Why I Started

By Mike Pierce, yellow belt

My sole purpose for starting at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute at 55 is still now a mystery to me but one of the benefits has been weight loss.  Before CTI Taekwondo, cardiovascular exercise only took place  when I marched up the stairs and now it comes in the form of jumping jacks; a lot of jumping jacks.  The first time the warm ups started I thought that doing over 50 jumping jacks was sadistic but the number reached over 300 and I did not see a defibrillator nearby.  After about a month and a half I started to get the hang of it and noticed the benefits of increased stamina and a slimmer waist line.  I have now lost a total of 10 lbs. after 3 months of CTI Taekwondo and I am surprised at all the extra weight I had been concealing.

Going to CTI Taekwondo has been educational, humbling and exhausting but the benefits of getting to know some outstanding young and middle aged adults working in a disciplined environment has made the journey rewarding on many different levels.

Our Lakewood Taekwondo school will make you more confident!

I don’t know if you remember Tae Bo. Tae Bo was an aerobic exercise program that was created several years ago and it took some of the movements from Taekwondo and turned it into and exercise routine. Tae Bo was completely useless as a martial art but what you should notice about that is that there is no coincidence that there are multiple trainers from all over the world who are taking pieces of Taekwondo and putting it in their fitness routines!

Taekwondo is great for your health and if you are looking for a  martial arts school in the Green Mountain / Lakewood area that will help you get into shape then you have come to the right place! Our Green Mountain Taekwondo campus has many different benefits for your health. For example, taking Taekwondo will help you get lean, increase your cardiovascular abilities, and tone your muscles.

Our Green Mountain Taekwondo school will also help you learn to defend yourself like nowhere else in Colorado. Now hopefully you will never be in a position where you will need to use the Taekwondo skills you learn here but you never know when it could come in handy to either defend yourself or someone else.

You will also start to notice that you will become very aware of your surroundings. People who attack and mug other people are usually looking for people who are distracted or not really paying attention. They want the element of surprise. If you find yourself walking through a bad area but you are paying attention attackers and thugs will often leave you alone for someone who is less aware. Nothing is worse for a thug than drawing attention to what they are doing so they’ll leave you alone in most cases if they think they are going to have attention drawn to them or if they think they will get caught.

Once you join our Green Mountain Taekwondo school you will start to notice some other things happen that will surprise you. You reflexes will get faster and there will be times when the world seems to move slower.

For example when I first started martial arts I was standing in my kitchen. I was about 12 years old at the time and my mother reached above me to get something out of the cabinet that was in front of me. In the process she accidentally knocked the spaghetti out of the cupboard. Before the spaghetti had hit the counter I had caught it in my right hand! I was just as surprised as my mother was and I put it back into the cupboard feeling proud to know that my new martial arts practice was working! Understand that before martial arts I was not the kid who was a great athlete.

I loved my time training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.  I became coordinated, I got confident and my reflexes only got better. I even started to get better at sports. I used to flinch as a ball would fly toward me but once I started to do martial arts I got more confident. A ball is a lot easier to catch and not be afraid of when you are used to people throwing punches at your face.

Thoughts on the Big Picture

By: Lee Tomjack, Jeffco Middle School Teacher

The workouts at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute are not just about building up physical strength, coordination, and agility. It’s also about building up the mind of the person, as well as the body.  CTI students regularly practice positive thinking, making proper choices, planning ahead, strategizing, and helping others, both in their dojang and in their community at large.  CTI is trying to produce leaders who can help others in their learning and in the world at large as well.

Martial arts is not just about sparring and breaking boards.  It’s about making yourself into a better person who takes responsibility for their life and the well being of others.  We can fight, but we choose not to.  We could sit back and watch others struggle with their daily lives, but we choose to help others be more successful instead.  This can be by helping them with their training, improving their confidence and thinking skills, and helping them in their daily lives as well, through our food drives and other community outreach charity efforts as well.

The 40th CTI Superbowl!

The weather couldn't get us this year!  Last year we had to cancel our annual tournament, but this year the weather couldn't stop us!  Even with some heavy snow going into the weekend, our 40th CTI Superbowl was a huge success!

316 students and instructors from across the Colorado Taekwondo Institute Campuses and Clubs competed in Poomse, Sparring, First Point Wins!, Board Breaking, and Staff Poomse.  Green Mountain, Littleton, Westminster, Golden, Conifer, Craig, Red Rocks Elementary, Montessori Peaks Academy, Our Lady of Fatima, West Woods Elementary and Westridge Elementary were all represented.

