Quite Possibly the Best One Yet: Recap of Camp MSK '23

By Katie Minden, 1st dan

Another successful Camp Moo Sul Kwan has passed with more to report than ever before! At Snow Mountain Ranch, students embarked on a six-day-long stretch of fun, food, and lots of Taekwondo!

Camp started off quickly Saturday afternoon! After a warm farewell to parents, campers were off to their first hearty meal, setting the precedent for the entire week! The evening ended with dividing up into teams, starting work on the line-up demos for the end of the week, and hopefully a good night’s rest. 

Sunday morning began bright and early, especially for our black belt testers and pre-testers! After a wonderful breakfast, our activity day was off! Many campers took the opportunity to explore zip lining, archery, and the climbing wall. In between activities, students may have participated in group-wide fun games or even a few Taekwondo classes. In the afternoon, campers visited the infamous tubing hill for a few exhilarating runs. Our first full day ended with an exciting night of Minute To Win It, a fast-paced game full of short challenges!

Another early morning for all campers on Monday. Team captains found time to continue working on their demos with their teams before heading up to the falls for our hike filled with climbing the daunting testing hill, singing, photos by the falls, and some video-taping for later! Due to a bit of weather, our travel lunch was enjoyed at the Legett this year where teams worked on their banners or dances for the Wednesday night party. After lots of hard work, campers headed to the Kiva for some time to play a variety of fun activities such as ping pong, basketball, and roller skating. Monday peacefully ended with a relaxing movie night to prepare campers for Tuesday!

Tuesday turned out to be a magnificent tie-dye day for all campers! After breakfast and the morning workouts, campers and their teams took rotations between making their own tie-dye shirts, exploring the gift shop, and working on their team line-up demos and dances. Once all teams were able to tie-dye, campers were in for an unexpected treat as they got to observe our Advanced Belts’ Camp Run ‘23! Our top instructors ran a high-stakes race in teams through 12 stations, including made-up one-steps, top poomse, breaking, and more while being cheered on by their supportive students! Finally, our thrilling Tuesday finished with some jammin’ Kamp Karaoke!

For our final full day at Camp MSK ‘23, many campers finally embarked on the long-anticipated bike rides. Wednesday was the teams’ final day to work on their line-up demos and dances for that night, so all were hard at work smoothing the final rough edges! After a morning of hard work, campers chose between activity time at the Kiva or spending some time at the pool. We took our group photos for the Facebook, and then it was time to get ready for the big party and Musical Breaking Night! This eventful last night was filled with all of the team dances prepared throughout the week to songs performed by our very own black belt band! Once all of the teams had performed their dances, campers broke boards and danced the night away!

Thursday, our final morning of camp, started with a short breakfast to prepare the campers for their stellar performances later on. Once all the parents had arrived, the demos began, starting with the impressive bike demo led by Grandmaster John Sautel and Mr. Eric Evans. Following that was the sharp black belt demo put together by Master Erik Albrechtson. Finally, onlookers observed the final product of every team’s line-up demos made and performed by their very own kids! A bittersweet morning ended with a final tie-dye-filled group photo and some memorable awards before everyone said farewell until the next camp!

Every camp provides a fantastic opportunity for students of all belt ranks to find new friends, learn new things, and create lasting memories that will be treasured forever. Each camp solidifies the bond with our sport and the community behind it. Camp MSK ‘23 was no different and it turned out to be quite possibly our best camp yet!

MSK Summer Expo XXXV and Camp MSK '19

A FANTASTIC TWO WEEKS OF EDUCATION, ENDURANCE AND FUN!

The first two weeks of the summer of 2019, was an incredible  time for everyone in MSK, the AMASEA and the CTI!

First up was our 35th Moo Sul Kwan Summer Expo in Keystone.  Six days later followed Camp MSK '19 at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Our Moo Sul Kwan Summer Expo XXXV was a tremendous weekend in so many ways.  Mrs Yong J. Park attended this year's Summer Expo at the Keystone Lodge and Spa in Colorado.   Along with Mrs. Park, special guests included Richard Park and family, Great Grandmaster Bong  Yul Shin, Grandmaster Charles HIldebrand, Master Alan Williams, Master Fred Sautel and many others.

