Thursday, April 24, 2025

This Weekend! The 2025 All-City Champs!

Hi everyone! We are looking forward to our 2025 All-City Champs tournament this Friday and Saturday, April 25 & 26!  


Competition and Arrival Times: 

Black Belts will compete on Friday night at 6 pm.  Spectators are welcome.  

All other students (white through red) will compete on Saturday. You will find details on your competition time below.  You will need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start time of your competition to check in, etc.  Some divisions may begin early, so please be at Alameda at your arrival time.  Thank you.  

Purple, Brown, & Red belts, all ages: 8 am start time, 7.30 am arrival time

Ages 8 and under; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts and all tigers: 10.30 am start time, 10 am arrival time

Ages 9 and up; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts: 12.30 pm start time, 12 pm arrival time (Please note that we might be able to start early this Saturday so please arrive by 12noon.)


Location details, parking:

The tournament will be at Alameda International High School which is located at 1255 S Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80232.  

Please park in the large parking lot on the southwest corner of Louisiana and Allison St. (There is another parking lot on the northwest corner of Arizona and Allison / north of the tennis courts that can be used for overflow parking).

Please do not double park and/or block someone in.  If both parking lots are full, there is a lot of neighborhood street parking available in the area or you can see if there is room in the main entrance parking lot.  

You will enter the school through the doors facing west. The title 'ALAMEDA INTERNATIONAL' is written in large block letters above the doors. 


Checking students in, getting them to their rings, their competitions:

Once you enter, you will be directed to a check-in table.  The check-in will be divided up alphabetically by last name so please proceed to the table marked with the first letter of your last name.

While checking-in, someone will write ring numbers on your hands.  You will have a green number on your right hand and a red number on your left hand.  Once you have your ring numbers, you will head to the upper bleachers of the gym to settle in.  You will be called down to the floor for the group photo and will proceed to the green ring number after the group photo.

Parents of younger students competing at 10.30 am, you will take your student down to the gym floor when called for the group photo.  After the group photo, announcements, etc., black belts will take the students to their correct ring number which will be the GREEN number on their right hand. The ring number will be labeled with big signs. These ring signs are not color coded, so please look to the ring number on your student's hand that is green and disregard the color of the ring sign.  

Once students are settled at their rings, we ask that spectators stay in the upper bleachers and off the gym floor for safety and to provide more room for the competitions.  Please show your students where you will be so they know where to find you.  If you have a very young child (tigers ages 2 - 4) who needs assistance, it is okay if you need to stay nearby on the gym floor.

Tiger students (2-4 and some 5 year olds who attend 30 minutes classes) will compete in two divisions in the same ring and then will be dismissed for the day.  Please come pick them up at the photo podium after their Following Directions division.

All other students will compete in poomse first. We ask that parents remain in the upper bleachers during these competitions, please.  After poomse competition ends, students will then go to the RED ring number on their LEFT hand for sparring (school program students will not spar but will compete in Self-Defense instead).

Parents of students ages 7 and under, please come down to the podium to collect your student after their first competition and to help them get to their second.

Students ages 8 and under will be finished with their competitions after sparring.

After your student is done competing in all of their divisions, please come down to the edge of the gym floor to collect them.  Thank you.

Students ages 9 & up will compete in three or four events. Please do not leave until your student has competed in everything (poomse, two sparring divisions, and then students ages 12 & up, ranks orange and above will also compete in breaking). After sparring divisions conclude, please stay in the gym and listen for their name to be called to their additional divisions and ring numbers.


Etiquette and Uniform:

All students should arrive already dressed out in their uniforms with their belts tied.  Anyone with long hair will need to have it tied back securely.  No jewelry is permitted, and freshly pierced ears need to be covered from front to back with medical tape and/or bandaids.  Students should wear a white crewneck t-shirt beneath their uniform top.  Students should not wear jeans or secondary pants underneath their uniform pants as this will inhibit their ability to kick.


If you have any questions at all, please reach out to your instructor.  We are so proud of all of our students' hard work and preparation, and we look forward to this weekend!  Thank you.

Monday, April 21, 2025

Self-Defense Classes

By Gavin Vahle, 1st dan

A martial arts teenage red belt student practicing self defense lessons


Self-defense lessons can be an important thing to learn. This means finding the right training program is the key to succeeding and being able to learn the necessary techniques to effectively use self-defense. The Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) is the perfect place to do this because of its varied training area’s, extraordinary instructors, and the ultimate goal to persevere to excellence. 

One of the big reasons that CTI is able to have such success is because of their unique process of training. Trainees start with the exercise of jumping jacks, push-ups and sit-ups. Followed by an extensive stretching routine that then prepares students for what is called basics. These include all the basic movements, strikes, blocks and kicks that will be used in every other area of the sport. Basics will give a good foundation of not only physical and athletic strength, but also an initial repertoire of moves that can be utilized. Then after the foundation is formed, the students proceed forward with poomse, which are made up of a series of moves that are performed against multiple imaginary foes. These apply the skills from the basics and add more emphasis on the stances and balance, as well as combining moves in faster motions to teach mastery of those techniques. Beyond poomse there is much more, but specifically self defense and one-steps are what make the student’s training complete. The series of preset self defense techniques, which teach a student what to do if being grabbed by their wrists, neck, clothes, and more. There are also one-step sparring which relate to more formal attacks and defenses and prioritize distancing and control of the required movements. This entire program then comes together to produce amazing martial artists, but this is only possible with the exceptional instructors.

These exceptional instructors aren't foreign experts, but rather locally cultivated and trained into being the best martial arts instructors out there. Every single black belt in CTI has gone through at least one, and more likely multiple black belt testing cycles. These testing cycles are composed of 9-month long periods where a martial artist who is determined to be ready for black belt goes through dozens of pretests, completes writing articles, an extensive research paper, a black belt project to help their specific campus and both a physical and written test that both separately take an entire day to complete. This extensive process targets a black belt, and the arduous process to even become ready for the cycle, shapes them into becoming amazing people who are knowledgeable in every part of the sport. A lot of them are also school teachers who have an amazing way of managing discipline and responsibility, and can expertly shift their teaching style to different audiences ranging from tigers (0-5 years), juniors (6-12 years), teens (13-16) and adults (17+). These different class levels allow for all ages to be able to train more effectively, and also allows everyone to excel to their full potential. Sections dedicated to the younger ages are more sided with the art of the sport being poomse and advanced kicking, while the older classes still hit the major points of poomse, but focus more majorly on self defense moves, one-steps, free sparring, and breaking. The instructors also do a great job with flexible scheduling and setting up a workout plan that works for anyone. They also help prepare participants for the various events throughout the year, such as the tournaments, expos, and summer camps.

The events held are really what defines CTI’s excellence. Let’s start with the tournaments which are held in the fall, early winter and multiple in the spring. These events contain different parts that relate to each niche of the sport. Really there are two main branches of all martial arts, the art, and the self-defense aspect. These tournaments take each part of that  and display that. The regular events are poomse, sparring, and breaking. The poomse exemplifies superior qualities of precise movements and timing, and encapsulates the art of the sport. Whereas sparring represents quick reflexes and impromptu thinking, and helps plan formulation to succeed. The breaking combines the two, requiring both concentration and power, which are qualities needed for both the art of taekwondo and its self-defense applications. Then in my opinion, the more important events to attend are the summer expo, summer camp and fall upper belt symposium. These events really hone in on specific technical skills and allow more insight on the subjects, by working with different instructors. These events all take place up in the mountains, in a less busy and face-paced world, allowing for pure fixation on the training and improvement of taekwondo values and skills. The different instructors' unique and valuable insights help develop a conceptual understanding of not only how to defend oneself, but the why behind the methodology of CTI’s processes.

Self defense is an essential quality to have, not only to have the confidence to be able to get out of sticky situations and stand-up for others, as this can prove to be difficult at first. A comprehensive understanding of self defense, includes the ability to think fast and have an arsenal of things one can use in each unique situation. CTI promises all of that with outstanding training and instructors, and will help the development of strength (physically and mentally) by providing a calendar of events and competitions, allowing the martial artists to really strive to be their best. The final part of CTI’s general success is the motto, which means "self control, before self defense". It shows that to understand self defense, one must have to utilize control and logic before engaging in reaction. This sentiment embodies the very core principle of CTI, and is why with its six campus locations (Green Mountain, Littleton, Conifer, Westminster, Golden and Craig) and various afterschool programs around the Denver metro area, joining the CTI leads to learning superior self defense.


Monday, April 14, 2025

Benefits of Martial Arts for Teens

By Katie Minden, 2nd dan

A martial arts teenager breaking a board with a jump front kick

Martial arts for teens offers extensive benefits in areas including exercise, memory, and learning. Martial arts such as Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Karate, etc. are able to challenge and satisfy teenagers in a way that assists in the common struggles teens often experience. Organizations such as the Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) are perfect to engage restless teens in a fulfilling and challenging activity to stimulate their bodies and minds. Martial arts can aid in stress, boredom, mental illness, and the general need for gratification that one can acquire by becoming involved in a sport. 

To begin, the most obvious benefit of martial arts for teenagers is the physical aspect. Many teens now are often pinned down with the burden of heavy school work or jobs, and even when enough free time rolls around, teens may take the time to rest or spend time on their phone. This rest is most definitely needed and deserved, but it can get to a point where instead of using down-time constructively to rest and restore, teens may fall into laziness and boredom. The assumption may be that adding on another task such as practicing martial arts into a weekly routine would add more burden to a teen’s already busy life, but martial arts can often be a time to relieve built up stress while also physically challenging oneself. A twice weekly class is enough to cultivate a teenager’s body into a strong, healthy vessel, which will translate into benefits at school and in life. At the CTI, our instructors are completely aware of the hectic lives teens live, but they also firsthand have either seen or have personally experienced the benefits of doing martial arts for teens. A workout routine is perfect to realign a teen’s mind through physical activity, and by combining the physical and mental aspects used in every martial arts practice, teens can clear clutter in their mind while challenging it simultaneously. 

