Interview with Master Ramil

Posted on February 9, 2013 by admin

Colorado Martial Arts News sat down with Master Ramil Abratique from Victory Taekwondo. We picked his brains on his thoughts on the current state of martial arts in Colorado and also his platform. He is running for one of two open Club Director seats on the USA Taekwondo Board of Directors. This is an important position as the board is responsible for overseeing the selection process for various US National and Olympic Teams. Colorado Martial Arts News would be happy to interview any other candidates (including those not from Colorado). Please leave a comment or email [email protected]

COMANews: Give us a little background of your martial arts and business career:

Master Ramil: I started  Taekwondo at the age of twelve (12) and began teaching at the age of fourteen (14) under Grand Master Hong’s (Father of the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) ) dojang The Makati Gym and later on renamed Central Gym. I became a National Athlete at the age of eighteen (18) and retired in active competition at the age of twenty five (25). In my competition career, I retired undefeated, have won seven (7) international medals that include silver in the World Championships and received Presidential, Senate and Congress Awards twice for athletic excellence.  I have also earned my degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

While in the National Team, I was tapped to represent PTA’s grassroots program. I implemented those programs to my town of Carmona where I got elected as Town Councilor and later on became Sports Coordinator for Makati City, the financial district of the Philippines and second (2nd) largest in the country. I have also implemented this program in various provinces of the country. The grassroots program was so successful that it generated thousands of leads for school owners resulting to success of school owners and Taekwondo being the most popular martial arts in the country.

My wife, Caryl Griffith-Abratique and I started Victory Taekwondo Center here in Colorado back in the fall of 2010, the height of the Great Recession. We subleased in a MMA school and moved to our own location in just four (4) months.  We outgrew that location in just ten (10) months and moved to a five thousand sq.ft. (5,000 sq. ft.) facility. We are beginning to outgrow our current facility and are looking for ways to accommodate current and future students.

COMANews: What would you say is lacking the most in the business of the typical martial arts school out there:

Master Ramil: I personally believe that what is lacking is effective marketing strategies and more importantly a strong and solid grassroots program of our NGB.

COMANews: Are USAT clubs fairly typical, or are they different and if so, in what way?

Promotional image from Master Ramil’s campaign

Master Ramil: When it comes to management, each club is different. I strongly believe that the club’s culture reflects the Club Owner’s personality. Some are focused on Life Skills, some are on competitions, some are on traditional Martial Arts and some are a combination of everything.

COMANews:What is the single biggest factor that made your school successful enough to allow you to take on another business endeavor?

Master Ramil: The biggest factor is having a strong family type of relationship between instructors and students.

COMANews: Can a school focus on Olympic style Taekwondo and still be financially successful? If so, what is the secret?

Master Ramil: Yes.  The secret is having a balanced program incorporating Life Skills and Leadership programs.

COMANews: Getting Taekwondo taught as part of the regular curriculum in elementary schools is a dream for most US masters. Tell us more about how you accomplished this in the Phillipines.

Master Ramil: It was collaboration between all instructors and the Philippine Taekwondo Association. We focused on private schools first and slowly penetrated the public schools. At the same time, we used the power of  the media  and created programs for Local, Provincial and National governments as well as the military. It was so successful that we would have Senators as guests of honors in National Championships. As I mentioned on my website: tkdgrowth.com, this is not easy but doable.
COMANews:What differences between the Phillipines and the US would make that more challenging here? (ie, liability, etc)

Master Ramil: Actually, there is not much difference when it comes to liability and etc. It is more of having a strong will to make things happen instead of bickering. We will do the following initially,

  • To have the Club Directors communicate and unite all Club Owners and have one common goal of making Taekwondo the strongest and most popular Martial Arts in the country.
  • To work together on achieving that goal
  • To not have a personal agenda when serving in a position. What I mean with this is that, if the Club Owner sees that the other Club Owner is in a better position to execute a project or a job. He/ She needs to give way for the benefit of Taekwondo

Once this is established we will go straight to work on penetrating all levels of our society.

COMANews: Describe the USAT Board. When is it elected? What roles does it have?

Master Ramil: We are still waiting for the final approval of the bylaws as well as the election date. It should be posted on the USAT website anytime this week or next week.

In essence, the Board of Directors represents the interests of USAT’s membership, the United States Taekwondo community and Taekwondo athletes by providing USAT with policy, guidance and strategic direction. The Board oversees the management of USAT and its affairs, but it does not manage USAT.
COMANews: Let’s cut to the chase. Why should USAT clubs vote for you for club director?