The action began on Friday evening, March 7, at Alameda International High School in Lakewood, Colorado.  Friday night highlighted some of the black belt competitions, beginning with sparring, and continuing with staff, poomse and breaking.

On Saturday, March 8th, the action continued with a few black belt breaking competitions and was followed by all of the other divisions from white thru red belt.

Students of all ages and belt levels took part in the competitions from 2 to 67 years old!  This year, CTI Obstacle Sparring was featured in First Point Wins! divisions, and there also was a musical demonstration performed by the Black Belt Team at the CTI Superbowl Halftime.  Done to the song, "I Robot," by the Alan Parsons Project, the demo included poomse, basics, breaking and more!  The Superbowl was dedicated to the service members of the US and to our parents, familly members and friends.  Singer of our United States National Anthem this year was Michael Sandusky, 3rd dan, from the Golden Campus.

The CTI Superbowl is the only tournament of the year where under black belts vie for the the Grandchampionships.  Congratulations to Jennifer McKernan, Thomas Ma, Rob Sarche and Julianne Todd for capturing the Grandchampion Awards by placing the highest in their competitions.

40th CTI Superbowl RESULTS:

POOMSE

1st place
Abdu Kikhia            Hope Morgan        Andrew Madayag    Tyler Murphy  
Collin Kreutz            Holly Madayag        Lydia Lincke        Jennifer McKernan
Thomas Ma            Emily Artman         Ethan Kirschner        Ella Sidwell
Theo Lincke            Mike Dean         Ethan Trapp        Trish Nguyen
Casey Feagans            Brynn Konrad        Lauren Lundeen    Ryan Wyngarden
Zoe Dickerson            C.J,. Benton        Ben Kirschner        McKenzie Schneider
Sumay Potgeiter        Kayla Visnyei        Adolf Ordaz        Bill Schwartz
Ethan Miles            Akram Alghanmi    Isabel Shoe        Addy Milligan
Jarod Eller            Katie Dahle        Jonah Elstad        Abbey Salamera
Anya Trilk            Tatum Buenning    Taylor Allen        Julian Marine
Kylie Bickford            Lauren Dahlberg    Dillon Watson        Mitchell Oleszek
Jacob Hoenmans        Zayne Lineberger     William Maes        Sydney Brasseux
Nina Madayag            Owen Robertson    Graeme Wright        Evan Montoya
Hunter Bellegante          
         
2nd place
Kyle Feagans            Kai Wong        Zach Greaves        Michael Madayag
Erik Ondrejko            Brian Steward        Zuzanna Janowska    Dante Hulin
Charlie Smith            Keet Holdridge         Brendon Arink        Patrick Konrad
Grace Apodaca            Kenny Brancio        Elise Smith        Natasha McKernan
Jonah Sidwell            Shekina DeTienne    Rob Sarche        Rick Orton
Justin Nelson            Brecken Lusk        Lynne Dean        Race Sober
Aodhan Linehan        Daniel Nelson        Patrick O’Day        Lilly Minor
Mikael Zandin            Declan Gunther        Taryn Bilyeu        Alex Williams
Amelia Lewis            Phillip Hoenmans    Jake Seele        Gillian Boswell
Owen Martin            Mathias Bauer        Cody Jacobson        Sean Haverkamp
Alex Price            Wyatt Ayers        Jasmine Salamera    Ashton Price
Quinn Nesline            Nico Huggins         Sarah Habetler        Sean Huntley
Nathan Tate            Joshua Stencil        T.J. Tibbetts        Lance Schwartz
Braden Zack      

3rd place
Bridget Sautel            Thomas Sautel        Caleb Feagans        Jocelyn Wallen
Peyton Brauch            Don Johnson        Carl Gibbons        Marcy Feagnas
Nathaniel McKernan        Elizabeth Hawkins     Libby Girard        Taylor Dodge
Owen Hartmann        Conner Brauch        Dakota Jesse        James Healy
Sabrina Jameson        Evelyn LaMorgese    Sarah Luper        Gwen Gutierrez
Jovan Moore            Abbey Lundeen        Santi Huggins        J.J. Potgeiter
Evan Strickfaden        Shea Wright        Abrham Yehle        Andrew Smith
Alan Fernandez            Kaddie Williams    Ysabella Bellotti    Arthur LeFebure
Tessa Bries            Lindsey Boswell    Makawee Mitchell    Peyton Reynolds
Benson White            Grady Bahr        Jackson Anderson    Augusto Jerez
David Malik            Ronin Selko        Henry Bretz        Dean Gunther
Donovan Penrod        Grant Haverkamp     Kirk Otteson         Arianna Anderson  
Christian Lloyd            Tyler Gray        Mariah Cordova    Seamus Walsh  
Osso Sidwell      