There were Expo seminars, classes and events for the participants of all ages and belt levels.  Each class was taught by an excellent MSK Expo Teaching Staff including grandmasters, masters, regional directors and chief instructors of Moo Sul Kwan and the AMASEA. 

Expo Saturday morning brought the return of the infamous Moo Sul RunThe challenging course tested the teams martial arts skills, reasoning skills and physical fitness.  The MSK Masters Team, featuring Erik Albrechtson, Fred Sautel, Alice Meyung and Clayton Garner set the time for everyone to beat.  (Some almost got close!)

One of the fun events dring the Expo was the Expo Saturday Evening Banquet.  It took place at the Keystone Convention Center and celebrated our Moo Sul Kwan's 50th Anniversary. 

On Sunday, after the several dynamic classes, Richard Park and Mrs. Yong J. Park gave a talk to the Expo attendees - a beautiful end to a perfect weekend.

Camp MSK '19 took place at Snow Mountain Ranch near Granby, Colorado, next.  The six day Moo Sul Kwan camp was an enormous success.  Perfect weather, wonderful food, dynamic classes and top-notch training made this year's Camp MSK one of the finest of all time!

Everyone received training in poomse, sparring, one-step sparring, self-defense, kicking, breaking and the many other areas of Moo Sul Kwan Martial Arts.  There were also fun classes in wall climbing, zip lining, bike riding, swimming, archery, tubing, basketball and more!

Black belts began training at 6:00 AM each day, with everyone accomplishing a magnitude of experiences and successes before lunchtime.  After lunch, everyone was back at it until dinnertime.  After dinner, special events took place each evening to round out the day including; Team Night, Minute to Win It, Camp Movie Night, Kamp Karoke and Musical Breaking Night.  During the Camp week, every one made the annual 2.5 mile hike to the waterfall.  Along the way there was a Moo Sul Snowball Fight (girls vs. boys), work on self-defense, jaunts up the testing hill for the testers, and more!

On the last morning, demonstrations with music were given by the each of the Camp MSK Teams.  Before the demos began for the many parents, family members and friends, a special Moo Sul Bike Demo took place to the delight of the crowd. 

Special thanks to Cindy Tusa and Pam Sautel for all of their fantastic help!

See you next year at Moo Sul Kwan Summer Expo XXXVI and Camp MSK '20!

Camp MSK

By Cody Jacobson, red belt, CTI LeAD Team Member

Here at CTI, we do lots of activities. One of my favorites is Camp MSK. Some people I’ve met have considered going to camp but decided against it because they were too scared. Some said they would miss their parents, others said it is a long time away from home. I personally was not deterred from going to camp for my first time. I looked at it as a way to grow within Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo. When you do go, it is a tremendous amount of fun.

Camp MSK is one of the best places. You always have fun, and the food is great. It's really not scary. Even if none of the students in your class or your campus (of which I doubt) are coming you always make friends. One way to do so is to become friends with your demo group. The demos at camp are always amazing. Another place to make friends is at the communal meals. There are always people willing to sit with anyone at dinner, lunch and breakfast. You are never alone. If you are afraid that you will forget to put on sunscreen or get hurt, or anything of that sort, you don't need to worry. On the first day of camp, you will receive an upper belt buddie (most commonly black belts) and they make sure that you get on sunscreen and bug spray if you need it. If not, your group leader will. Group leaders will try and make sure you don't get hurt.

I think the best part of camp, even though it is all amazing, is probably the food. I know other students and black belts will agree with me. The food is so good you would not even imagine. This food gives us the energy to tackle all of the days activities. We do hiking, biking, swimming, rock climbing, archery, and of course, MSK Taekwondo. Sometimes, we do classes inside of classes. For example, we might go biking then stop and do poomse, or basics. We sometimes also have one class all day long. It is not uncommon to learn new moves at least once while at camp. You get to have class with different instructors that you are not used to having. Sometimes, people come out from Missouri. It is good to learn from different instructors, it improves your learning area.

Along with all of the MSK Taekwondo activities we do at camp, we also do non-Taekwondo related stuff. As mentioned in the paragraph above, we do rock climbing, and archery. We don't put all of that stuff you bring to waste. On your packing list, it says to bring a bike. We go on lots of rides, and sometimes set our bikes down and do a class. We have classes almost anywhere possible. We also use what's around us. Once, I did a class on staffs and we used sticks instead of staffs. We always take a hike to a waterfall near the end of camp. We take pictures of us at this spot. We also go to a place called the Kiva. We go there on our free time, and we have a lot of fun. There you can play basketball, roller skate or do other gym type activities. We also go to the tubing hill. It is open all year round, and is a lot of fun. We do lots of non-Taekwondo activities.