Master Ramil: I am running for the Club Director position not because of the title but because of a great opportunity for me to serve our country through USAT. This is what I did in the Philippines and will be my legacy for Taekwondo.

COMANews:Anything else you want to add…..

Master Ramil: Let’s work together and vote Ramil M. Abratique and Sammy Pejo for Club Director!

 

 

 

Posted in Interviews, Special Stories | Tagged , , , , , | Comments

Olympic Athletes Training in Aurora

Posted on February 2, 2013 by admin

From left to right: Alisher G,Khusrav G, Daler L, Master Komil L (Coach), Farkhod N.

Aurora, CO – Two competitors from the London Olympic Games have come to Aurora, CO to continue their martial arts training at the Korean Academy of Taekwondo. They are Alisher Gulov and Farkhod Negmatov, both from Tajikistan. It is very difficult to qualify for the Olympics in Taekwondo, as the International Olympic Committee has limited the number of spots to 64 for men and 64 for women. Colorado Martial Arts News sat down with both of them to get to know them better. They were very excited to be in Colorado. Alisher stated that Colorado makes him feel right at home. Not only are the people here very friendly and welcoming, the topography and climate of our state match almost exactly with his home country. In fact, despite Tajikistan being over 7000 miles away, both places are at about 39 degrees latitude.

Farkhod talked about his favorite memory from the London Games. He said that the tournament is fundamentally different from any other he has been to. What was surprising was the differences between the Olympics and the World Championships. In the World Championships, athletes are with their full teams and focused mostly on performance. In the Olympics, however, there are usually only one or two people from each country and everyone is so happy just to be there. There is a lot more camaraderie between athletes from different countries and different sports.

Each country is only allowed to attempt to qualify two men and two women for the Olympics. They also brought their team mate Khusrav Giyosov with them. All three talked about the steps that led to Master Komil being named head coach. They said that they had had several coaches before, but that they were overly strict, inflexible, and formal to the point that it impaired their performance. So they approached the Tajikistan Federation and requested that Master Komil be given a chance as the coach. So far they are very happy with the change. Master Komil stated “Because I used to be a member of this team and have known these athletes since they were young, I feel like I understand what they are going through. This will help me to increase their performance in the 2013 World Championships and beyond.”

The Tajiks join Ahmed Alsubaihawi (Iraq) and Joshua Kosloski (AAU Cadet) to make five current national team members training at the Korean Academy of Taekwondo. Master Katie Pottle said “We realize how rare Olympians are in Taekwondo and that Alisher and Farkhod could choose to train at basically any school in the world. We are extremely honored to have them here.” In fact, KAT might be the only school in the country to have two male Taekwondo competitors from the 2012 games training in their school.

Look for more coverage in the future as well as exclusive photos and videos from Colorado Martial Arts News!

 

Posted in Interviews, Special Stories | Comments

Master Komiljon Latipov named Tajikistan Team Coach

Posted on January 20, 2013 by admin

(Denver, CO) – Master Komiljon Latipov’s busy life just got a little bit busier. He already is a PE Teacher at Crescent View Academy, as well as the coach of the Korean Academy of Taekwondo Competition Team. Now, he has been named the Tajikistan National Team Coach for the 2013 World Championships, at which time his contract may be extended depending on the results achieved.The announcement wasn’t entirely unexpected, as the success of KAT and Tajik athletes had already been featured in several news articles.

Master Komiljon was humble but excited. He said “It is always nice to coach high level athletes. Thanks to my country for believing in me!” Although Tajikistan has only 7 million people (as compared to 5 million for Colorado) the country is one of only a handful that qualified two males (the maximum) for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Three Tajik national team athletes were already in Colorado for a training camp to prepare for the upcoming US Open and 2013 World Taekwondo Championships. They attended the Pikes Peak Daedo Championships which had many high level athletes from the US and other countries.

It is clear that there is already good chemistry between Master Komiljon and the team. 2012 Olympian Alisher Gulov won the heavyweight division, while fellow 2012 Olympian Farkoud Negmatov won first place in the Welterweight division. The victories earned both competitors sponsorship to the US Open including registration and hotel fees. Khusrav Giyosov competed in the Olympic Featherweight division where he handily defeated his first two opponents. In the finals he faced fellow KAT athlete Ahmed Alsubaihawi from the Iraq National team in what could be a preview of a match at the world championships. Giyosov was winning 22-17 with only 2 seconds left when Alsubaihawi forced him to take Giyosov’s 8th kyon-go penalty,giving the victory to Alsubaihawi.