4th place  
Terry Copper            Coghan Spery        Alyssa Copper        Kathleen Sautel
Chris Wallace            Andy McDaniel        Calvin Jensen        Derek Simpson
Ian Wilson            Merrick Oleszek     Maryn Probasco    Cole Reseigh
Addie Spery            Kameron Evans        Makayla Trapp        Allyse Nothstine
Alejandro Deppmeier        Ethan Priced        Bruce Dean        Raymond Bellotti
Liam Donovan            Uriah Hernandez    Tearny Kinnevy     Glen LaNear  
Arkhip Saratovtsev        Jaden Wood        George Linehan        Jason Stencil
Carson Ayers            Allie Warnick        Matthew Ordaz        Joanna Nowak
BrandonDills            Carter Reyes        Campbell Copt        Malaki McRant
Lucas Nomany            Rachel Kirschner     Jason Stencil, Jr.    Cris Fresquez
Mia Rubio            Margqux Gilbert    Sierra Buzick        Rusty Martino  
Eva Carreon            Colin Schweich     Peyton Beard        Nick Tibbetts
Sophia Lachenmayer        Zachary Allen      
     

TIGER POOMSE

1st place
Xavier McRant            Mayci Beck        Eden Valerux        Halston Kueper
David Orton            Evalin Dickerson    Emerson Reseigh    Trenton Wheat
Jack Gittelman            Lily Strickland        Gaven DiNunzio    Amadeo Sandoval
Kyle Janowski            Joseph Stano        Tyler Odom        Caleb Thompson
Ayden Lewis            Sulivan Gesso        Quynn Cotner        Jaxson Wheat
Colston Yoder  

SPARRING

1st place
Michael Sandusky        Thomas Sautel        Alyssa Copper        Michael Madayag
Kai Wong            Zach Greaves        Kathleen Sautel        Shekina DeTienne
Rob Sarche            Sam LaMorgese    Brynn Konrad         Cole Reseigh
Dakota Jesse            Jennifer McKernan    Merrick Oleszek    Thomas Ma
Julianne Todd            Ryan Wyngarden    Emily Artman        Elizabeth Hawkins
Charlie Smith            Shea Wright        Brandon Dills        Ethan Miles  
Peyton Reynolds         Kylie Bickford        Grady Bahr        Owen Martin  
Amelia Lewis            Miette Jandreau        Susan Bergstiner    Akrham Alghanmi
Zoe Dickerson            Jason Stencil        Jaden Wood        Jack Eller
Aodhan Linehan        Matthew Ordaz        Campbell Copt        Ashton Price  
Taylor Allen            Donovan Penrod    Tyler Gray        Sean Huntley  
Anya Trilk            Evan Montoya         Eva Carreon        Rusty Martino
Grant Haverkamp

2nd place
Lexi Johannes            Kyle Feagans        Coghan Spery        Nate Watkins
Hope Morgan            Erik Ondrejko        Abdu Kikhia        Devon Bagley  
Elise Smith            Zuzanna Janowska        Joshua Miller         Sean Havercamp
Lauren Lundeen        Dante Hulin        Jonah Sidwell        Karen Carreon
Connor Brauch            Sabrina Jameson        Mark Scott        James Healy
Kelsey Smith            Evan Strickfaden        Declan Gunther        Alan Fernandez  
Daniel Nelson             Mariah Cordova        William Maes        Braden Zack
Andrew Smith            Aspen Hawkins        Patrick O’Day        Lindsey Boswell
Ysabella Bellotti        Sumay Potgeiter        Tessa Bries        Jarrod Eller  
Jake Seele            Lucas Stolka        Dean Gunther        Mathias Bauer  
Karly Cockrum            Kirk Otteson        Dylan Tracy        Joshua Stencil  
Julian Marine            Osso Sidwell        Lauren Dahlberg    Cody Jacobson
Taylor Dodge                Kenny Brancio
 
3rd place
Brian Steward            Bridget Sautel        Sean Lawlor        Ian Randall
Damian Rupp            Julianne Todd        Tyler Murphy        Lydia Lincke  
Vinny Constantino        Casey Feagans        Devon Bilyeu        Jason Stencil
Marcy Feagans            Sean Konrad        Natasha McKernan    Devon Lewis  
Gwen Gutierrez            Addie Spery        Ian Wilson        Liam Donovan  
C.J. Benton            Race Sober        Abbey Salamera     R.J. Larson
MacKenzie Schneider        Isabel Shoe        Lynne Dean        Melvin Marine
Joanna Nowak            Franco Otero        J.J. Potgeiter        Abrham Yehle
Adolph Ordaz            Isaac Jensen        Luke Ball        Meryn Probasco
Henry Bretz             Zach Bickford        Augusto Jerez        Nico Huggins
Hunter Bellegante        Gabriel Dodge        Sarah Habetler        Lucas Nomany
Ella Sidwell            Mia Rubio                  