MSK Summer Camp is one of the best Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo events there is. I would hate to miss out, even if that means losing five days of summer vacation.  I hope you think so too.

Camp MSK '17 Brings Rewards

THE 20TH YEAR OF CAMP MSK!

It was one tough group that made it through Camp MSK '17!  Moo Sul Kwan campers spent the week at Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado, and had a great time!

Grandmaster Sautel led the Camp Teaching Staff that included Master instructors; MIndy Sautel, John Sautel, Bill Jones, Erik Albrechtson, Alice Meyung, Fred Sautel and Clayton Garner.

This year's Camp MSK was sandwiched right in between the MSK Summer Expo and and CTI Black Belt Team World Tour.   After an excellent Expo, everyone seemed to be in prime shape for the 20th Camp MSK.  The pressure was on to have the best Camp possible and springboard the team to Norway/Sweden. 

At Camp MSK '17 there were so many things that everyone accomplished.  Poomse, sparring, exercise, biking, swimming, breaking, hiking, one-step sparring, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, self-defense technique, and so much more was enjoyed by everyone.

Camp MSK '17 lasted for six days and always started out with a black belt workout at 6:00 AM followed by a red belt workout, both led by Grandmaster Sautel.  After breakast, everyone worked on various elements of their Moo Sul Kwan technique, team demontrations and more!  This year, the very first Camp Clash took place with the Camp Teams competing in different areas each day.  This year, each Team was named after a Colorado Mountain Bird!

On the last morning of Camp MSK, demonstrations were performed for parents, family members and friends. Each were done to music and symbolized that team's bird.

Special guest Master William R. Jones, Cindy Tusa and Pam Sautel fed the hungry group all week with the finest food of the summer! 

Be sure and register soon for next year's super Camp MSK '18 June 17 - 22!  (Upper belts and adults, ask about the special pre-Camp training that goes June 15 - 17.)

MSK Travel and Camp MSK!

By Hunter Gray, brown belt

Due to the generosity of very kind people I was able to go on the trip of a life time.  I got the opportunity to meet new friends and had a great time doing what I love to do.  This trip made me realize that I want to do this for a long time.  This trip was one of the best experiences in my life and helped me become more responsible, gain better social skills, and helped me with my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo skills.

Master Bill Jones and Kimberly Jones were kind enough to allow me to go with them to Camp Moo Sul Kwan and on their vacation this past summer.  Not only did they do this for me, but it taught me more responsibility in my own life because this was the first time I had been far away from home without my parents.  I learned how to take care of myself and I gained more politeness skills and I felt better naturally and healthier too.  Learning these responsibilities not only helped me personally, but helped me with my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo.  These experiences allowed me to realize that my responsibilities as an upper belt are not slim and I must not take it lightly.  I realized that the younger belts look up to me and I must show them how to be respectful and help them with any questions they ask me.  So from my Camp Moo Sul Kwan experience I realized I have some new responsibilities for myself and also to help others.

Another thing I gained at the Camp Moo Sul Kwan which helped me with my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo was gaining better social skills.  I have always been a quiet person and kept to myself, but going someplace far from home without my family really helped me gain better skills at opening up and become more outgoing.  Along with the camp, the wonderful hospitality of Grandmaster Jim Sautel and Master Mindy Sautel helped me with my social skills and with my manners.  Both of these things helped me gain new friends and helped me be less timid with new students in my class.  I learned how to help them and even older class members too.  Now with my improved skills I seem more approachable.  I’m getting more questions asked before class starts and I feel more confident answering them.  I’ve learned to ask Master Jones or Master Freddy Sautel for help answering their questions as well.  Also, this helps me ask my own questions and that has help me extremely in my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo experience by learning new things.  This experience has not only helped with my everyday life social skills but also my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo life social skills.

