Taking on Leadership

By Lynne Dean, 1st dan, CTI Masters Club Member

The fact of the matter is that being a leader is HARD work.  Especially being an effective leader.  CTI students are taught from the beginning of the CTI core principles.  These tenants – courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and indomitable spirit – are fundamentally the basis of a good leader.  The CTI student has to practice these principles in each class and event.  And, since practice prepares us for success, this naturally positions CTI students to be leaders in their community.Why should a CTI student become a leader in their community? – The answer is multi-faceted.  They have the training.  They have the opportunity.  And the CTI student also has the mandate to not just be an effective member of their community, but to make an impact.

And so – with all this practice and training – how can a CTI student show leadership in their community?  It’s not about making big speeches or leading big teams although there are certainly opportunities there with sports, clubs, and community service organizations.  Fundamentally, a CTI student leads by example.  They influence their peers by their example.  They practice what they preach by working ethically and with integrity on positive ways forward to the happenstances of community interactions.  In a day to day community where folks tend to take the easy way out and no one really does want to be singled out, the CTI student has the opportunity to shine by example and provide positive energy towards the overall good of the community.

Whether at work or at school (or both!), CTI students can apply their core tenants and also the tenacity they build by being associated with CTI.  A leader has to have vision that helps them generate a path forward towards a goal.  It takes a lot to get through our classes and events.  It takes thoughtful planning to reach the goal of the next belt.  As CTI students, we can take advantage of those hard won skills by applying them to our goals and tasks at school/work and at other community events.  We have opportunity and motive.  And so we have to be convicted and take on the leadership roles wherever we can.

21st LHP Team Champs

THE RECORD BREAKING EVENT OF MSK, AMASEA AND THE CTI!

A fantastic day was had by all at our 21st Lee H. Park Team Championships on December 7th!  Honoring our MSK / AMASEA founder Great Grandmaster Lee H. Park and our United States Veterans.  An all-time MSK/AMASEA/CTI record 391 Moo Sul Kwan students and instructors packed Alameda International for exciting team competitions.

The day began at 7 AM with black belts competing in Team Poomse, Blindfolded One-Step Sparring, Team Staff, Team Breaking and Team Self-Defense.

Later, all belts and ages took their turn in Team Creative Basics, One-Step Sparring, Breaking, Poomse, Most Kicks in a CTI Minute and Basics Challenge.

There was also a demonstration provided by our CTI Black Belt Club which involved five different CTI Campuses.  The demo showcased many of the different areas that are trained in Black Belt Club classes.

Our United States National Anthem at this year's LHP Team Championships was led by Michael and Doug Sandusky, with all of the black belts and students singing along.

The end of this fantastic team championships saw our 3rd dan and above black belts compete in Blindfolded Breaking competitions.  Winning CTI Black Belts performed five blindfolded breaks to the delight of everyone in attendance!

The next Championships is the 46th CTI Superbowl is February 28-29!

Click here to see some photos of our 21st LHP Team Champs.

How the Founding Fathers used the Five Tenets of Taekwondo

By Karen Carreon, red belt, CTI LeAD Team Member

For those who are requested to give speeches in CTI soon, the topic at hand is to speak about a person who has signed the Declaration of Independence.  I must admit, my memory of history is quite foggy and so I decided to read up on our very own history. First, a Founding Father can be described as “a person who starts or helps start a movement or institution.”  Specific to our country, a Founding Father is “a member of The Convention that drew up the U.S. Constitution in 1787.” The efforts of our Founding Fathers was to break free from the Monarchy of Great Britain and create our own government that best suited Americans. 

To create a document, present it to King George III, fight for our freedom and liberties to lay down the framework of our current operating system of government took amazing courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and of course an indomitable spirit.

First, it took some courtesy, i.e., consideration for others to word things in a way that allows and encourages freedoms and opportunities for its citizens, rather than blind loyalty to a crown that has the potential of tyranny.  Consideration and courtesy also is in play when the Constitution was written to have large and small states with equal representation and a checks and balance system of legislation so that no one branch or entity has too much power.

Integrity means an adherence to a code of conduct.  Our Founding Fathers adhered to many codes of conduct.  They came from many backgrounds from lawyers to farmers.  Some had political background and some did not. But they all shared a desire to create a government that served the common good and that the rules or laws applied to everybody.

It took a lot of perseverance and self control for our Founding Fathers to even be able to get together and discuss what it is the colonies want and will fight for.  There were no easy travel plans, no telephones. Many rode horses for days through inclement weather and other obstacles just to meet. It took steady persistence to draft, to write, to agree, to come together united and create a document that not only shaped our country but inspired other countries to do the same.

And finally, our Founding Fathers demonstrated great indomitable spirit.  To declare independence from Great Britain in writing was a daring act. They could have faced death as punishment.  Many fought in the Revolutionary War. It was their life's mission to help create our great nation and we should always remember to honor them and all our veterans who serve to maintain our freedom.