4th place
Don Johnson            Collin Kreutz        Caleb Feagans        Jocelyn Wallen
Tanner Copper            Robbie Crandell    Grace Apodaca        Evelyn LaMorgese
Keet Holdridge             Peyton Beard        Zachary Allen        Birk Strickfaden
Sarah Luper            Alejandro Deppmeier    Melodie Page        T.J. Gutierrez
Lydia Willis            Carl Gibbons        Blenness Quintanna    Arthur LeFebure
Justin Nelson            Jovan Moore        Gillian Boswell     Lance Schwartz  
George Linehan            Katie Dahle        Taryn Bilyeu        Bailey Hayes
Tearny Kinnevy            Mohale Mitchell    Jonah Elstad        Jacob Hoenmans
Malaki McRant            Libby Girard        Cris Fresquez         Noah Sisk
Mitchell Oleszek        Damon Bahr        Arianna Anderson    T.J. Tibbetts
Jasmine Salamera                  

FIRST POINT WINS!

1st place
Erik Ondrejko            Brian Steward        Hope Morgan        Peyton Brauch
Kai Wong            Zach Greaves        Lexi Johannes        Sam LaMorgese
Shekina DeTienne        RobSarche        Brynn Konrad         Cole Reseigh
Mike Dean            Jennifer McKernan    Merrick Oleszek    Thomas Ma
Lauren Lundeen        Joshua Miller        Zuzanna Janowska    Elise Smith
Ian Wilson            Jonah Elstad        Mohale Mitchell    Jarrod Eller
Peyton Reynolds         Kylie Bickford        R.J. Larson         Nico Huggins
Sumay Potgeiter        Miette Jandreau        Lindsey Boswell    Patrick O’Day
Natalie Lundeen        Andrew Smith        Franco Otero        Alan Fernandez
Abrham Yehle            Adolph Ordaz        Isaac Jensen        Zachary Allen
Taylor Allen            Donovan Penrod     Zach Bickford        Julianne Marine
Tyler Gray            Sean Huntley        Anya Trilk        T.J. Tibbetts
Ella Sidwell          Kenny Brancio        
     

2nd place
Tyler Murphy            Michael Sanduksy    Abbey Watkins        Michael Madayag
Zac Johannes            Don Johnson            Julianne Todd        Devan Bagley  
Makalya Trapp            Emily Artman        Ryan Wyngarden     Campbell Copt
Johnny Williams        Ethan Trapp            Casey Feagans        Sean Konrad
Karen Carreon            Sarah Luper            Ethan Price        Kelsey Smith
James Healy             Nina Madayag        William Maes        Zayne Lineberger
Shea Wright            Jake Seele            Ethan Miles        Abbey Salamera
MacKenzie Schneider        Makawee Mitchell    Lynne Dean        George Linehan
Adrianna Carreon        Jason Stencil            Jovan Moore        Raymond Bellotti
Arthur LeFebure        Evan Strickfaden    Jacob Hoenmans    Mathias Bauer
Libby Girard            Kirk Otteson         Dylan Tracy        Joshua Stencil  
Augusto Jerez            Rusty Martino        Eva Carreon        Evan Montoya
Taylor Dodge              
 

BREAKING

1st place
Michael Sandusky        Tyler Murphy        Kathleen Sautel        Zac Johannes
Terry Copper            Erik Ondrejko        Devon Lewis        Jonah Sidwell
Grace Apodaca            Sean Konrad         Jovan Moore        Isabel Shoe
Keet Holdridge            Rob Sarche        Thomas Ma        Karen Carreon
Julianne Todd            Ethan Trapp        Tessa Bries        Benjamin Kirschne
Shea Wright            Abbey Salamera     Kaddie Williams    Lynne Dean  

STAFF POOMSE

1st place
Erik Ondrejko            Hope Morgan        Coghan Spery        Andrew Madyayag

2nd place
Peyton Brauch            Zach Greaves        Jack Eddy        Michael Sandusky

3rd place
Bridget Sautel            Alyssa Copper        Tyler Murphy        Kai Wong

Under Black Belt 40th CTI Super Bowl Grand Champions:   

Thomas Ma, Julianne Todd, Rob Sarche and Jennifer McKernan

9 Ways Taekwondo Classes can Improve Your Health

As people sit around their houses after work watching television their bodies are deteriorating. They gain weight, their arteries are clogging and their joints are getting stiffer. They begin to lose flexibility and over time their body loses strength.

