Promotion Testing: The next promotion testing will be held, Friday, April 16th. All Black Belts are required to attend testing and all students are encouraged to attend to support your class mates. We expect all testing candidates to be ready to go at 5:30 pm and we will start as soon as Master Todd is ready, but no later than 6:00 pm. If you can’t make it or have questions please email Master Todd, Mr. Bushor, or Ms. Bowing.
New Testing Rule: (Master Todd, 7th dan) Effective this testing, black belts (except the testing board) will dress in doboks for the testing unless we have students testing for Black Belt ranks. During any testing for a Black Belt rank all Black Belts in attendance will be dressed in the USTF official dress. For 3rd degree and below, white shirt, blue pants and the USTF tie or tab for females. During testing any type of dress shoe is appropriate, for tournaments they must be plain white tennis shoes. For 4th degree and above add the embroidered blue blazer. These are the requirements; however, you can purchase your embroidered blue blazer at any time after making your black belt. We may ask a few Black Belts to wear doboks during any testing to assist. There are no students testing for Black Belt during this test and Mr. Fleischman will be the testing director.
Black Belt Class: The next scheduled Black Belt Class is Saturday, May 8th starting at noon. All Black Belts and Black Stripes are required to attend and must talk to Master Todd if you will not be there.
Future Events: The success of our events relies on students attending and their parents support (for the younger students). We have several events coming up that we hope you make room in your schedule and budget to attend. June 5th will be our Annual Axe Taekwon-Do tournament. This is a sanctioned USTF tournament and while we hesitate to say attendance is mandatory we would like to see 100 percent participation. The flyer is located on our website and you can ask one of the instructors for further information, remember you should participate in one tournament per year. July 30th will be the Region 6 Camp in Mexico, Missouri. We will take as many students as can attend to this event. More information is on our website and this is one of the most outstanding events you can attend annually. Please ask if you need further information.
Testing Etiquette: (Ms.Bowing, 4th dan)
While most of you know who is testing and what you are supposed to do, here is a reminder. For those of you who have never tested or attended a testing, here are some things you should take into consideration:
If you are a student testing:
- Answer up! Every testing we have to tell students to be louder. Use your outside voice.
- Bow. Do not forget to bow when you are called onto the floor, and when you are dismissed.
- Be as quick as possible when lining up. Someone on the Testing Board will call you up in a specific order. Make sure you bow, answer up, and then run to your spot on the floor.
- Relax and try your best! We have practiced everything in class already, and there shouldn’t be any surprises.
If you are a student not testing:
- Sit on the floor next to the wall. Do not lean up against the wall.
- Be quiet. It is hard enough performing your TKD without the added noise from talking or whispering on the side, besides it is disrespectful to Master Todd and the students testing. Pay attention to the testing, you may actually learn something. Applaud when they are done.
- Make sure you use the restroom and get your drinks BEFORE the testing starts. If you need something during the testing ask the highest ranking Black Belt on the side.
If you are friends or family watching:
- Applauding is not only allowed, but is a great way to encourage everyone to do their best.
- Try and stay seated while the students are performing. There are many times when the students are leaving/entering the floor to do what they need to.
- Cameras of any sort are welcome. The only restriction we will need you to follow is do not stand in front of Master Todd.
- In the interest of safety and respect to the students testing and our entire class please keep your children off the floor. We have experienced this problem in the past.
Schedule 2010:
Apr 16th – Promotion Testing
Apr 17th and 18th – USTF Class B Instructor Course – Broomfield, CO (Two full days 8-7)
May 1st – Black Belt Testing – Kirksville, MO (Master Stevenson promotion to 8th Dan Senior Master Instructor)
Jun 5th – 3rd Annual Axe TKD Tournament
Jul – Black Belt Pre-Test (date TBD)
Jul – Promotion Testing (date TBD)
Jul 30th – Aug 1st – Region 6 Summer Camp, Mexico, MO
Sep 11th – Battle of the Belts – Missouri
Oct – Black Belt Pre-Test (date TBD)
Oct – Testing (date TBD)
Oct – GM Sereff Tournament – Denver, CO (dates TBD)
Summer: (Master Todd, 7th dan)
The newsletter will rotate each month between Mr. Bushor, Ms. Bowing and me. This month was from Ms. Bowing. I will continue to edit and have the overall approval of what is in the newsletter and on the website, however; I encourage anyone, color or black belt and even parents, to submit articles for inclusion. Please keep in mind the nature of our class as a martial arts environment and ensure any articles you submit to me are respectful. If in doubt send to Mr. Bushor or Ms. Bowing first.