Most importantly, on this trip I gained a lot of skills new in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo.  I learned new ways to do techniques and I learned most of one of my poomse from Grandmaster Jim Sautel which was fun and he helped me learn it quickly, compared to how I fast normally learn a new poomse.  I learned easier and faster ways to block, and also the demo really helped me with making my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo not a single experience, but a team effort, and not only that, but a Moo Sul Kwan family experience for myself.  To reach out to that family that works in Colorado, helps me while I’m in Missouri.  The demo was fun, but also difficult to get it all flowing together.  My team did it and it was the most fun demo I’ve ever done and it helped me learn a lot about everything I did in the demo.  The Demo and the learning stations themselves really helped me grow in my Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo life and I enjoyed all of the hard work I put in to it.

In conclusion, I had a great and mind opening experience at Camp Moo Sul Kwan.  I learned more responsibilities, social skills, and learned more about Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo itself.  All of the great time I had was an experience of a life time.  But none of it could have happened without the kind people that took me there and housed me, and for that, I am truly grateful.  Thanks to them I realized that Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo is my one true passion that I love doing.

Camp MSK '15

By Caela McCartney, red belt

Perfect weather, wonderful food, excellent training, fun activities and many educational challenges were in store for the record number of Moo Sul Kwan Campers at this year's Camp MSK '15.

The students and instructors worked on their kicks, blocks, punches, self-defense, falling, throwing, poomse, sparring, one-step sparring and breaking techniqus for the six day camp at Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado.

Everyone had the opportunities to do the other activities this year, which included; the new tubing hill, horseback riding, outdoor climbing wall, swimming, zip line, basketball, volleyball and indoor roller skating to name a few.

Black belts were up and training at 6:00 AM each morning, followed by the red belts who began the day at 7:00 AM.  All the colored belt level students were at it at 8:00 AM.  The busy days continued on until the sun went down . . . and then the evening activities took place.  This year, some of the evening activities were; movie night, musical breaking night and minute-to-win-it night!

At Camp MSK, there are always surprises.  This year there was a surprise guest - it was Mr. Mark Fraser, Judo 4th dan, from New Mexico, who taught some great classes on throwing, falling and self-defense to everyone at Camp.  Mr. Fraser trained at the Lee H. Park Institute for many years before moving to New Mexico.

On one of the days, the Camp Clash took place.  Led by Mr. Freddy Sautel, 4th dan, the Camp Clash was made up of Teams that took part in a series of different challenges that tested their skills.  It was all tough, fun and inspiring!

Here's an article from Caela McCartney, red belt, from the Westminster Campus of the CTI:

Summer Camp Adventures!

Summer camp could not have gone by any faster. We did a whole week of kicking and punching, but also doing many activities.

On check in day we started working on our demos.  Demos are a project that we work in groups, with different students from different schools, to create fun and cool looking demonstrations to the parents on the last day.  

Sunday was where students got to experience camp was all about. We woke up to, of course, amazing breakfast. Then during 11:00 all of the students went down to a tubing hill. This tubing hill was the best activity I think we did because that day was somewhat warm and so what wasn’t a better day to go down the tubing hill.  The tubing hill was like a carpet type of material you went down and there was water spraying at your face when you went down the hill.  I think what was awesome was the workers who pushed you down the hill would sometimes spin or push you down backwards! Afterwards we all walked down together and played kickball and mini golf.  Also we went to the Kiva where we could play basketball or go roller skating.

Monday was the day most of us all look forward to.  That day you get to go zip lining, horseback riding, or rock wall climbing (if you paid for any of those activities).  If you were waiting to go on those or didn’t sign up for them you got to tie dye!  Tie dye is a camp event that I always look forward to because I don’t get any other chance to tie dye except at camp.  Also when you are waiting for your activity we got a chance to go to the gift shop.  After lunch we got to just relax in the cabin and watch TV if we didn’t have a activity or you finished tie dying or you went to the gift shop.

Tuesday morning during the red belt class we got a chance to learn Judo.  In Judo class we learned proper techniques to fall and how to flip people.  That day we also worked on our demos to clean up some stuff and performed it in front of Grandmaster Sautel.  That night we all sat down and had movie night.  The movie we watched was Paul Blart which is a very funny movie.

Wednesday was a sad day for us because it was the last full day of camp and since we all had fun we didn’t want to leave.  That day we did more Judo and learned more ways to flip people.  For Lunch and Dinner we had leftovers of what we had previous nights.  To be honest leftover day is the best at camp because they want to get rid of all of the food so you get to eat anything you want!  That night we had the party where you get to hear fantastic music by the band and you get to break boards!  The party is always great because you get your tie dye back and see how your colors turned out.