Stay tuned to Colorado Martial Arts News for all the latest coverage including interviews with the Tajik team and more tournament results.

 

 

 

Posted in Special Stories | Comments

Interview with Master Bob McKenna

Posted on January 15, 2013 by admin

Colorado Martial Arts News sat down with Master Robert (Bob) McKenna, one of the pioneers of martial arts in Colorado. Master Bob is a 7th Degree Black Belt and current President of the Colorado State Taekwondo Association (COSTA). We asked him to share insight from his 40+ years of martial arts training and give us a preview of what COSTA has in store for 2013.

COMANews: When did you first start training? What do you remember about the school back then?

Master McKenna: My first training was haphazard.  I boxed in college (1963-5).  Several years later i was in the army stationed in Korea.  I knew very little about Asian martial arts at the time, but was fascinated by the Korean art of Taekwondo (which every Korean schoolchild was immersed in).  My military position (I was a prosecutor) kept me from training in Korea.  On returning to the states, I studied initially (1973-5) with a first dan who hosted an (obviously) small program.  Surprisingly, on reflection, he was a good instructor.  Upon leaving the army, i joined up with “Kwan Ro Korean Karate” in 1975.  It was an excellent program, and its successor, “Mountain Kim Taekwondo” remains my “home” school to this day.

What do i remember most?  Sparring.  “Protective equipment” consisted of a mouth guard (optional).

COMANews: What do you enjoy most about martial arts?

Master McKenna: That’s changed over the years.  For some time I enjoyed sparring over everything else.  Now it’s the “spirit” of martial arts that I like most–essentially, I like the people.  Also, not to sound too corny, but I enjoy the fact that I am continuing in traditions that date back thousands of years.

COMANews: How has your training changed as you’ve gotten older?

Master McKenna: Obviously as you get older your body won’t do some of the things it used to.  In addition, you don’t recover as quickly from injuries.  But with proper thought (in advance) and awareness, you can train at pretty much any age with good results.  As you train in older years, you have to be careful to know your limitations.  However, with a good instructor, you can actually accomplish quite a bit more than you would have anticipated.

COMANews; What kind of things can we look forward to from COSTA in 2013?

Master McKenna: We plan five formal events–our annual state championships, our poomsae tournament, our team trials and two seminars (one referee and one poomsae). We also provide training for our poomsae and kyorogi teams, and financial support for athletes and others representing Colorado at national and international events.  We also try to work with all interested schools in staging and staffing their own events.  We are looking into more activities, and all suggestions are welcome.

COMANews: Can you provide one or two classic stories from Colorado martial arts history?

Master McKenna: Yes, but i don’t want to make anyone mad.

At a more general level, Colorado is a remarkable place for martial arts study, offering excellent instruction in a wide variety of martial arts.  Historically, Ralph Krause, one of the true pioneers of sport karate, lived and taught in Denver.  His annual tournament was one of the very first national karate tournaments.   Larry McGill pioneered Taekwondo in Colorado, developing the first “for credit” collegiate Taekwondo program in the country.  Our former senator, Ben Campbell, is a member of the black belt hall of fame and a gold medal winner at the pan-American games in judo.  Colorado is a great place for martial arts.

COMANews: What advice do you have for new students starting out?

Master McKenna: This obviously depends on the age of the student.  Speaking to adults (I started Taekwondo training at age 28), be patient.  You won’t be able to do everything the kids do.  But remember, you are smarter than the kids.  Take advantage of that opportunity.  For example, on tests, you are smart enough to know that you should really spend more time on forms than you might like to, a realization that will give you an advantage on a test.  Speaking to everyone, make sure that you find a program that you actually enjoy.  Martial arts training is for a lifetime, and it’s for everyone.  If you are not enjoying your training, you probably won’t keep it up.  Obviously this advice has to be taken with a grain of common sense in dealing with children, who often (usually?) don’t know what’s best for them, but overall it’s true.

COMANews: What advice do you have for instructors?

Master McKenna: Obviously every instructor has his or her own teaching style, and I don’t presume to intrude in that area.  However, something to keep in mind as instructors.  An instructor can form a powerful bond with his or her students.  Be careful to be aware of bonds as they form and be very careful that you do not accidentally compromise yourself or your students.  Also, in line with the previous question, an instructor whose training is “fun” for participants (by “fun” I do not mean “frivolous,” but enjoyable) will have the best shot at running a successful program.  By the way, I have visited a large number of schools in the Denver area, and I can say that this aspect of training is in evidence in every one I visited.

