kwon Do? What defines traditional Tae Kwon Do as a martial art versus the western notion of sport or recreational activity? For that matter, what defines traditional versus modern? What I d like to do is offer my perspective which, although by no means comprehensive, attempts to shine some light on this matter. When the wind of change blows some build walls while others build windmills Chinese Proverb In terms of chronology, Tae Kwon Do is actually very modern, having been officially founded only in 1955. However, in terms of its philosophy, outlook, purpose, and relevance to Korean culture, Tae Kwon Do is very traditional. By that I mean Tae Kwon Do incorporates the three main philosophical schools of Korea and China: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism-schools of thought literally going back thousands of years. These philosophical outlooks have been with Tae Kwon Do since the beginning, not added later as an afterthought. Therefore, it can be said that Tae Kwon Do is the modern traditional martial art of Korea. Modern in that it is current and relevant, but traditional for the reasons listed above. From Buddhism, Tae Kwon Do incorporates the idea of compassion and respect for life. As students, we do not harm others or take life unless absolutely necessary, and then only with great regret. From Confucianism, we incorporate the idea of students, black belts, and Masters having defined, family-like relationships with each other. Respect for seniors, love and guidance to juniors, and our Tae Kwon Do colleagues as brothers, sisters, uncles, fathers, and senior grandfathers overseeing all. Sport activities and modern martial arts very often do not include this way of thinking. Finally, from Taoism, we have the idea of Tae Kwon Do as a Way of Life guiding our existence, a means of self-improvement throughout our lifespan to promote health and vitality, and the duality of opposites. This is another major departure from Tae Kwon Do as a sport, where the guiding principle is medal competition (winning) over a very short period of time by the fastest and most talented students. To this end, targets are limited, and technique is streamlined to only the fastest actions to assure victory. Therefore, it can be said that sport Tae Kwon Do is outcome-based rather than process-based. You train to win the next tournament. Traditional Tae Kwon Do, having been supported and promoted by the Korean military, views the entire body as a weapon and target. The ultimate goal is to neutralize the enemy if necessary, not score points. Because of this, practice and methods involve the entire body. This also differentiates traditional practice from sport.
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3 What Defines Traditional Taekwondo? (continued) Finally, Tae Kwon Do is very much culturally traditional, having been founded in Korea by Korean masters, regarded as a source of pride by Koreans, and fully incorporating Korean culture and etiquette. This was established from the beginning by the Founding Fathers of the Tae Kwon Do, and continued by their students and later generations. Because of their work, Korea has its own indigenous martial art that proudly reflects the history, culture, and philosophy of the nation that spawned it. November Tournament Are you looking for a goal to work towards? Has your competitive spirit been itching to see what you can really do? Well let s see what you re made of! Compete against other Tae Park Taekwondo students at the World Class Taekwondo of Tae Park Taekwondo tournament on November 9th and 10th. It will take place at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse at Grand Rapids Community College. The competition will include Forms, Sparring and Board Breaking. The tournament will feature Very Special Guest Grandmaster Tae Zee Park, President and Founder, as well as a new Grandmaster, Junior Grandmaster and Master Ceremony. For more information, contact Tournament Director Senior Master James A. Rodgers at sipjin319@gmail.com, or Co-Tournament Directors, Master Robert Klingbeil at bobtkd@hotmail.com and Master Susan Lofquist at lofquistsabum@gmail.com. Thank you Mr. Patterson and Mr. Trancik A big thank you goes out to Mr. Patterson and Mr. Trancik for their hard work and excellent job on the videography of the 2012 State Games. Your time and effort is appreciated, gentlemen, as the fond memories made at the tournament are now available for everyone to look back on and keep. To view the videos, simply go to www.youtube.com and search for the channel named Lexi Clippard.
Page 4 World Class Tae Kwon Do Thank You Sponsors! An immense thank you goes out to the sponsors of the 2012 Meijer State Games of Michigan World Class Taekwondo Tournament. Your generous contributions were a crucial part of making this tournament such a success in fact, the biggest tournament thus far! We have you to thank for that. You are appreciated by all of the State Games TKD participants and the TKD community. Our 2012 Sponsors are: Pam Osborn of Pinnacle Insurance Gold Sponsor Tae Zee Park of Parkhill Apartments Silver Sponsor Jim Heglund of REALICO, Inc. and Heglund Sova Realty, Inc. Bronze Sponsor THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE!!!
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2013 State Games of Michigan It s never too early to start training! Keep the 2013 Meijer State Games of Michigan in mind as you progress in your training. It will take place June 21-23rd, so mark your calendars. We are already looking forward to another successful tournament next year. You can find information throughout the year at www.stategamesofmichigan.com. Also, to get updates from the West Michigan Sports Commission, simply to go www.westmisportscommission.com to keep up with local sports and events! We re Online! Come find us online to interact with your Tae Kwon Do community and get the latest updates on the Tae Kwon Do world! You can join our group on Facebook by searching WORLD CLASS TAE KWON DO, Inc. of Tae Park Tae Kwon Do and request to join the group. WCTKD Board of Directors Officers Ex Officio President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Tae Zee Park Richard Warren Dennis Lewis James Heglund Lynn Bernard Jgm.warren@comcast.net Dennis_lewis@charter.net jimh@realico.com/tkwondo4d@aol.com lynn@wyoming.com Special Advisors to Mr. Park Special Advisor to Mr. Warren Directors Robert Klingbeil Susan Lofquist Valerie Lucas James Rodgers John Sanderson Randy Wrona Mark Good Robert Barrs Constance Ensing bobtkd@hotmail.com lofquistsabum@gmail.com VvalerieRL@aol.com sipjin319@gmail.com jsanderson@grid4.com Rwrona@msn.com markgood@goodtkd.com rwbarss@aol.com ensgc@att.net