On Thursday we presented our demos.  I think this year we had the best demos yet.  The songs were great and so was all of the kicks and punches the groups did.  Also I think it was cool to see everyone’s tie dye.  After our demos we packed up and left.

Camp MSK never gets boring no matter how old you are. I have been to 3 camps and I think every year they get better and better.  Even though you leave your parents you get to make friends from other campuses or see your friends from other campuses.  I think camp was the best so far!


Extra Special Thanks goes to Master Chef Cindy Tusa and Pam Sautel for the fantastic food which was specially prepared three times a day for the hungry students and instructors!

Camp MSK Teaching Staff:

Jim Sautel, 7th dan, Mindy Sautel, 6th dan, John Sautel, 6th dan, Erik Albrechtson, 5th dan, Mark Fraser, 4th dan, Freddy Sautel, 4th dan, Alice Meyung, 4th dan, Clayton Garner, 4th dan, Bridget Sautel, 3rd dan, Brian Steward, 3rd dan, Michael Sandusky, 3rd dan, Stephen Sautel, 2nd dan, Erik Ondrejko, 2nd dan, Hope Morgan, 2nd dan, Kelsey Smith, red

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article originally published at: http://www.coloradotaekwondo.com/news_article/show/526060

Camp Moo Sul Kwan '14

This year's Camp MSK '14, was held from June 7 - 12th at Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado.  Following one of the finest MSK Summer Expos of all time, this year's Camp MSK started six short days after the Expo.  The six days of training at Camp was filled with unlimited learning and fun!

Special guests Master Bill Jones, 6th dan from Jackson, Missouri, and Mr. Mark Fraser, 4th dan from Alberquerque, NM, joined our excellent Camp MSK Teaching Staff for all the action.

Students and instructors received a Camp MSK '14 Uniform that became dirtier and dirtier throughout the week.  Classes in Exercise, Moo Sul Kwan Judo, Sparring, Poomse, Self-Defense, Staff, Breaking, Basic Hands, Kicking, One-Step Sparring and Demonstration Work complemented the mountain bike riding, basketball, wall climbing, zip line, horseback riding, table tennis, miniature golf, kickball, kite flying, squaring dancing, frisbee tossing, hiking, movie night, musical breaking night and eating! There was also a Moo Sul Kwan black belt test on one of the days.  Twelve candidates, of varying ages, went through the physical test beginning early in the morning.

The Camp meals for over 110 hungry students were specially prepared by Cindy Tusa and Master Jones, along with Pam Sautel and other invaluable help!  Meals are always a favorite part of the Camp week, and on one evening, everyone dressed for dinner.  This year the special diinner was to celebrate the American Farmer.  Everyone  dined on kettle beef, mashed potatos and green beans straight from an old Kelso, Missouri, country recipe!

On the last day of Camp MSK, the parents, family members and friends were treated to some demonstrations.  It started off with a Camp Bicycle Demonstration by some of our older campers, and was followed by the Camp Team Demonstrations, each one named after
and demo symbolizing a United Sates Mountain Range.

Make plans for next year's CAMP MSK '15!

Camp MSK '13 Tops the List!

The weather was absolutely fantastic for the six day Camp Moo Sul Kwan '13 that took place at Snow Mountain Ranch in June!  A record 112 campers attended the week long camp put on by the Colorado Taekwondo Institute in excellent fashion.

Morning workouts began at 6:00 AM for black belts and included; hiking up 9 Mile Mountain, mountain biking, CTI Power Taekwondo and more.  Students began their day 7:00 or 8:00 AM depending on their belt level.  Seminars in all areas of their training included; poomse, sparring, breaking, self-defense and much more were taught by the seasoned Camp MSK '13 Teaching Staff, which included, Kelsey Smith, brown, Eric Evans, 2nd, Erik Ondrejko, 2nd, Stephen Sautel, 2nd, Michael Sandusky, 2nd, Bridget Sautel, 3rd, Dustin Wheeler, 4th, Alice Meyung, 4th, Clayton Garner, 4th, Freddy Sautel, 4th and Master instructors; Erik Albrechtson, 5th, Bill Jones, 5th, John Sautel, 6th, Mindy Sautel, 6th and Jim Sautel, 7th.