It’s even worse if they are eating junk foods or smoking cigarettes. We all know that junk food is making us fat as a society and we also know that smoking is causing lung cancer. The impact on our bodies is tremendously bad and can shorten or even end our lives if these practices are done over years.

So what is a fun effective way to improve our life styles and our health?

Taekwondo classes!

Taekwondo classes, also known as Korean Karate, are an effective way to increase flexibility, improve cardiovascular health, and build muscle!

Let’s talk about a couple of different ways that Taekwondo can help improve your health.

1) Taekwondo classes can help control weight

At Colorado Taekwondo Institute you will learn a number of different ways to get your body moving. You will be practicing board breaks, forms and sparring. The various fighting patterns and sparing will increase help you maintain your weight by helping you burn calories. The nice thing is you can do a form or two whenever you want throughout the day.

The more intensely that you perform your forms the more calories you are going to burn and the more weight you can lose.

Even if you aren’t someone who needs to lose a few extra pounds Taekwondo will help you maintain your weight as you get older.

2) Taekwondo classes helps prevent diseases and health conditions

In Colorado Taekwondo Institute we workout hard. When you do a workout your body produces more “good Cholesterol” and it will help lower your bad triglycerides. This keeps your blood flowing smoothly and will decrease your chances of having cardiovascular problems later in life.

According to mayoclinic.com working out will help your body prevent several different problems such as stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and even some types of cancer. Make sure to get off of the couch!

3) Taekwondo classes can help improve your mood

After a bad day at work a Taekwondo class could be just the thing to get you feeling better. When you exercise you get several benefits to your mood through the release of various chemicals in your brain. These chemicals make you feel good. They are a sort of natural high.

In addition to the chemicals it always feels good after a bad day to punch a bag or break a board.

4) Lakewood Taekwondo practice boosts energy

Sometimes people get so out of shape that they get winded by everyday things. Things like carrying in the groceries or even just getting the mail can become chores that leave you out of breath. Taekwondo will help you to build muscles and you’ll see your endurance improving as well. 

The exercise will help more oxygen and nutrients get into your tissues and your cardiovascular system will begin to work better. When your cardiovascular system works better your energy levels will increase naturally and you won’t need the energy drinks or the coffee as often!

5) Taekwondo classes will help you get more sleep

When you are exercising regularly in your Taekwondo class your body will get to sleep more easily and you will find that your sleep is much better than it was before. Don’t practice your Taekwondo to close to your bedtime or you will find that you are unable to get to sleep because you have too much energy!

6) Taekwondo classes are fun

When you are in Taekwondo it isn’t like being at the gym. When you go to the gym you lift weights and get on tread mills. If you are like me you find those things tedious and boring. When you go to Taekwondo you are learning skills to keep yourself safe, you’re learning martial arts forms and sparring. I personally love to spar and I love to learn the forms.

For me Taekwondo is a lot more fun that moving my arm up and down over and over to inflict pain in my bicep to build muscle. Of course I am referring to lifting weights.

7) Taekwondo makes you look good too!

When you come to every class you will notice that your body really starts to get into shape. You will start to feel confident about the way you look and about the new things you’ll be able to do.

Taekwondo classes improve flexibility. If you are someone who has no chance of touching your toes then you might think that it is going to be impossible to throw a kick above your head. This is not true at all!

Through proper stretching exercises daily and through throwing kicks in your forms you too can be throwing kicks above your head in no time flat!

So the bottom line is that Taekwondo can really improve your life and the way you feel.

The Importance of Breathing, Consistency, and Mentors at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute

Often times martial arts, such as Taekwondo, Karate and Kung Fu, are thought about only for its martial arts benefits. Some people think the martial arts are only about fighting and they don’t fully understand there is much more to them than simply throwing punches and kicks, breaking boards, sparring and tournaments.

That aside there are a number of things you will learn when you join Colorado Taekwondo that will help keep you healthy and kicking high over your head for years and years to come!

One very important thing in any martial arts school is breathing techniques. Breathing properly will add power to your punches and kicks. When you initially start to do deep breathing techniques you might feel a little light headed, if that happens take a break. You will be fine your brain just isn't used to getting the amount of oxygen that it is getting from the deep breathing.

