Student of the Month:  The students of the month for June are Mr. Jim Otto and Ms. Kayla Matos.  We believe they are excellent examples of the finest qualities in TKD, and display the tenets of Taekwon-Do (Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit). Taekwon!  Please visit the webpage to their information.

CPR Class:  On June 7th 2008, several members of Axe Taekwon-Do attended a CPR certification class.  We now have several students certified in CPR.  Remember if we are in class and an event occurs we need to immediately notify the Youth Center staff.  Thanks to Mrs. MacCaffrey for her time and efforts to organize this training.  We will all profit from this training students and instructors alike.

Class Picnic & Day in the Park:  Thanks to all the students and family members who participated in the Axe Annual Day in the Park on June 14th, 200 at the base lake.  The class trained hard for an hour or so, and then participated in several challenging events designed by Mrs. MacCaffrey, Mrs. Ragone, Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Finan.  We finished the morning with a fine lunch.  There were only minor injuries by some, one plunge into the lake, and plenty of fun had by all. 

Email Addresses:  If you did not get this News Letter via email, that means that Mr. Bushor either doesn’t have your email address or has the wrong email address for you.  Master Todd and Mr. Bushor use email as the primary means to pass information out to our class.  Send Mr. Bushor an email at kbushor@cox.net with your email address included and he will add it to the master list.

Tournament:  Axe Taekwon-Do will be hosting our first official USTF tournament at the Youth Center on Saturday, July 26th, 2008.  We expect there will be schools attending from Iowa, Missouri and Kansas.  It should be a great event with individual and team patterns, sparring, and breaking competitions.  Students will be matched in divisions according to age and rank.  We will ensure it is a safe and fun event.  As with all Axe Taekwon-Do events the success of the event depends on your participation.  The cost is $25 per student which will enter you into individual patterns, sparring & breaking.  There is a separate fee of $25 for each Team Pattern.  You can do any or all of the events.  If you have any questions please contact Master Todd or Mr. Bushor.  Please invite your family and friends to attend.  To ensure safety and a great event the actual competition is only open to USTF students.   

Sparring Gear:  Safety of the competitors will be paramount during our tournament and all competitors wishing to spar will be required to wear Head, Hand, and Foot Gear as well as a mouth piece in order to compete.  Male competitors will also be required to wear an athletic cup.  While our school has a limited supply of sparring gear for your use, it is a good idea to have your own sparring gear.  Mr. Bushor can order sparring gear for those who wish to have their own at any time, but we will need to place an order not later than 2 weeks before the tournament (July 12th) to ensure the gear arrives in time.  The cost is $69 for Head, Hand, and Foot Gear.  There is a variety of sizes and colors available, so see Mr. Bushor if you want to place an order.  You can get mouth pieces and athletic cups in the sporting goods section of most larger department stores.

USTF News:  Effective immediately the USTF will not process any Black Belt paperwork or certification without the requirements being met.  We are required to mail copies of all your certifications with your black belt applications (so hang onto them)

The USTF Referee program is very reasonable and both Master Todd & Mr. Bushor are qualified to teach this.  Axe Taekwon-Do will host another Referee course in 2009.  The USTF policy is there is absolutely no excuse for someone not to have USTF Referee status. 

There have been problems getting everyone to comply with the USTF Instructors course.  Grand Master Sereff and Grand Master Winegar have come up with a solution to students not passing this Class C or Class B test.  If you take the course and test but do not pass, you can retest at the next course at no charge.  If you want to take the course again before the test, the cost is retake at $50.00.  The USTF requirement is met with a participation certificate; however, if you want the certification, you will have to pass the test. 

We have had some inquiries about the age requirement of II Dan.  The USTF policy has not changed.  The age was 14 and ½ years for II Dan.  Grand Master Sereff had given some allowance for students within the 9 months requirement.  After giving the requirements some thought he has come up with a new age.  There is no AGE REQUIREMENT for I or II Dan as long as the time in training requirement is met and the maturity level is there for II Dan.  The age requirement for III and IV Dan remains the same. 

Grand Master Sereff and Grand Master Winegar are in the process of updating some of the USTF Testing Syllabus manuals and they hope to have them completed by the end of the year. 

Upcoming Events:  (all dates are subject to change)

July 26 – USTF Region 3 Axe Taekwon-Do Tournament – Bellevue , NE
August – Axe TKD Testing
September 20th – Battle of the Belts – Harrisburg, MO
October 12th – Grand Master Sereff Championship – Broomfield, CO
November – Axe TKD Testing
Oct or Nov – Ho Sin Sul Course – Kirksville, Missouri
 
Camp:  Region 6 has canceled their annual summer camp this year due to unforeseen circumstances.  We know that many of us look forward to these camps every summer and are disappointed that there will not be one this year.  As noted above, our school will be hosting, what we hope to be, the 1st Annual Axe Taekwon-Do Tournament in place of the Region 6 summer camp.  We fully expect our friends in Region 6 to have camp again next summer and Axe Taekwon-Do will support them as in the past.  We will adjust the date of next year’s Axe Taekwon-Do Tournament so as to not interfere with their camp.

Respect:  (By Master Ricky Todd, 7th Degree Black Belt)
Recently I have noticed several black belts and color belts teaching or shouting out “assistance” when other students are training especially during breaking.  It is extremely disrespectful to do this when Mr. Bushor or I am there.  The only instruction or assistance will be provided by Mr. Bushor or me.  I have let this go a little and will start enforcing this during class.  Most students during breaking are nervous and have to conquer their own fears and do not need numerous people shouting instruction or assistance to them.  I would ask all students of Taekwon-Do to concentrate on your own progression and allow Mr. Bushor and me the opportunity to assist other students.  Have you ever considered when Mr. Bushor or I let a student attempt a break we know they are too far from the boards or are not dropping their weight correctly? 

Sometimes you have to let a student fail so they can learn from that failure.  I could line up a student perfectly every time so they could break the boards, but they would not be learning.  I have learned far more over the years from my failures in all aspects of Taekwon-Do than I have from my success.  One bad strike on a board you will have immediate feedback that your technique did not work.  You don’t need 5 people telling you to “look through the board” or “hit it harder”. 

So again refrain from any comments, a polite clap or cheer after breaking or an attempted break is appropriate.   The same rule applies to sparring.  Only the coaches that Mr. Bushor or I designate should be instructing during sparring.  Again it is confusing when you are sparring and you are having numerous people yell suggestions to you.  Obviously during a tournament you can cheer on your favorite players, but it should also be respectful.  If you have any questions, please see me.