On Saturday October 19th, 2019 Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, Founder and President of Taekwon-do International attended the prestigious World Martial Arts award ceremony hosted by the World Grandmaster’s Federation and was awarded the Growth of Martial Arts Medal. The ceremony was held at George Mason University’s Science and Technology campus in Manassas, VA in honor of many martial arts greats and pioneers.
Master Chris Malarkey of Complete Taekwon-Do in Bergenfield, NJ accompanied Grandmaster Kim and had this to say: "Upon entering a sea of mostly black belt practitioners, I took notice of the many banners throughout showing the late General Choi, the creator and founder of Tae Kwon Do, Bruce Lee, Grandmaster Hee Il Cho, John Rhee, Chuck Norris, and more. I quickly found myself in the auditorium’s main room where I easily stood a foot shorter in the collection of Grandmasters from all over the country and the world. Walking into this large gathering I was able to pinpoint Grandmaster Kim happily seated with a number of fellow practitioners/friends collected in the front seats with flowers and decorative sashes to commemorate the Highest Medal of Honor they were set to receive in mere moments. "When his name came across the big screen in the front of the room, I stole myself away to follow him into a narrow corridor where again, he seemed happy but still very humble to this recognition that is well-earned--a lesson I took without even having to put on my uniform or belt. He was still teaching me even in that moment of some of the highest recognition out there without formally conducting a class. "Grandmaster Kim’s name was called and the whole room applauded with a standing ovation and seemed to feel the same way I’ve come to about this extraordinary instructor and mentor. I then realized not only how vast the martial arts world really was but also the lasting impact Master Kim has left on the entire discipline itself. "Adding this honor to his Hall of Fame induction, Grandmaster SJ Kim has left his mark on the world of Taekwon-do, all the while straddling the present state and forward thinking of the Taekwon-do of the future, the Taekwon-do that was, and the Taekwon-do as it was intended; the Korean art of self-defense. "Congratulations Grandmaster Kim!" Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts Participates in Leicester Elementary School’s 2019 Fall Festival10/25/2019
Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts in Asheville, NC once again enjoyed tremendous student participation in a demonstration at this year’s Leicester Elementary School annual Fall Festival. It was a wonderful opportunity to show support for teacher Amy Vaughn, a 2nd degree Black Belt practitioner at Asheville Sun Soo and first grade teacher at Leicester Elementary, as well as to show support for families and education in general. Students of varied ages and ranks demonstrated forms, self-defense techniques, and board breaks for an engaged and interested crowd of elementary school students, teachers, and families. Asheville Sun Soo loves supporting the local community and they are proud of the community contributions all their students make on a regular basis. If you are interested in booking Asheville Sun Soo for a martial arts demonstration for your group or organization, please contact Grandmaster Tony Morris at Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts 828-505-4309. Every year, the people of Western North Carolina are given the opportunity to vote for their favorite businesses in the area. Asheville Sun Soo in Asheville, North Carolina is proud to share that once again, Asheville Sun Soo has been voted #1 in the “Best of WNC” voting in several categories! They are honored to be recognized with this distinction, and are grateful for the support of the Asheville Sun Soo family and friends! The categories in which they were voted #1 in WNC are: Best Kids Martial Arts Program * Best Martial Arts Studio * Best Parent’s Night Out Program * for our Kid’s Night Out program Best Kids After School Program Best Day Camp In addition, they were voted the 3rd best Youth Sports Program in the Asheville area! Asheville Sun Soo sends thanks to all who voted! * Indicates Hall of Fame status. This designation is reserved for winners who have won first place for at least 4 years in a row, including the current year! Registration is now open for The 2019 Taekwon-do International Invitational Championship which will be held at Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts in Asheville, NC on Saturday, September 28, 2019.