Some afternoons, the students visited the "Kiva" and played basketball, ping pong, foosball, volleyball and did other activities like roller skating, swimming, horseback riding, zip line, miniature golf, wall climbing and more.

One day, the entire group made the annual trek to the falls.  The water was probably at its highest level of all the years we've been to Camp MSK!

Always an extremely important part of Camp MSK is food.  As she does each and every year, Cindy Tusa was in charge of feeding this year's large group of hungry campers.  Cindy was aided by Master Jones, Pam Sautel and Kimberly Jones.  The food was fantastic and kept everyone full and happy.

On the last full day, everyone took part in Camp Quest III.  The several hour team competition took the campers all over Snow Mountain Ranch while performing a myriad of MSK martial arts activities.

On the last morning, special demonstrations were performed by the campers for the parents, family members and friends.  Each group had a colonial name like; New York, Massachusettes, New Jersey, Georgia and others.  There was even a bicycle demonstration performed by a large group of upper belts.  (This demo and the other demos can be seen on the CTI BBC page on this website - ask your instructor for more details.)

See you at next year's Camp MSK '14!

CAMP MSK '13

By Collin Kreutz, 1st dan, age 12

What is Camp Moo Sul Kwan?  Camp Moo Sul Kwan (Camp for short) is when MSK Taekwondo students and instructors from each campus and school get together for a week in the mountains to practice MSK martial arts, learn new things, and ultimately, have fun.

We practice our poomse, self-defense, one-steps, walking drills, sparring,  target kicking/holding, breaking, staff, and much more.  You learn many more things each and every camp you go to, whether it’s the first four moves of a poomse, or the difference between front kick and ax kick foot position.  Camp MSK is a also a great time to correct your jumping jacks, stretches, punches and strikes, blocks, kicks, etc.  You also get special classes with honorable black belts such as Master Jones, Mrs. Master Sautel, Master Sautel, Grandmaster Sautel, and sometimes even Great Grandmaster Shin!

What are the benefits of going to Camp?  First of all, you get to learn how to do many new things involving Korean martial arts, such as the Great Grandmaster Shin moves.  Camp is a great time to really focus on your basic and advanced martial arts techniques.  You get a great work out to keep your body in shape as well.

We do a lot of very fun taekwondo techniques, like the sparring gauntlet, group demos, breaking night, musical poomse, and more.  We also do various activities like tie-dying, the rock climbing wall, horseback riding, the zip line, and mountain bike rides.  There is a movie night where everyone sits back, relaxes, and watches a movie.  Each year, we take a hike to the water fall, and sing the camp chant along the way, showing our Camp MSK spirit!

Camp is a great time to connect with old friends within the Colorado Taekwondo Institute and Moo Sul Kwan, or meet new friends.  You are roomed with four others that are close in age, so it is almost certain you find new friends and have a great time with them at Camp.

Cindy and Pam Sautel are the main people in charge of the cooking at camp. Their food is delicious every time they cook.  But don’t forget Master Bill Jones from Missouri, he also cooks a lot of the food that our hungry stomachs devour.

Camp is a very exiting time for all ages, and is for sure worth going to each and every year.  You get a whole bunch of practice with your Taekwondo techniques, and have a blast while doing them.  I recommend that every Taekwondo student goes to camp at some point in their Moo Sul Kwan martial arts journey!

Camp MSK '12

Camp MSK '12 was definitely one to remember!  It was the largest Camp of all time and one of the best ever!

It all started on Saturday, June 9th.  Checking in was the first thing everyone did.  Rooms were assigned, Camp Teaching Staff meetings took place and dinner was served.  After dinner, the Camp Groups were assembled.  Immediately, the Camp Group Leaders, Abdu Kikhia, Bridget Sautel, Brian Steward, Stephen Sautel, Michael Sandusky, Patrick Vargo and Eric Evans, started drilling their groups on their line-up formations and moves on their Camp Demonstrations.