Summer is approaching and I understand family commitments, baseball, soccer, etc. Please bear in mind you only train two times per week. If you are not making the required number of classes you will not be eligible to test. This does not mean that I want you to stop training, just understand your progression may slow during the summer for your other events. I know that I press everyone including parents to attend class. I was very active as a child in youth baseball and played baseball, basketball and football in high school. I know the pressures of those activities. I would like to say I would have still made every Taekwon-Do class but I know that isn’t possible, I still may miss perhaps one class per year. Taekwon-Do is a lifetime activity, youth sports and activities are not. My children were heavily into ice hockey and it consumed our schedule when they were younger. I still made all my TKD classes, but I was only running the kid shuttle.
I understand it’s baseball and soccer season; again I am okay with anyone pursuing their interests as I said TKD is a lifetime activity. A very small percentage of children actually get to play in organized sports beyond high school or into college. Many parents and kids (I know I did also) dream of playing professional sports and it's good to dream. Pursue those interests as they do make you grow as a person. TKD will always be there. However here is my warning to parents and students.
- Attend classes as you can. If you begin missing or take time off it’s nearly impossible to come back. Your peers will pass you and this creates frustration for the returning student. If the student misses too many classes they do forget and have to “relearn”, creating further frustration. Skills, timing, and balance diminish without constant training under an instructor. I laugh when students (adult & youth) tell me they are training on their own, this works okay for maintenance but will not lead to growth. Compare how well you would do aerobics on your own versus an organized class. I have lost many talented Black Belts to this.
- During other activities you are still bound by our rules if you want to remain in the class. This means you (students) are still required to let us know when you are going to be out of the class for any reason. This is part of our lesson in responsibility. It is true you pay for classes but this doesn’t entitle you or us to be anything other than respectful of each other’s time. You can call or email us. Our contact information is on the website.
- Return to class in a full time capacity as soon as possible. Don’t become frustrated that you may fall behind, remember you chose your other activity and TKD is a lifetime activity. It really doesn’t matter what belt rank you are as long as you are proficient. You can be a great Green Belt or join another class and become a crappy Black Belt. I would always choose the great Green Belt. Please remember if we tell you that you can’t test or need to wait longer we are doing you a favor, ensuring you a better martial artist. I will also ensure notification of students not testing is done in a more private manner in the future.
- Finally in addition to your already busy schedules we do have two very important summer events. The Axe Tournament and Camp. I know I push these very hard each year. Both events will not be successful without your participation. Besides the fact you are required to participate in a tournament, it will also provide you with valuable lessons. Camp also provides a great learning experience and can lead to new friendships and a fun summer event!
New Students: (Mr. Bushor, 5th dan)
Because most of us are tied to the military in one way or another, we understand the need to move on to the next base. This means students that have been with us a long time will need to leave us, but it also means that new students will come and join the class. Other TKD schools around the country don’t see this type of turnover in their students. Losing good students is always a sad occasion, but getting new students helps make up for that loss. In case you don’t know it, you play a big part in recruiting new students for our class. As you meet new people at school or work and talk about school, hobbies, work, etc., I’m sure TKD always comes up. If someone seems interested, invite them to watch a class, tell them to visit the school website (www.axetkd.com), and answer all the questions you can.
As new student join our class, take the time to welcome them. Try to get to know them, they are new members of your Taekwon-Do family, and should be included in everything we try to do. You may not like everyone who joins the class, but you won’t know unless you try to get to know them all. Remember, you were new to our class at one time too.
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