Deep breathing techniques will help you to detoxify your body as well. The deep breathing techniques will help you to get more oxygen into your blood. The high altitude of Colorado makes this even more important than at lower altitudes.

Your lymphatic system is also powered by your lungs and by body movement. Your lymphatic system can roughly be equated to your body’s sewer system. This is one of the reasons that a sedentary life style is so bad for people. If you aren't moving and you aren't breathing properly you are not pumping the toxins out of your body.

Another important practice at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is practicing the techniques that you've learned. If you aren't improving your skills everyday then your skills are going backwards every day. Strive to improve every day.

When I joined my martial arts school I was clumsy and uncoordinated. I practiced every day and there were times when I was just getting beat up. I remember right after I got my first belt promotion, I was about to spar with an older gentleman in class. I thought, “I’m going to show this old man how good I am…” I proceeded to get beaten badly in the match but that is what happens when a huge ego is sparring with a high ranking black belt.

Over time I worked on my ego and my body and as a result, my body got stronger and my ego got weaker. None of this would have happened however if I hadn't been consistent in my training and if I wasn't willing to leave my arrogance at the door.

Colorado Taekwondo will teach you to be humble in your life but also confident in your abilities. It will take consistent effort to be able to develop your body to be able to do some of the amazing kicks in Colorado Taekwondo. Practice every day whether on your own or in the martial arts school is essential for becoming the best martial artist that you can be.

Team work is a good thing too. Get a work out buddy. Someone who will push you to be your very best and someone to practice with as well.

Another thing that I have found useful is having a number of different mentors. As I was going through the various belt ranks I of course had my instructor but I also had secret mentors. I watched people do there forms and I would take pieces of their forms and make them my own. For example, if someone had an amazing kick I would pay attention to what they did better than the next guy and I would try to copy it. In school copying isn’t ok but it is all fair game in a martial arts school.

Another type of mentor I took on was a sparring mentor. I got the most from doing this. There was one guy in my class who I thought was amazing when he sparred. I sparred him whenever possible and then after the match he would give me pointers on things I could do better.

This can translate into your life as well. All you need to do to get good at any skill in your life is get a practice partner and a mentor. Then practice every day doing the new skill that you are working on. Get honest feedback and improve. Over time through consistent effort whatever skill you are working on will improve.

'Twas the Night Before the Tournament

By Holly Madayag, 1st dan

‘Twas the night before the tournament, 
And all through the school 
Students were practicing poomse,
Staying calm, staying cool.

The trophies were placed
On the head table with care,
With hopes of Grand Champion
Filling the air.

The instructors were busy
With final preparations for the show
And hoping that this would be
The absolute finest demo!

Judges checking scorecards
Scorekeepers checking time;
The band practicing lyrics
To ensure all words rhyme.

Then from one of the rings
There rose such a kihap;
That it made even the top-bleacher spectators
Turn, Look and then Stop.

The Black Belt division 
Was about to begin;
No better way to start the competition
Than to watch an amazing Yul Shin.

When, what to our wondering eyes 
Should appear,
But the clocks spinning forward to morning
The Superbowl is here!

With students checking in
And ring stands holding steady;
No snow stopping us today
We are all chunbi ready!

More rapid than eagles
The competitors they came
And they bowed and they stretched and
They did jumping jacks with no shame!

On Hana! On Dul! 
On Set and Net!
Students rushed to their rings
Shouting, “Yes, Sir!” you can bet.

And then in a twinkling,
I heard my name on the speaker
It was my turn to spar
And I started feeling weaker.

As I drew in my breath 
And was turning around,
My fiercest competitor
Made not a sound.

He was dressed all in white
From his head to his foot
He checked his handpads, his headgear
His mouthpiece, his boot.

We spoke not a word
But went straight to the bow
Which made me feel more relaxed
And stronger, somehow.

A number of techniques he had mastered
I knew.
So I just kept my feet moving
And, to my training, stayed true.

And then, in a twinkling, 
I heard in my head
The CTI motto -
I had nothing to dread.

We exchanged various kicks
Each worth two points – they were smooth
But he got me with the reverse punch –
Our bread and butter move!

I was happy with the outcome
It was just like a test
Give 100%, work hard and just
DO YOUR BEST!

We gathered at the end of the day
As we’re accustomed to 
To congratulate each other
For all that we do.

It is then that we realize
That winners we all are;
Moo Sul Kwan is our art
And with that, we’ll go far!

We loaded our cars and
And drove out of sight;
Ho Shin leaves us feeling proud -

We’ll all sleep well tonight!