The competition will include sparring, forms and breaking events and will also have Black Belt and Masters demonstrations. This will be an exciting day and a great chance for practitioners to improve their training, and also to make new martial arts friends. More information is available on the Taekwon-do International website Events page. Students from Glen Ridge Taekwon-do, Montclair, NJ went to the United Taekwondo Alliance Nationals in Shreveport, LA on the weekend of July 27, 2019. The competitors qualified at The 2019 US Masters Invitational Championship, hosted by Glen Ridge Taekwon-do in May 2019. The school plans on holding another UTA Grand Nationals qualifier in the spring of 2020 for those who are interested in going. Brielle Longyhore: 1st Traditional Forms, 1st Olympic Sparring Caleb Stahl: 2nd Traditional Forms, 2nd Partner Forms, Participant Point Sparring Charlotte Meany: 2nd Partner Forms, Participant Traditional Forms Margaret Meany: 2nd Traditional Forms, 3rd Partner Forms, 1st Olympic sparring Caelyn Stahl: 4th Traditional Forms, 3rd Partner Forms, 1st Olympic Sparring, 3rd Point Sparring Click to see the video on our YouTube channel. Taekwon-do International has been holding the annual Boot Camp for over 10 years and 2019 was no exception. The camp took place in Caldwell, NJ and was attended by more than 75 practitioners ranking from Grandmasters down to young color belts. Grandmaster S.J. Kim, Founder and President of TKDI led the sessions for all three days teaching informative lessons for all. Classes covered a variety of subjects including free fighting, forms, kicking technique, and a new session covered judging and referreeing. Attendees said it was very informative and being in the immersive environment allowed people to get more out of each session. Thank you Grandmaster Kim for such a great camp! Taekwon-do International will hold another boot camp in 2020. Click to sign up for our newsletter to get information about Boot Camp and other events throughout the year. Asheville Sun Soo in Asheville, NC, was thrilled to have been asked to conduct a self-defense class as a part of the Young Women’s Camp with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! The camp was conducted at Mars Hill University, and was well attended with over 60 campers, ages 11-18! Asheville Sun Soo provided instruction in the form of an all-female teaching team, lead by 4th Degree Master Instructor Amy Dexter and supported by 2nd Degree Instructor Cyd Smith, 2nd Degree Teen Assistant Instructor Jennifer Marshall, and 1st Degree Teen Assistant Instructor Devin Martin. Participants were taught basic self-defense techniques, supported by movement fundamentals. Students learned to find their inner strength, establish healthy boundaries, and use basic taekwondo moves in defending themselves. In addition, the Teen Assistant Instructors demonstrated high level forms and broke multiple boards, illustrating some of what is possible as a result of a consistent and ongoing martial arts practice. Asheville Sun Soo believes that it is important to empower members of the community with the tools and confidence helpful to navigating the world. Glen Ridge Taekwon-do in Montclair, NJ was thrilled to have many competitors qualify for The United Taekwondo Alliance Grand Nationals by competing at their annual championship,The 2019 US Masters Invitational Taekwon-do Championship in May of this year. While many people qualified, there were also many people with other summer committments that weekend, but the school was able to send five students to compete when the nationals were held in Shreveport, LA on Friday July 26th and Saturday July 27th. GlenRidgeTKD will hold a UTA Nationals qualifying competition in the Spring of 2020. Students who place first in sparring or forms will qualify for the UTA Nationals that summer. Brielle Longyhore: 1st Traditional Forms, 1st Olympic Sparring Caleb Stahl: 2nd Traditional Forms, 2nd Partner Forms, Participant Point Sparring Charlotte Meany: 2nd Partner Forms, Participant Traditional Forms Margaret Meany: 2nd Traditional Forms, 3rd Partner Forms, 1st Olympic sparring Caelyn Stahl: 4th Traditional Forms, 3rd Partner Forms, 1st Olympic Sparring, 3rd Point Sparring It was a typical summer evening in Shaker Heights, Ohio: neighbors gathering at a city-sponsored block party; a DJ spinning his tunes as food trucks offered an array of treats. Then the DJ mixed it up with a classic from the 1970s: Carl Douglas's Kung Fu Fighting. Suddenly a few in the crowd started moving in unison. More joined them. Then more. And more. Starting with the owners of Master Marr's Taekwon-do doing 3rd Dan pattern Yoo Shin, and ending with over 60 students performing the beginning pattern Chon-Ji, the Taekwon-do flash mob had the attention of the entire crowd. The whole event was over in less than 6 minutes, but the buzz continued throughout the evening. Students of Master Marr's Taekwon-do were not wearing doboks, but the keen observer noticed a theme: MMTKD t-shirts in varying designs and different colors. The performers did not bow at the end--exchanging high fives instead and dispersing quickly--but the crowd responded with cheers and applause. Neighbors supporting neighbors supporting neighborhood business supporting neighborhood business. Yes, a typical summer evening in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Catch the video and more photos at https://www.facebook.com/marrtkd/ Founder and Head Master Instructor Grandmaster Tony Morris of Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts, Asheville, NC, recently paid a visit to local elementary school, Leicester Elementary. He taught students some of the basics of self-defense and the tenets of Tae Kwon Do, while conducting a class that was fun and engaging. While engaging with these students, Grandmaster Morris was also there to support teacher Amy Vaughn, a 2nd degree Black Belt practitioner at Asheville Sun Soo, as well as a first grade teacher at Leicester Elementary. Asheville Sun Soo is always pleased to support their local community, and are proud of the contributions their students regularly make to the local community. |