The week went quickly by.  On Sunday the whole group hiked to the falls after a few classes on self-defense, target kicking, one-step sparring and walking drills taught by Master John Sautel, Mr. Freddy Sautel and Mr. Clayton Garner.  On the way to the falls, students got the chance to see some of the black belt promotion test (which started at 7:00 AM that morning).  This was followed by lunch at the lake and some time spent on group demonstrations and line-up formations.  Later that evening, the Camp MSK Kite Flying spectacle ensued.  The wind was just right for some excellent displays of kite flying prowess - Devon Lewis had the highest flying kite - it took six tied-together spools of string to get his kite so high in the atmosphere!

Black Belt Teens at the Waterfall

Monday started with a black belt early morning workout on Poomse and Staff work.  Then all sorts of things happened!  There was the Zip Line, Horseback Riding, Miniature Golf, the High Zip Line and the Climbing Wall, exciting activities students were able to choose from.  A special High Ropes Challenge Course was reserved for our upper black belts and a bike ride of momentous proportions took place.  Probably the longest activity of the day was the Camp Tie-Dye Project.  Each camper  had the chance to make their own tie-dye shirt.  In addition to the campers' shirts, another 152 shirts were crafted for the MSK Summer Expo XXVIII's Amazing Race!  In the evening there was also some time made for work on Jump Kicking, Poomse and Sparring.  The day ended with some campers going Square Dancing and others hitting the giant indoor swimming pool!

The next day began with some early morning exercise and black belt work on the staff.  Red and brown belts also got the chance to explore staff basics with Grandmaster Sautel.  Later each group worked and showed the upper belts their group line-ups and demonstrations.  This year's demos, with music, were based on inventions by Benjamin Franklin.  Groups were named after his inventions like; the Armonica, Daylight Savings Time, the Franklin Stove, the Lightning Rod, the Fire Company, the Fire Insurance Company, the Bifocals and the Odometers.

After a wonderful lunch, students and instructors worked on sparring, walking drills, evasion drills, blocking, hapkido, target kicking, Great Grandmaster Shin self-defense and the three-sectional staff.  Also on slate for that day was time spent on letter writing, arts and crafts, banner making, duck tape art and a special drawing class taught by purple belt Kelsey Smith.  A huge bike ride then took place with 34 riders attacking the ride from one end of Snow Mountain Ranch to the other!  Along the way, poomse was performed and some GGM Shin self-defense. Later that afternoon there were other mountain bike rides, more demo work with the day ending with our Camp Movie Night!

On Wednesday, the upper belts worked on poomse and sparring after an early morning training session with some Colorado Rocky Mountain rocks!  The annual Camp Group Picture was taken followed by training in poomse and demo work.  After lunch, the 2nd Annual Camp Quest took place!  Everyone was divided into teams, named after a certain breed of dog, and the race was on.  Master Jones, Master John Sautel and Master Erik Albrechtson commanded three teams each.  Teams had to accomplish many tasks like; golfing, one-steps, poomse, baseball hitting,  building design, breaking, bike riding, various exercises put together by Cindy Tusa, kickball, Frisbee throwing and swimming.  Teams also had to bring back items like a feather, a unique rock, a rubber band and more!  Everyone had a fantastic time and the winning team on time was the Alice Meyung Team.

Later that evening, the Camp Board Breaking Extravaganza took place at the Leggett Building.  As the CTI band Hoshin-Motion practiced their songs for the upcoming Summer Expo, students and instructors performed many exciting board breaking techniques.

On Thursday, the last day of Camp MSK'12, special demonstrations
were given for our parents, family members and friends.  Students of all ages displayed their many skills and showed their toughness by ending the week with total effort in their demos!

Special thanks to Cindy Tusa, Pam Sautel and Kimberly Jones for their help!  Also, special thanks goes to our organizers who kept the week so incredibly dynamic; Karen McHugh, 4th dan, Freddy Sautel, 4th dan, Alice Meung, 4th dan, Clayton Garner, 4th dan, Master Albrechtson, Master John Sautel, Master Mindy Sautel and Grandmaster Sautel.

See you next year!  Reserve your spot early.

CAMP MSK TOPS THE LIST!

Camp MSK '11 was definitely one to remember!  The Camp started out with perfect weather and it only got better.

We started out with a flurry of action and learning.  By the time the first two days were over, we had ridden our bikes, tested our black belt candidates, started putting together our team demonstrations, hit the zip line, rode the horses, climbed the wall, tye-dyed our shirts, worked on one-step sparring, self-defense, basics, exercise, poomse, sparring, swam in the pool, went to an outside movie, played the CTI Kickball Championships, performed musical breaking and so much more!