 

Check back later for more interviews from pioneers of Colorado martial arts. Know someone who would make a good subject? Email [email protected] !

Posted in Interviews | Comments

Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships

Posted on January 14, 2013 by admin

 

 

 

 

Colorado Springs, CO – The dates for the Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships have officially been announced. The event will be hosted by the Air Force Academy Taekwondo Team at the US Olympic Training Center from April 12-14th, 2013. This event will represent only the 2nd time that the event will be in Colorado in over 40 years. This is an amazing competition opportunity for members of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Taekwondo League (RMCTL) and really looks to be a shot in the arm for that group of schools. Friday April 12th will be registration, while all poomsae will be contested on Saturday. Sunday will feature all sparring competition.

The event is sure to be action-packed with many of the top competitors in the nation vying for medals. Colorado Martial Arts News will be there providing blow by blow accounts of all the action!

You can find more about the event on the official NCTA page. Registration will be through the USAT’s Hangastar system.

Posted in Upcoming Events | Comments

Events for 2013

Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin

Now that 2013 is here, let us know what events you will be attending and which events we should cover in 2013! You can vote for multiple answers.

Reply with a Facebook comment if you have another event you would like added to the poll.

What event(s) are you planning to attend in 2013?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments

Colorado TKD …Scrimmage Galore

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Steven Marak

If you are in it for the sparring, then Colorado is the place to be. Tae Kwon Do sparring is one of the safest combat sports in the world: With the combination of safety gear and professional supervision, this very exciting sport is suitable for many age groups. The benefits are far-reaching, from increased athletic ability to learning the values comradery and fair-play. But, for the student of Tae Kwon Do searching for a competitive edge beyond the limited number of athletes they can spar within her/his dojang, may I suggest attending scrimmages.

As the definition suggests, scrimmages will give you that needed sparring time that will, in many aspects, resemble actual competition without it reflecting upon your record. Normally, a scrimmage is set up so that each athlete gets as much ring time as she/he wants. The rounds are typical as are the divisions, although there is more room for individual growth and variance at a scrimmage. Also, much of the pressure of combat lies in the resulting improvement of skill and not the actual bout. It really is a place for massive growth.

 In addition to the physical aspects of Tae Kwon Do sparring, scrimmages are a great way to expand your TKD family. As a true master will always say, “Tae Kwon Do is about family, not about me.” So, plan on meeting new people- from your own dojang and from others. Exchange ideas and plan future engagements. Relax, converse, and take it all in.

Where do I scrimmage? Who do I contact? Well, if you’re reading this, you are probably already associated with a martial arts school. Ask your instructor for information on future scrimmages. After that, it really depends on how far you are willing to travel and if you can free up a few hours on a Saturday. If you are not associated with a martial arts school, search the web. There are countless quality-minded schools in your area.

Make sure to bring all of your required gear to the scrimmage. If you are attending an E-hogu scrimmage, don’t forget your E-sock, and show up a little early to get situated. Also, don’t forget to get a lot of rest and nutrition beforehand and thank the hosting school afterwards.

So then, you are a Tae Kwon Do warrior or want to be one. You love to spar and want to prove yourself in battle. Well, you had better prepare yourself. Contact a scrimmage-hosting school today and obtain that needed ring time. A couple of schools that host scrimmages on a continual basis, in the Denver metro area, are: Korean Academy of Tae Kwon Do and Master Yosvany Tae Kwon Do. If you are hosting TKD scrimmages and you want to get the word out, contact Colorado State TKD Association. If you want your future event highlighted in this publication, please contact Steven Marak and happy scrimmaging.

Posted in Special Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments

Rocky Mountain Collegiate Taekwondo League Fall Championships

Posted on November 27, 2012 by admin

Beautiful medals given out by CU

Henderson, CO – The Rocky Mountain Collegiate Taekwondo League hosted its fall championships on November 11th, 2012. The event was organized by CU Boulder Taekwondo, with David Lee as the director. The tournament featured competition for all levels of college students, from first time beginners to some of the top competitors in the nation and world. There were people who had never put on sparring gear before, and people who will compete in a few weeks at the US Team Trials and a few months at the 2013 World Championships. Paloma Gonzalez, president of the Auraria Campus Taekwondo program stated: “This league is so fun, it gives us the opportunity to compete without the pressure and stress of other tournaments.” Master Marcus Santos of Arapahoe Community College Agreed. “It Was a fun and friendly tournament. Thank you for all organizers.”