Responsibility

By: Hope Morgan, 2nd dan

When I think about responsibility, I tend to think about my responsibilities to others. I think about my what I'm expected to do at school, work, and home. I think about tasks I have to complete, always doing my part.

Hardly do I ever think about my responsibilities to myself, and to be honest, I believe that is the most important thing. The simple truth is, no one, despite how amazing they are, has the real power to change your life - not Dr. Phil, Ellen, or Oprah, not your friends or family. May they be impactful? Of course! But the real power, that's all you. YOU are responsible for virtually everything in your life, and if you don't have the will to do something for yourself, to change something, then you can't expect it ti be done.

I don't think the realization of all of my personal responsibilities really hit me until the new year, and it's done me a great justice. Taking responsibility for myself has given me the power to create exactly what I want create and achieve exactly what I want to achieve.

I'm noticing the most significant difference in Taekwondo. At the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, we are lucky to have such a large group of supporters. I love knowing my classmates are there to push me, that I have an instructor ready to push me to my best. But my real salvation comes in knowing that despite all of that wonderful support, my success is my responsibility. I'm in charge of pushing myself, and I'm responsible for going as hard as I can and doing everything I can to reach my goals. Just knowing that my progress rests on my shoulders gives me the most motivation. I want to be the best that I can be for myself.

This way of thinking can transcend into almost anything I do, and it's really helped push me to the next level. Learning to take responsibility for yourself and the actions you decide to take is something everyone should focus on. 

MSK Pride in not Leaving a Job Unfinished!

By: Holly Madayag, 1st dan

We were at the Superbowl Tournament, our 40th one...

It was the end of class, we said, “Ho-Shin”
Then we bowed and stood up tall;
We all shook hands in unison
Then I stepped out of the workout hall.

I headed for the closet room
And reluctantly pushed open the door -
I pulled out the ‘ole Hoover vacuum
So I could quickly sweep the floor.

Push, pull, push -
Boy, my arms are sore!
Push, pull, push -
Vacuuming seems such a bore!

Dusty residue, whirring motor
Aching legs and back, it’s true!
Whenever will this be over?
I’ve got better things to do!

Just a small section of carpet left
Over that way toward the sign -
And, ugggh, the cord’s not long enough
It’s really no big deal – I’ll get it next time.

Who cares about that one small section?
The rest of the floor looks fine!
No one will even notice -
And I just don’t have the time!

Then, that night, as the stars came out
I fell quickly asleep and it did seem;
I had a momentous turn-about
All because of the strangest dream.

We were at the Superbowl tournament, our 40th one
Students gathering around;
We were all laughing, having fun
I could see us, but heard no sound.

My name was called, I stood up slow
Into the ring I stepped -
The tie-breaker poomse was Koryo
“I’ve got this,”  I thought.  “I’m confident and well-prepped.”

Sudo-makkis and sidekicks
Front kick foot position with pulled back toes
Re-chambering after every kick;
Steady as it goes.

Objective focus, loud kihaps
And a chamber hand so strong!
But, then, in just an instant -
Something had gone terribly wrong!

I froze on movement 39!
Only a small section of the poomse left to go
I can’t stop now, can’t NOT finish
Ohhhh noooo!

I went to the judges and I tried to plea
I begged so that sympathy they may feel -
But the center judge just looked at me
And said these words that seemed so real ….

“Strike, block, strike -
Your arms would have surely been too sore!
Strike, block, strike -
You’d certainly find the last six moves a bore!

It was just a small section of poomse
And you just couldn't finish, that’s true!
But, now it’s over -
And you probably have better things to do.

Who cares about the last six moves?
The rest of your poomse looked fine -
 It’s really no big deal –
You’ll get it next time.”

I awoke startled and dripping with sweat
My words had come back in a dream to haunt me;
I had left the unfinished portion of carpet
Which lead me to not finish Koryo completely. 

I thought back to my attitude about vacuuming -
And realized it had been so poor.
Cleaning the school should be done with honor
No matter how tired – no matter how sore!

Moo Sul Kwan teaches us that perfect practice is key
So the same applies to cleaning our school -
We must strive to do it
PERFECTLY!

And, now, because of that dream
I have learned and now I can say -
That vacuuming the school is equally as important
As practicing our tradition – our poomse.

“Wax on, wax off” as they say in the movies
And, you know, it’s really true -
Take initiative in cleaning the school!
It is the ultimate display of respect for what we do.

I’ll no longer look at vacuuming as just another chore
That’s really not the case;
When you break it down- it’s so much more.
It represents the highest regard for our cherished dojang space.

So, next time in that workout hall
When you notice clean lines and a carpet unblemished -
You’ll know it’s because a student who takes pride in Moo Sul Kwan
Didn't leave a job unfinished!

What Kind of Workout are Your Getting?

By: Rob Sarche, red belt, M.D.

As Colorado Taekwondo Institute participants we have all had the opportunity to enjoy vigorous and spirited workouts, but just how good of a workout are you getting?  How does Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, that we practice at the CTI, compare to other forms of exercise?  With this kind of a workout, how can we keep well-hydrated?  These are some of the questions that the Littleton and Westminster CTI Campuses sought to answer this fall.  Willing participants were studied to determine fluid losses, hydration status and caloric expenditures during a typical MSK workout that included sparring.

Participants were weighed after voiding and prior to the workout.  Weights of the two types of MSK uniforms were pre-measured dry.  Those participants who bought their own water had their water weighed before and after the workout, and they did not drink from the water fountain. 

Those who hydrated using the water fountain were timed, and the water consumption was estimated from a formula that was determined by measuring the output of the water fountain, as compared to the average amount of water that users let spill into the basin of the fountain while drinking.  Participants were blinded to this arm of the study so as to decrease the chances that they hydrated differently because they knew the were being observed.  Heart rates were measured at rest and frequently during all phases of the workout.  Caloric expenditures were estimated using a formula that considers participants exertional heart rate, resting heart rate, age, and sex.  Patients were weighed after participation to determine fluid loss, and that value was off-set by the weight of the fluid that each participant consumed in the form of drinking water, and the weight of the post-workout uniforms for black belt uniforms and lower belt uniforms, as measured in select participants and then extrapolated to the average participant. There were 26 participants in the study, with 16 males and 10 females that ranged in age from 12 to 54 years old. 

In typical CTI fashion, we worked out hard.  We sweated...lots.  No fluid was lost in the form of blood or tears.  No participants went into the bathroom during the workout.  The average fluid loss per participant was almost 4 pounds of water.  The sixteen participants that drank water from the water fountain ended the workout with a fluid deficit of 55 ounces each, and drank, on average, a total of only three ounces of water per participant.  The ten participants that brought their own water ended the work out with an average fluid deficit of 11 ounces, and drank an average of 19 ounces of water. 

The formal work out lasted for 105 minutes.  We indirectly measured caloric expenditures and looked at those results as a function of the participant’s skill level and age.  The participant’s gender was considered in calculating the calories burned. 

The white, yellow, orange belts burned an average of 813 calories each.  

The green and blue belts burned an average of 909 calories each.  

The purple, brown and red belts burned an average of 916 calories each.

Adult black belts burned an average of 1,185 calories each.

Adolescent black belts burned an average of 671 calories, where as the adolescent lower belts burned an average of 611 calories per participant. 

The combined classes burned the energy equivalent of 7.1 pounds of fat.

The 26 participants lost a total of 102 pounds of water in the form of sweat and evaporative losses.

The black belts were 32% more effective at burning calories than lower belts, and as the skill level of the participant increased, so did the caloric expenditures.  

The fact that we burned so much fat and lost so much fluid was not as surprising as the finding that participants who brought their own water were 84% better hydrated at the end of the workout, than those of us that relied upon hydrating from the drinking fountain.  Efficiency in burning calories, performance and recovery is expected to be better in well-hydrated participants.

Many interesting observations were made during our study, such as that the participants skill increases, so does the efficiency of the work-out.  The more experienced students were not necessarily better at hydrating than the less experienced participants, even though they had higher fluid losses. CTI instructors are very good at reminding students to hydrate well, but we should all consider the serious need to keep well hydrated when we participate in all day events such as expositions, camp and symposiums. Most participants did not drink enough water. Mr. Murphy was an exception to this, as he was the only participant who replaced all of his considerable fluid losses. He also taught us that hydrating with room temperature water allows for quicker and more comfortable hydration, as compared to drinking ice water.  

The Colorado Taekwondo Institute provides a safe, sustainable and increasingly beneficial exercise regimen.  Though other forms of exercise can allow opportunities to burn as many calories as MSK Taekwondo, such as running and swimming, few of these forms of exercise offer the additional benefits of MSK Taekwondo.  Moo Sul Kwan practitioners have progressive increases in their fitness level while learning practical self-defense, increasing strength, flexibility, speed, and coordination.  Mental benefits include building confidence, cognitive skills, perseverance, discipline, respect, expanding ones horizons and building community. 

Burning calories helps us to maintain healthy body weights and increase our fitness levels, but this is only one of the many benefits of Moo Sul KwanTaekwondo, most of which can not be quantified.