Throughout the week, Cindy Tusa kept us well fed as always with the help of Pam Sautel and Master Jones.  (Master William R. Jones, 5th dan, was our special guest at Camp.)   After each meal, one of the Camp Teams was responsible for clean-up.

Square dancing took place on Tuesday evening at the Legett building for the older campers, and it was up to it's usual excitable pace.  People could hear them for miles around as they laughed and shouted the session away to the sounds of a professional square dance caller.

As the Camp MSK week rolled on, everyone go a lot accomplished.  The best way to find out about everything that happened is to ask the lucky ones who had the chance to attend this year's Camp MSK.

Best Taekwondo Camp to Date!

Here is a list of the participants by teams.  (Note that each team was named after one of our first six Vice-Presidents of the United States of America)

Team John Adams - Freddy Sautel, Chris Wallace, Brendon Dodson, Kelly Franson, Nate Watkins, Riley Leischner, Emma Pinsinski, Andrew Madayag, Zach Greaves, Kameron Evans, Richie Tusa, Nicholas Boender, Caela McCartney, Jacobi Field and Lydia Lincke

Team Thomas Jefferson - Erik Albrechtson, Bridgest Sautel, Claire Snyder, Damian Rupp, Kai Wong, Caleb Feagnas, McKenna Louth, Nathan Rockenfeller, Justin Lautryp, Owen Hartmann, Alan Fernandez, Anna Sparlin, Zachary Boender, Torrey Tusa and Beatrice Lincke

Team George Clinton - Karissa Mowry, Stephen Sautel, Sierra Field, Maggie Wingate, Coghan Spery, Michael Madayag, Kathleen Sautel, Emma Hartmann, Peyton Brauch, TJ Gutierrez, Johnny Williams, Mitchell Kelley, Kelsey Smith and Zachary Outcalt

Team Aaron Burr, Jr.  - Alice Meyung, Michael Sandusky, Annie Sautel, Delaney Zandin, Bryton Jones, Ian Randall, Cody Crawshaw, Cole Ernst, Allison Lawrence, Addie Spery, Lauren Lundeen, Nico Trilk, Dante Hulin and Baxter Wilson

Team Elbridge T. Gerry - Jamie Sautel, Brian Steward, Patrick Vargo, Erik Ondrejko, Ryan Lindner, Jocelyn Wallen, Zac Johannes, Collin Kretz, Rachel Rockenfeller, Julianne Todd, Thoedore Lincke, Nathan Orwick, Josephine Hobson, Elise Smioth and Keoni Derosia

Team Daniel D. Tompkins - Clayton Garner, Abdu Kikhia, Hope Morgan, Thomas Sautel, Eilidh Spery, Jack Eddy, Eric Bear, Sean Lawlor, Lexi Johannes, Anna Good, Mason Louth, Gwen Gutierrez, Mya Field, Caleb Johnson and Elijah Nelson

Running this year's Camp MSK were:  Master Erik R. Albrechtson, Master William R. Jones, Master John T. Sautel, Master Merinda J. Sautel and Grandmaster James M. Sautel

Click here for a few photographs or this special week! http://www.coloradotaekwondo.com/page/show/277786-camp-msk

A Very Special Flag

Last Camp MSK, each of the Campers wrote a letter to a former Moo Sul Kwan brown belt and one of GM Sautel's first students at his first teaching assignment, the Perryville MSK.  His name is Robert Jones and he is now a Lt. Colonel.

Col. Jones was serving in Iraq at the time of the letter writing. Every few days a few letters were mailed to Col. Jones and the impact on him and his fellow soldiers was enough for them to send us a very special flag.

At Camp MSK '11 during the final demos for our parents, family members and friends, Master William R. Jones, brother of Col. Jones, presented this special flag and a plaque explaining the situation.

The plaque reads:

Flag of the United States of America

Presented to

The Students of Colorado Taekwondo Institute

This American Flag was flown over the Al Faw Palace, Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq, during Operation New Dawn on Veteran's Day 2010.  Thank you for your support of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen presently deployed.

Joseph R. Allen, CSM, USA  Command Sergeant Major, United States Forces - Iraq

Lloyd J. Austin III, Commanding General, United States Forces - Iraq