The competition was fierce in the black belt divisions. In women’s forms, there was some confusion and divisions were split, resulting in Heather Gibson (ACT), Kinsey Muso (ACC), and Nicole Anderson (CU) all taking first. The Men’s black belt forms was extremely competitive with almost 15 competitors. Dale Zamora (ACT) earned 15 points, followed by Roy Mejia (ACT) and Cameron Carter (CU).

Action in the Men’s Featherweight sparring with other competitors looking on

In Men’s A Team (Varsity) sparring, the featherweight division was very competitive, with the finals coming down to a match between former US Team Trials competitor Roy Mejia (ACT) and Iraqi National Team Member Ahmed Alsubaihawi (ACT). Despite only recently coming back from injury, Mejia sparred well but lost to Alsubaihawi. The Men’s Welterweight division was also competitive, and Emad Ismael (ACT) had to win four matches to claim the title. Ismael was following up on his US National Collegiate Championships gold medal, which he claimed in the color belt division. He nearly had to settle for silver as Nick Merten from CU Boulder hit him with a head shot, however, it was one second after time expired. The heavyweight division was split into two to give more experience to teammates Cameron Weber (CSU) and Aaron Turner (ACC), two of the top competitors in the country. They sparred Harrison Archer (ACT) and Sam Douglass (ACT), in order to give more experience to to the beginning competitors.

From Left to Right- Aaron Turner (US National Champion, heavyweight) Ahmed A (Iraq National Team) and Cameron Weber (US National Silver Medalist, Middleweight)

In the Women’s A Team Sparring, the flyweight finals match was between Kinsey Muso (ACC) and Paloma Gonzalez (ACT) came down to the wire, with Muso taking control with only seconds left. She was coming off her bronze medal in the US Collegiate Taekwondo Championships. Paloma Gonzalez was sparring a demo match after she won the women’s featherweight division, defeating Nicole Anderson (CU). The A Team Welterweight division featured two former AAU National Team members facing off against each other. It was a hard fought battle, but Heather Gibson (ACT) earned the victory against Sammy Saltamachia (AFA).

All in all it was a great day and great competition. The league is now to the point where it should be able to attract teams from other states, as there is great competition across different genders, weights, and skill levels. The next event will be hosted by Metro State in the Spring (likely May) of 2013. Rachel Challman from CU spoke to the value of the event for beginners when she said  “As a white belt, it was a great first sparring and forms experience :)” Cameron (CU) also summed up the entire event “It was a fun competition for experience. Excellent sportsmanship among everyone”

The final team standings were as follows:

1. Auraria Campus Taekwondo (ACT) 290
2. University of Colorado Boulder (CU) 120
3. Arapahoe Community College (ACC) 41
4. Colorado State University (CSU) 20
5. University of Northern Colorado (UNC) 13
6. Air Force Academy (AFA) 11

These points will be added to the points earned in the Spring Championships to determine the Cup winners for the 2012-2013 Season. To see the full results [xls] , click here.

The leading MVP Candidates for women were Kinsey Muso and Heather Gibson, each with 30 points for their teams. For the men Emad Ismael had 25 points and Roy Mejia 22 points.

The CU Boulder team had a ton of fun hosting.

 

Posted in Event Results | Comments

Mile High Open Championships

Posted on November 17, 2012 by admin

Aurora, CO – Champion Taekwondo Academy held the first Mile High Open tournament at Aurora Frontier Middle School on October 13th, 2012. The tournament featured competition in forms, breaking, weapons, sparring, blaster pad, and many creative/musical/group forms divisions. There were approximately 155 competitors from three states who attended the event.

The event used Daedo Electronic Scoring for the Olympic Style Sparring divisions, and there were many exciting matches. One of the highlights of the event was the opening ceremonies, where Master Andre Olivera talked about what it took to run his first tournament in the US. He compared it with an international championship that he had run decades before in Brasil. The masters who attended introduced themselves and gave some words of advice for the students and competitors.

Students bow during the opening ceremonies

The tournament also gave out awards for schools that supported the event by bringing the most competitors. First place went to A Team Taekwondo, second place went to the Korean Academy of Taekwondo, and third place went to Champion Taekwondo Academy, which had traveled all the way from New Mexico. There was also a trophy for the best collegiate team, which went to CU Boulder Taekwondo.