Martial arts for teens is easily one of the most creative outlets that one can utilize. Often, with school and other activities, everyday life becomes completely objective, but at the CTI, we encourage each student to come to class with their ideas, questions, and learning developments they experience while practicing Taekwondo. While each martial arts program contains their specific aspects that the student must learn, oftentimes there is room for teens to explore why and how they can move their body in each form. This also adds to the physical aspect of understanding the connections of the body, from the hands to the feet and more, as well as the mental connection of practicing mind to muscle connection in every move performed. The CTI also strives to harbor reflexive thinking skills with martial arts aspects like free-sparring, a way to practice unchoreographed moves in a quick and high intensity manner while still remaining in a controlled and safe environment. In this way, martial arts for teens cultivates the free-thinking aspect as well as still requiring after and fore-thought about why the moves they practiced either did or did not prove successful. 

With the numerous distractions that happen every second of a teenagers life, oftentimes it is easy to become disconnected from the surrounding world and difficult to stay focused on any task necessary. Martial arts for teens serves as a stellar outlet to both improve focus for teens, while cultivating a grounded attitude in high-stress situations. The beginning steps of the program offered at the CTI always include establishing the expectation that to achieve the most out of every class, a student must focus their attention on their instructor. This concept often requires much more attention when applied to younger children, but teens are at a perfect developmental stage to understand that if they focus their attention on what they are being taught, they will understand the material quicker, allowing for a quicker progression. Along with providing a more enjoyable experience for a teenager, it also provides incentive to focus because the feeling of moving up and learning more becomes exciting. 

Martial arts may seem daunting especially considering the multifaceted nature of the physical and mental ways of learning required to understand martial arts. However, the Colorado Taekwondo Institute thrives to both challenge all students that walk in our doors and especially the teenagers which have some of the greatest potential to take what can be learned in martial arts and apply it to their everyday lives. The critical thinking and evaluation skills attached to the learning and memorization of different skills benefit teenagers in their school, work, and home lives. The physical outlet to relieve stress allows teenagers to constructively use their time not only to break away from the ever-constant homework, but to focus on something that targets and stimulates satisfactory parts of the brain which teens need so as not to become too bogged down. Martial arts for teens offers a range of benefits in a variety of ways which both provide the teenager with a more expansive outlook and allow for these new perspectives to permeate into the hectic lives of teenagers and offer some guidance. 

Monday, April 7, 2025

How Taekwondo Teaches Courtesy

By Kayla Albrechtson, 1st dan


Taekwondo classes can teach students many life lessons beyond self-defense and physical fitness. Each student is expected to learn and demonstrate the tenets of Taekwondo within their training. These tenets are courtesy, integrity, indomitable spirit, perseverance, and self-control. Each of these tenets plays a critical role in a taekwondo student’s training, but the tenet of courtesy may be overlooked the most, especially when considering competitions. However, it is during taekwondo competitions that courtesy is needed the most.

Courtesy is about more than good manners; it is actually an act of respect, which is expected of every taekwondo student at all times. In the Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo class, students must follow class rules and respect their fellow students and instructors. An example of the courtesy students learn in the taekwondo classroom would be using ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir’ to address a black belt. However, acts of courtesy towards your fellow classmates and the lower belts are just as crucial because they foster a classroom environment that is calm, polite, and more conducive to learning. An excellent example of one student showing courtesy to another would be raising your hand before you talk to avoid talking over another student. By raising your hand to speak, all students can participate in class, even if they have a softer voice or may be shy.

Since taekwondo is a competitive sport, courtesy during tournaments is critical to foster an appropriate and fun competitive environment that helps students learn and grow in taekwondo. A great example of this would be during a free sparring match. Before the match, competitors will bow to each other as a sign of respect and are expected to adhere to the rules of the free sparring match. This is an act of courtesy because not only are the competitors respecting the opponent, but they are also respecting the sport of taekwondo itself. By doing so, students create a fun competition that becomes a great learning opportunity.

The courtesy students learn in the Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo classroom can be used in their everyday lives at school, work, or social situations. Since courtesy is essentially an act of respect towards another person, using courtesy in the school or workplace can lead to better opportunities. People are more likely to want to work with someone who displays courtesy at all times and in all situations. Because someone becomes more pleasant to work or study with, their teachers, fellow students, or coworkers begin to look to them in more challenging situations when a calmer head is needed. This is especially true for people who work in customer service jobs or any other job requiring someone to deal with the public, clients, or others. People who demonstrate courtesy even in tricky social interactions are more likely to calm charged situations and receive more positive outcomes from that situation. 

Displaying courtesy in the taekwondo class is a great way to practice this tenet for use in the real world. As with any skill, consistent practice is vital to being courteous in a student’s everyday life.

Monday, March 3, 2025

The 50th CTI Superbowl Results Are Here!

A group photo of competitors from the 50th CTI Superbowl



The 50th CTI Superbowl tournament was held on February 28 & March 1 at Alameda International School. Over 300 students of all belts and ages competed, learned, and had a memorial day. Photos will be available soon on our website's Photo page.

Special thanks to all family members and friends for their support to make this special day possible!

Congratulations to our Grand Champions, Zuri Cady, Haley Holley, Tara Cady. and Daniel Gray!


Poomse

1st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Diego Quezada, Lillian Eichelberger, Elsie Mcdonald, Meredith Botnick, Quynn Cotner, Zoe Economou, Emma Burden, Tristyn Cvanciger, Josie Landis, Mason Zerbib, Ellie Pechon, Cooper Curry, Keatyn Adams, Katie Harding, Armando Gomez, Cole Robertson, Dan Copel, Landon Adams, Rose Basnet, Alice Burgin, Carter Hoffman, Gabriel Kahan, Harrison Wilkins, Omar Platero Mancia, Haley Holley, Bryce Yushka, Kristen Cooke, Gwen Spilling, Austin Gross, Dylan Kiser, Warren Locken, Ecton Scherer, Leanh Nguyen, Elias Amann, Zane Farrier, Avery Liu, Betsy Nanguse, Jay Karkula, Kara Koster, Naomi Kaup, Jameson Bloor, Noah Buteyn, Aaron Botnick, Natalie Huntley, Justin Ibarra, Felix Kelson, Arwyn Robinson, Mckenzie Farmer, Juliana Barrera Ramirez, Cash Parker, Theodore Fuselier, Robert Poe, Holden Bassett, Avery Madison, Ben Buteyn, Maryn Meyer, Tommy Jacoby, Desmond Long, Canyon Lutz, Romy Burnett, Lila Story, Timothy Prokudin

2nd Place
Peyton Brauch, Katie Minden, Caiden Murphy, Averie Chavez, Lily Laird, Ace Ashworth, Henry Rumph, Carina Dulong, Ivy Jensen, Warren Mcdonald, Nethika Suraweera, Owen Eberhard, Ace Garcia, Rebekkah Copel, Sam Powers, Tara Cady, Kendrick Toney, Jaxson Hipsher, Christopher Cochenour, Jackson Foster, Anna Copel, Jack Wicken, Anthony Garcia, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Kira Rhyden, Duncan Zook, Makenzie O'Connell, Keegan Christenson, Alec Rhyden, Torin Dimascio, Cyrus Khatri, Hadley Wilkins, Sheen Pandita, Asher Yushka, Thomas Mcnair, Stryder Martin, Jasper Walsh, Kolbe Pries, Adrian Sundseth, James Klausner, Mia Garcia, John Hicks, Keira Teska, Aleina Evarts, Taylor Crane, Ansel David, Olivia Roberts, Annelise Carey, Angel Hernandez, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Zyler Martin, Eric Phillips, Junior Alarcon, Jace Bauer, Ethan Zhang, Jordan Lawyer, Logan Petrescu, Nicholas Johnson, Teagan Locken, Haddie Shimoneck, Brie Rivera, Grayson Keck, Luna Rivera, Luca Parks

3rd Place
Kyle Feagans, Ethan Price, Nathaniel Keckler, Ivy Strickland, Lauren Dahlberg, Evan Mcewan, Susan Burgstiner, Khristin Paisley, Zachary Cotner, Kaylyn Mcewan, Zuri Cady, Oliver Garner, Shiven Venkat, Logan Martin, Daniel Gray, Tk Nguyen, Stella Reyniers, Jase Hessler, Ryan Marine, Dalila Lopez, Olivia Ivie, Joshua Stephenson, Rylan Lamkin, Ada Lekan, Christina Sanders, Amallia Chapman, Henry Chiabotti, Truc Nguyen, Ellie Combs, Pierce Baker, Leo Duffey, Celia Lunardi, Carter Camp, Weston Evarts, Mila Olivares Castro, Luna Bratz, Erika Cooke, Carlos Ramirez, Skylynn Benefield, Eoin Daly, Jackson Janacek, Thomas Hurst, Dawson Portera, Asher Whalen, Tyrion Bieker, Charlotte Wertz, Angel Rivera, Kaliyah Oxley, Evan Anceravicius, Madison Janecek, Kailea Alarcon, Adeline Alayash, Jaydn Bauer, Mireyah Santiago, Jack Macdonald, Hugh Dionne, Emma Moncrief, Alexander Bonnot, Devohn Vega-Corona, Jaxton Archuleta-Kordis, Selam Dusharm, Tucker Mercier, Tallen Garramone, Mara Banks, Chase Downham

4th Place
Tyler Murphy, Ed Stanton, Alexis Chavez, Andra Vieru, Dale Sanders, Lily Strickland, Ahas Weerapura, Logan Keckler, Bob Padget, Paul Paisley, Rue Weerapura, Keira Sherman, Hilde Groff, Mary Groff, Zachary Kahan, Jennifer Kautz, Garrett Thomson, River Manuelito, Mia Martinez, Millie Hessler, Violet Wondel, Oliver Scears, Lorenzo Gomez, Lyra Bratz, Shreeyan Khatri, Reid Baker, Milo Vaughn, Milo Conner, Anastasia Contreras, Landon Dulmage, Jackson Bloor, Leif Kooyman, Standish Kingsbeck, Andrew Kahan, Sophia Palfreyman, Quinn Hester, Danek Salach, Soren Chartier, Carlos Canel Aguirre, Cory Balk, Leuyen Nguyen, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, James Daly, Luke Wingate, Hendrix Lacey, Rory Duffy, Loxley Mcelhaney, Wyck Gaczol, Ruth Berry, Jane Buonanno, Colin Gilbert, Sofia Malave Regnau, Lincoln Rezny, Dylan Crane, Qymani Bernero, Arin Harrold

  

Tiger Poomse

1st Place
Dashiel Landry, Adrian Ibarra, Leighton Evarts, Leo Claveau, Sigmund Kelson, Charlie Farmer, Jaxton Landry, Spruce Lundquist, Lemai Nguyen, Silas Corbett, Enzo Santana, Hudson Fess, Porter Mordja, Atticus Albrechtson, Violet Lopez, Gracelynn Moncrief, Nakoa James, Tyler Poe

 

Sparring

1st Place
Collin Kreutz, Diego Quezada, Elsie Mcdonald, Zoe Economou, Armando Gomez, Alice Burgin, Haley Holley, Avery Liu, Kara Koster, Natalie Huntley, Arwyn Robinson, Tommy Jacoby, Desmond Long, Katie Minden, Carina Dulong, Ace Garcia, Tara Cady, Jack Wicken, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Kira Rhyden, Torin Dimascio, Cyrus Khatri, John Hicks, Keira Teska, Aleina Evarts, Olivia Roberts, Annelise Carey, Junior Alarcon, Nathaniel Keckler, Zuri Cady, Daniel Gray, Tk Nguyen, Ryan Marine, Olivia Ivie, Rylan Lamkin, Ada Lekan, Ellie Combs, Pierce Baker, Eoin Daly, Tyrion Bieker, Evan Anceravicius, Selam Dusharm, Alexis Chavez, Logan Keckler, Mary Groff, Garrett Thomson, Mia Martinez, Lorenzo Gomez, Lyra Bratz, Reid Baker, Leif Kooyman, Andrew Kahan, Cory Balk, Hendrix Lacey, Eli Anceravicius, Isaiah Sanchez, Evan Clough, Axel Garcia Arand, Terrance Sanders

2nd Place
Lillian Eichelberger, Josie Landis, Mason Zerbib, Ellie Pechon, Dan Copel, Bryce Yushka, Gwen Spilling, Austin Gross, Jay Karkula, Jameson Bloor, Noah Buteyn, Aaron Botnick, Mckenzie Farmer, Robert Poe, Caiden Murphy, Averie Chavez, Ace Ashworth, Warren Mcdonald, Owen Eberhard, Sam Powers, Kendrick Toney, Makenzie O'Connell, Jace Bauer, Brie Rivera, Luna Rivera, Khristin Paisley, Kaylyn Mcewan, Jase Hessler, Joshua Stephenson, Amallia Chapman, Truc Nguyen, Carter Camp, Weston Evarts, Mila Olivares Castro, Charlotte Wertz, Angel Rivera, Adeline Alayash, Emma Moncrief, Tucker Mercier, Tyler Murphy, Paul Paisley, Hilde Groff, Zachary Kahan, Oliver Scears, Milo Vaughn, Jackson Bloor, Leuyen Nguyen, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, Loxley Mcelhaney, Sarah Dahle, Connor Thomson, Presley Hobler, Jack Arland, Hayden Jeffries, Elijah Yushka, Quinn Hetzel, Josephine Phillips, Whesly Goenaga Her, Liam Dedent

3rd Place
Quynn Cotner, Tristyn Cvanciger, Cole Robertson, Carter Hoffman, Gabriel Kahan, Harrison Wilkins, Dylan Kiser, Betsy Nanguse, Justin Ibarra, Felix Kelson, Cash Parker, Canyon Lutz, Romy Burnett, Ivy Jensen, Nethika Suraweera, Rebekkah Copel, Anthony Garcia, Alec Rhyden, Kolbe Pries, James Klausner, Mia Garcia, Taylor Crane, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Jordan Lawyer, Grayson Keck, Ivy Strickland, Lauren Dahlberg, Oliver Garner, Dalila Lopez, Christina Sanders, Henry Chiabotti, Leo Duffey, Luna Bratz, Skylynn Benefield, Mireyah Santiago, Ed Stanton, Dale Sanders, Ahas Weerapura, Bob Padget, Rue Weerapura, River Manuelito, Millie Hessler, Shreeyan Khatri, Milo Conner, Sophia Palfreyman, James Daly, Ruth Berry, Dylan Crane, Eddie Garner, Seth Raymond, Dominic Ditallo, Jaxon Foster, Aylani Lopez, Natalie Teska, Alina Madruga

4th Place
Emma Burden, Keatyn Adams, Rose Basnet, Omar Platero Mancia, Kristen Cooke, Leanh Nguyen, Elias Amann, Zane Farrier, Naomi Kaup, Holden Bassett, Avery Madison, Peyton Brauch, Lily Laird, Jaxson Hipsher, Jackson Foster, Duncan Zook, Sheen Pandita, Asher Yushka, Thomas Mcnair, Adrian Sundseth, Angel Hernandez, Eric Phillips, Logan Martin, Erika Cooke, Dawson Portera, Asher Whalen, Jack Macdonald, Hugh Dionne, Jaxton Archuleta-Kordis, Tallen Garramone, Andra Vieru, Lily Strickland, Keira Sherman, Jennifer Kautz, Violet Wondel, Thomas Burden, Henry Lewis, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Laurel Cummings, Delta Warner 

 

First Point Wins!

1st Place
Ed Stanton, Lillian Eichelberger, Caiden Murphy, Averie Chavez, Dale Sanders, Zachary Cotner, Ace Garcia, Zuri Cady, Rebekkah Copel, Cooper Curry, Daniel Gray, Tk Nguyen, Hilde Groff, Stella Reyniers, Olivia Ivie, Rylan Lamkin, Garrett Thomson, Eli Anceravicius, Joshua Stephenson, Gabriel Kahan, Anthony Garcia, Christina Sanders, River Manuelito, Keegan Christenson, Haley Holley, Torin Dimascio, Cyrus Khatri, Ellie Combs, Pierce Baker, Lorenzo Gomez, Truc Nguyen, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Celia Lunardi, Skylynn Benefield, Avery Liu, Evan Clough, Jackson Bloor, Quinn Hetzel, Mia Garcia, Dominic Ditallo, Adrian Sundseth, Olivia Roberts, Tyrion Bieker, Cory Balk, Charlotte Wertz, Leuyen Nguyen, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, Felix Kelson, James Daly, Dylan Crane, Natalie Teska, Carlos Canel Aguirre, Tommy Jacoby, Desmond Long, Brie Rivera, Tucker Mercier, Tallen Garramone

2nd Place
Collin Kreutz, Diego Quezada, Nathaniel Keckler, Ivy Strickland, Andra Vieru, Lily Strickland, Carina Dulong, Logan Keckler, Josie Landis, Khristin Paisley, Paul Paisley, Ivy Jensen, Bob Padget, Ellie Pechon, Oliver Garner, Tara Cady, Kendrick Toney, Cole Robertson, Alice Burgin, Jack Wicken, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Kira Rhyden, Ada Lekan, Connor Thomson, Carter Hoffman, Alec Rhyden, Henry Chiabotti, Oliver Scears, Gwen Spilling, Austin Gross, Jack Arland, Dylan Kiser, Leo Duffey, Shreeyan Khatri, Eoin Daly, Leif Kooyman, Jay Karkula, Josephine Phillips, Kolbe Pries, James Klausner, Sophia Palfreyman, Jaxon Foster, Landon Dulmage, Natalie Huntley, Arwyn Robinson, Annelise Carey, Mckenzie Farmer, Justin Ibarra, Cash Parker, Mireyah Santiago, Jack Macdonald, Hugh Dionne, Delta Warner, Kaliyah Oxley, Jaydn Bauer, Rory Duffy, Selam Dusharm, Canyon Lutz, Grayson Keck, Terrance Sanders

 

Staff Poomse

1st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Caiden Murphy, Diego Quezada, Alexis Chavez, Quynn Cotner, Evan Mcewan

2nd Place
Katie Minden, Ethan Price, Lillian Eichelberger, Ivy Strickland, Elsie Mcdonald, Meredith Botnick

3rd Place
Peyton Brauch, Ed Stanton, Averie Chavez, Nathaniel Keckler, Andra Vieru, Lily Laird, Ellie Stanto

 

One-Step Sparring

1st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Katie Minden, Diego Quezada, Meredith Botnick, Averie Chavez, Nathaniel Keckler, Lily Laird, Carina Dulong, Khristin Paisley, Emma Burden, Owen Eberhard, Henry Lewis, Shiven Venkat, Daniel Gray, Stella Reyniers, Tara Cady, Carter Hoffman, Harrison Wilkins, Duncan Zook, Haley Holley, Truc Nguyen, Kristen Cooke, Standish Kingsbeck, Kolbe Pries, Landon Dulmage, Betsy Nanguse, Carlos Canel Aguirre, Angel Hernandez, Eric Phillips, Juliana Barrera Ramirez

2nd Place
Tyler Murphy, Ed Stanton, Sarah Dahle, Caiden Murphy, Quynn Cotner, Elsie Mcdonald, Lauren Dahlberg, Ahas Weerapura, Ace Ashworth, Mason Zerbib, Tristyn Cvanciger, Ace Garcia, Zuri Cady, Rebekkah Copel, Ellie Pechon, Katie Harding, Hilde Groff, Jase Hessler, Jaxson Hipsher, Christopher Cochenour, Anna Copel, Makenzie O'Connell, Amallia Chapman, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Bryce Yushka, Adrian Sundseth, James Klausner, Naomi Kaup, Cory Balk, Kaliyah Oxley, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Selam Dusharm

3rd Place
Peyton Brauch, Alexis Chavez, Lillian Eichelberger, Andra Vieru, Lily Strickland, Kayla Albrechtson, Zachary Cotner, Zoe Economou, Kaylyn Mcewan, Nethika Suraweera, Rue Weerapura, Oliver Garner, Keatyn Adams, Tk Nguyen, Dan Copel, Jackson Foster, Landon Adams, Henry Andonov, Joshua Stephenson, Anthony Garcia, Christina Sanders, Ada Lekan, Hadley Wilkins, Thomas Hurst, Justin Ibarra, Jaydn Bauer, Angel Rivera, Brie Rivera

 

Most Kicks

1st Place
Oliver Garner, Warren Locken, Dashiel Landry, Jackson Janacek, Adrian Ibarra, Maryn Meyer, Zyler Martin, Madison Janecek, Kailea Alarcon, Luke Wingate, Charlie Farmer, Jaxton Landry, Violet Lopez 

2nd Place
Ecton Scherer, Quinn Hester, Kaydance Veith, Leighton Evarts, Sigmund Kelson, Theodore Fuselier, Ethan Zhang, Wyck Gaczol, Spruce Lundquist, Silas Corbett, Enzo Santana, Gracelynn Moncrief

3rd Place
Jasper Walsh, Ansel David, Danek Salach, Jackson Fitch, Alexander Bonnot, Lemai Nguyen, Nakoa James, Tyler Poe, Lila Story

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, February 24, 2025

It's Almost Here: the 50th CTI Superbowl

 

The patch from the 50ht Superbowl taekwondo tournament in Denver, CO

Hi everyone!

We are looking forward to our 50th CTI Super Bowl tournament this Friday and Saturday, February 28th and March 1st!

IMPORTANT! Please note: While we do not typically charge a spectator fee at the tournaments, this tournament we are going to collect donations for Brown Big Ministries. Brown Bag is a local non-profit providing assistance for families and veterans. They are in need of new hats, gloves, socks, and underwear for all ages and sizes. If each of our families donated one or more of these items, we would be able to collect a mountain of much-needed cold weather gear for folks in our community. Donation bins will be available when you check-in for the event on Saturday.

Competition and Arrival Times
  • Demo Practice - Black Belt club members - 5pm on Friday night 
  • Black Belts will compete on Friday night at 6 pm.  Spectators are welcome.  
  • All other students (white through red) will compete on Saturday. You will find details on your competition time below.  You will need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start time of your competition to check in, etc.  Some divisions may begin early, so please be at Alameda at your arrival time.  Thank you.  
    • Purple, Brown, & Red belts, all ages: 8 am start time, 7.30 am arrival time
    • Ages 8 and under; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts and all tigers: 10.30 am start time, 10 am arrival time
    • Ages 9 and up; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts: 1 pm start time, 12.30 pm arrival time

Location details, parking:
The tournament will be at Alameda International High School which is located at 1255 S Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80232.  
Please park in the large parking lot on the southwest corner of Louisiana and Allison St. (There is another parking lot on the northwest corner of Arizona and Allison / north of the tennis courts that can be used for overflow parking).
Please do not double park and/or block someone in.  If both parking lots are full, there is a lot of neighborhood street parking available in the area or you can see if there is room in the main entrance parking lot.  

Checking students in, getting them to their rings, their competitions:
Once you enter, you will be directed to a check-in table.  The check-in will be divided up alphabetically by last name so please proceed to the table marked with the first letter of your last name.
While checking-in, someone will write ring numbers on your hands.  You will have a green number on your right hand and a red number on your left hand.  Once you have your ring numbers, you will head to the upper bleachers of the gym to settle in.  You will be called down to the floor for the group photo and will proceed to the green ring number after the group photo.

Parents of younger students competing at 10.30 am, you will take your student down to the gym floor when called for the group photo.  After the group photo, announcements, etc., black belts will take the students to their correct ring number which will be the GREEN number on their right hand. The ring number will be labeled with big signs. These ring signs are not color coded, so please look to the ring number on your student's hand that is green and disregard the color of the ring sign.  

Once students are settled at their rings, we ask that spectators stay in the upper bleachers and off the gym floor for safety and to provide more room for the competitions.  Please show your students where you will be so they know where to find you.  If you have a very young child (tigers ages 2 - 4) who needs assistance, it is okay if you need to stay nearby on the gym floor.
Tiger students (2-4 and some 5 year olds who attend 30 minutes classes) will compete in two divisions in the same ring and then will be dismissed for the day.  Please come pick them up at the photo podium after their most kicks division.

All other students will compete in poomse first. We ask that parents remain in the upper bleachers during these competitions, please.  After poomse competition ends, students will then go to the RED ring number on their LEFT hand for sparring (school program students will not spar but will compete in Most Kicks instead).
Parents of students ages 7 and under, please come down to the podium to collect your student after their first competition and to help them get to their second.
Students ages 8 and under will be finished with their competitions after sparring.
After your student is done competing in all of their divisions, please come down to the edge of the gym floor to collect them.  Thank you.

Students ages 9 & up will compete in four or five events. Please do not leave until your student has competed in everything (poomse, two sparring divisions, Team Round House Kicking, and then students ages 12 & up will also compete in One-Steps). After sparring divisions conclude, please stay in the gym and listen for their name to be called to their additional divisions and ring numbers.

Etiquette and Uniform:
All students should arrive already dressed out in their uniforms with their belts tied.  Anyone with long hair will need to have it tied back securely.  No jewelry is permitted, and freshly pierced ears need to be covered from front to back with medical tape and/or bandaids.  Students should wear a white crewneck t-shirt beneath their uniform top.  Students should not wear jeans or secondary pants underneath their uniform pants as this will inhibit their ability to kick.

If you have any questions at all, please reach out to your instructor.  We are so proud of all of our students' hard work and preparation, and we look forward to this weekend!  Thank you.

Monday, February 3, 2025

We All Have Potential

By Carina DuLong, Red Belt

Potential is defined as qualities or abilities that may be developed over time to lead to success in the future. These abilities can be physical or mental, and everyone has a different set of strengths that helps them succeed. Some qualities that allow people to have strong potential are the traits we foster in our taekwondo students such as respect, honesty, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and self control. By developing these important characteristics, anyone can make progress towards their goals and make connections with people who can help them reach their full potential.


Use others as examples

Watching and listening to others who are experts in their fields provides an example to show us what is possible. Whether it’s taekwondo or a different skill, observing and learning from others sets us on the path to greatness. There is so much to learn from those around us and when we have people to look up to, it can provide the necessary motivation and unlock our potential to reach our goals. In taekwondo, we are surrounded by people we can use as role models. Our black belts who have dedicated many years of their lives to mastering Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo are a perfect example. Every one of our new white belts has the potential to become a black belt as long as they pay attention and try their best, but they may need the motivation of seeing what they can become to push them through the difficult parts of the progression through belts. Personally, one of my favorite hobbies is crocheting. I’m good at following directions and am patient enough to follow through with the projects I’m working on, yet observing others lets me realize how much more I can improve. Many people crochet for a living and they have so much practice they can create their pieces without looking and crochet so fast I can’t even tell what’s happening. A key part of maximizing our own potential is realizing what we don’t know, so we can continue to improve.


Be aware of current limitations

No two people have the same set of skills and we all have different strengths that allow us to excel in different areas of life. Therefore, being aware of our own current limitations can help avoid being discouraged and losing motivation. We all have the potential to achieve our goals, but we may have to go about it in a different way or practice certain skills more than someone else. In taekwondo, some people are super flexible and can do the full splits the day they start, while other people may be stiff and can’t even touch their toes. Likewise, the super flexible person may lack power while the stiff person is stronger and quicker. These people may be disheartened that they can’t touch their toes or are told to have more power, but that means they have a goal to work towards. Our instructors point out techniques that need work because they know we have the potential to change and do better. We have an opportunity to confront a challenge and improve rather than a reason to lose hope.


Help others realize their own potential

Helping others realize their own potential is a rewarding part of life. In our taekwondo classes, upper belts and older students strive to be good examples and do the best they can to help the lower belts and younger students. Our black belts use their years of experience to make helpful corrections, allowing us to improve. By upholding strict taekwondo standards, Colorado Taekwondo Institute ensures that these ancient martial arts skills continue to have a positive influence on new generations of students for both self defense and personal development.


How potential pertains to taekwondo

In taekwondo, many people have the goal of reaching black belt and beyond. We focus on practicing skills such as speed, flexibility, and strength along with mental attributes like focus, perseverance, and discipline. Our potential can be nurtured through consistent training, practicing outside of class, pushing past our limits, and setting goals that challenge us. Unlocking our full potential requires dedication and willingness to push through the challenges of the journey while learning from mistakes and building confidence from successes. Practicing taekwondo allows us to improve ourselves mentally and physically and, with the help of others, develop skills we may have never thought possible.


How potential affects life outside of taekwondo

We also increase our potential for success by incorporating the physical, mental, and ethical philosophy of taekwondo into our daily lives. Our teachers encourage us to be the best versions of ourselves, and we know that unenthusiastic performance will not lead to improvement. In our lives outside of taekwondo, we are open to learning new things and sharing our knowledge with others. We are confident that diligence and perseverance will achieve the best results possible. We are trained to maintain a positive mindset and are comfortable being uncomfortable, which increases our potential for greatness, whether it be in our jobs, school, or hobbies.