The event featured beautiful team awards

The sparring competition was fierce, with many talented black belts. The referees voted and gave the best sparring award to Brianna Ballard for females and Andrzey Belicki (Delgado’s TKD) for males.

Action during the finals of the men’s black belt featherweight sparring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all it was a great event that was well run by the CTA staff and volunteers. Several competitors and parents remarked at how smoothly the event was running. With a tournament like that, expect it to be even larger next year!

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments

Colorado Elementary School Taekwondo League Fall Championships Results

Posted on November 16, 2012 by admin

Aurora, CO – The Colorado Elementary School Taekwondo League hosted its fall championships on November 10th, 2012. The championships featured twelve teams vying for top honors across five events. Teams were coming off the first Elementary School Championships in May. Because many schools go to 8th grade, the league includes middle school teams as well.

You wouldn’t want to meet them at the end of a dark alley! CJ Calingo almost singlehandedly lead newcomer Omar D. Blair to a 6th place overall finish.

The day started off with Traditional forms. The forms competition was top notch with many 2012 state champions and Anthony Hicks, the current US National Champion in his division. The close finish was a preview of what was to come, with four teams all ending within three points of each other. However, Crescent View Academy ended up edging out the others and went ahead with 13 points.

Next was the demo team competition. This time the team from Global Village Academy turned in a strong performance that edged out rival Aurora Quest. GVA’s demo featured Taylor Altman’s patented Scorpion kick as well as Anthony demolishing a board with a flash kick (kick in the middle of a back flip).

GVA slightly extended its lead through board breaking, with other schools close behind. In grappling, Crescent View Academy and High Point Academy tied for first with 10 points each, with HPA lead by the Axelrod brothers. Instructor Kyle Landon of HPA had high praise for his students, who won their first event. “The HPA students love to grapple, and they have been working really hard and showing a lot of improvement.”

Cinnamon from Options shows off her grappling gold medal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the sparring competition, Master Kamil’s CVA was once again a powerhouse but top honors belonged to GVA Thornton and Instructor Ahmed Alsubaihawi, a member of the 2013 Iraq National Taekwondo Team. The GVA Thornton students earned 16 points for their efforts. The sparring competition featured many great students, including 2012 USAT and AAU National Champion Grace Kosloski.

When all the dust had settled, Global Village Academy Aurora emerged on top, by the margin of a single gold medal. CVA was second, and Aurora Quest finished third. The tournament scheduling didn’t favor Quest, as they were without the services of 2011-2012 MVP Riley Ward and the Burson family was able to attend only two events. Still, the reigning league champions remain within shot of the title heading into the spring. The students will compete again at the 2013 Twin Dragons Tournament, and the points from that tournament will be added to the points from this one, to determine the overall league ranking for the 2012-2013 season.

All in all the students had a good time and learned a lot. Hannah Toulouse (GVA) said  “It was really fun and I was excited that I broke a board with my fist.” Isabella Walsh (GVA) added: “It was so awesome. I hope even more people come next time.” Master Kamil Latipov (CVA) said “I am proud of how hard all the students worked and everyone from CVA showed a lot of improvement!”

Sarah Claussen, a parent from Aurora Options really summed up the mood. “What impressed me most was what took place on the podium. Many of the students took the opportunity to thank their opponents for challenging them, pointing out their strengths and overall toughness.”

Master Bill Pottle, current head of the Korean Academy of Taekwondo, reflected back on the championships. “Through the hard work of many instructors, I really feel like we are building something special. We have a place where people can come together from many different backgrounds and unite in their quest to better themselves through martial arts. Between this and the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Taekwondo League, we are changing the nature of Taekwondo competition to make it more in line with students’ academic schools.”

Anyone interested in finding out more information or participating can visit the official elementary school league page.

Final Results:

  1. GVA Aurora (44)
  2. Crescent View Academy (41)
  3. Aurora Quest K8 (36)
  4. High Point Academy (29)
  5. GVA Thornton (26)
  6. Omar D. Blair (6)
  7. Walt Clark Middle School (5)
  8. STEM Academy (3)
  9. Mike’s School (3)
  10. Antelope Ridge (3)
  11. Aurora Options (3)
  12. Dakota Valley (1)

Can GVA Aurora hold on to their 3 point league to win their first ever league championship?

The current MVP Candidates include: Sam and JT Axelrod (HPA), Hannah Toulouse (GVA) Jibreal Jones (CVA), Taylor Altman (GVA), Isabella Walsh (GVA) Josiah Dunkn (QST) and more.

 

 

Posted in Event Results | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments