Dear Blue Waver's,

On May 4th, the Blue Wave TaeKwonDo Association held its 3rd Annual Bruce V. Twing memorial junior's Tournament. It was a HUGE success.

We had 76 competitors of all ranks ages 5 - 15 years old (up from 58 last year). We started on time at 11:00 am, and had the place picked up and were heading home by 4:30.

My mind was racing on the way home from Bethel. Here is a list of the things that struck me about the event.

1. There were several matches, in every age, rank and weight category that were technically excellent. A true credit to the great job our instructors are doing. I was very impressed.

2. The "fighting spirit" of the athletes was awesome; it was only equaled by their excellent sportsmanship.

3. With only a couple exceptions, every athlete had at least 2 fights. Many had 3 or 4.

4. We had matted rings and electronic scoring. Something typically found only at much larger events.

5. The entry fee was $20, lower than any tournament I know of.

6. We had very good judges.

7. The proceeds of this event go to the Bruce V. Twing Memorial Fund. A TKD scholarship fund dedicated to 1) financially supporting Blue Wave athletes in events such as Nationals and training camps, and 2) helping new students, who may need financial help, get enrolled in TaeKwonDo classes.

1. Mr. Peter and Mr. Tom Chase for organizing and running this event. Without them, this tournament would not happen.

2. The instructors, black belts and even gup ranks that came to help judge, referee and coach, whether they had students there or not.

3. Matt Winters (President of the Vermont State TaeKwonDo Association) for bringing and setting up the second set of electronic scoring.

4. Mr. Steve Gadapee, Ms. Milly Rhoades, and the Chases for lugging the mats to and from the venue.

5. All the parents. Thanks for the support and help!

Along with the 8 Blue Wave gyms represented, there were 3 other participating schools; Gentle Dragon TaeKwonDo (Matt and Sun Mi Winters), Rotta’s Black Belt Academy (Randy Rotta), and a new school that opened in VT about 8 months ago, New World TaeKwonDo (Song Wok and Julie Won Roh). Thank you for the support. We look forward to seeing you back next year.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Master White

During his last visit to the Blue Wave, I had a chance to speak with Grandmaster Lee about his own TaeKwonDo history. Here is a short resume of Grandmaster Lee’s career:

1953: Grandmaster Lee Tae Sung started training TaeKwonDo in Incheon Korea with a military squad that allowed civilians to join in. The instructors name was Kong Sa Jong. The school was called Chung Do Kwan.

1955: He received 1st Dan, and was invited to train at the Chung Do Kwan headquarters in Seoul, where he was groomed to become an instructor.

1957-1965: Grandmaster Lee was deployed to Osan Korea, to be the instructor at the US Air Force base. In 1964 Grandmaster Twing became his student here. During this time, he was required to report to the Chung Do Kwan headquarters in Seoul for continued training.

Great Grandmaster Lee Won Kuk, (Chung Do Kwan founder) would attend several weekend training camps a year for instructor training at the Chung Do Kwan headquarters. However, Grandmaster Lee said that President Um Won Kyu was most influential in his personal TaeKwonDo style and the style of most Chung Do Kwan instructors of his generation.

1966-1968: Grandmaster Lee taught the Kyun Gi Police Force, as well as taking an active role in teaching at the Chung Do Kwan headquarters in Seoul.

1968-1978: President Um Won Kyu named Grandmaster Lee “Head Instructor” along with Grandmaster Park Hae Man for the Chung Do Kwan headquarters. This is a title he still retains today. Grandmaster Lee said he did much of the teaching during this time, because Grandmaster Park was assigned to the “Blue House” (Korea’s White House) as a TaeKwonDo instructor for the secret police.

1979-1986: Grandmaster Lee was sent to teach TaeKwonDo in Saudi Arabia, at the University of Petroleum and Minerals. During this time he spent 9 months out of the year in Saudi Arabia.

1985-Present: Grandmaster Lee was reunited with Grandmaster Twing and became the Blue Wave’s Grandmaster Instructor. He continues to work for the Chung Do Kwan headquarters in Seoul as an instructor, as well as administratively.

Kennebunk Blue Wave TaeKwonDo would like to thank the following for their wonderful hospitality we received during the 3rd Annual Blue Wave Winter Camp.

Blue Wave Winter Camp went off without any problems thanks to the staff of Village By The Sea. We had over 165 registered participants, including Grand Master Tae Sung Lee from South Korea, Master Chuong and his crew from Maryland, Master Turgeon from Connecticut, Mr. Tetreault and his crew from Kicks TKD school in Connecticut, Vice President of the Blue Wave Association, Master Michael Anthony, with his crew from Massachusetts, Master Linda Smith-Blais and her students from Lebanon, N.H., and President of the Blue Wave TaeKwonDo Association, Master Gordon White, and his students from Burlington, Vermont. Blue Wave Schools cover most of New England and we are all very proud of that.

This was one of our biggest events ever and Village By The Sea helped make that possible. When there was an overflow of people the staff made arrangements by calling the Elmwood Resort next door and they helped set us up. I was a guest myself at the Elmwood and I found the accommodations and hospitality to be great. This made the weekend go along smoothly.

Black Belt testing took place on Friday evening, which was amazing! My school is the newest in the Association (Kennebunk Blue Wave) and my students loved seeing such talent all in one place. It was definitely an "eye opener". All of the self-defense and board breaking was quite a show.

Thirteen people tested on Friday and all passed! Congratulations! Blue Wave now has four new 1st degree black belts, four new 2nd degree, one new 4th degree, two new 5th degree Masters and two 6th degree Masters.

I would like to thank all of the people who helped put this whole weekend together. It was a great success. Thank you to Ms. Heidi Mahoney, Mr. Kevin Shangraw and the rest of the Sanford crew. My students enjoyed the entire experience.

Thank you Grand Master Tae Sung Lee, Master Turgeon, Master Chuong, Master Anthony, Master Smith-Blais, Master White, Master Reed and Master Rathbun.

Once again, thanks to all the staff at Village By The Sea and Elmwood Resort for a successful Blue Wave Winter Camp.

- Mr. Chester Pierce, Kennebunk Blue Wave TaeKwonDo Instructor

The Bruce V. Twing 3rd Annual Junior’s Day Tournament (held on May 4th) went well. 78 juniors competed and we tried to give a medal to all. We grossed $1,410 with $460 in medal expenses and $275 worth of insurance netted the Bruce V. Twing Memorial fund $675. But more importantly, our junior athletes were able to compete in a short duration (11:00 - 4:00), low pressure, low cost, easy-going tournament. They had the opportunity to spar with the latest in technology, because we had two rings using electronic scoring. This gave our association adult black belts experience using this equipment in this same low key atmosphere.

The biggest drawback to this tournament was the lack of support from the adult black belts. Only 15 of us attended, so the third ring remained inactive for much of the tournament due to a lack of judges and referees. It also made it difficult to take a break from the action, or in my case watch my students or even my own children compete if in another ring.

That being said, I would like to thank all of those black belts who did help. Master White, Peter Chase, Heidi Mahoney, Kurt King, Millie Rhoades, John Rodgers, Steven Gadapee, Chester Pierce, Bob Kline, Ken Robie, Steve Hopkins, Todd Sayles, Eric Jordan and Lesley Hubert. Special thanks to Mrs. Lambombard, Mrs. Mellert and my mother, Millie Chase, for helping with registrations at the door. Thank you also to Patrick Kennedy from Burlington for running one of the electronic scoring computers. I apologize for any names I have missed.

We also had the help of Mr. Randy Rotta and Mr. Matt Winters for some of the time. Mr. Winters provided us with the second electronic scoring equipment.

- Mr. Tom Chase, Bethel Blue Wave

On Saturday, April 13th, several Blue Wave students traveled to Clinton, CT to participate in a TaeKwonDo seminar led by 2001 US Coach of the Year, Jean Lopez, and his brother Steven Lopez. Steven is arguably the best TaeKwonDo competitor in the world today. He is a 2000 Olympic gold medallist, and 2001 World Champion.

The seminar consisted of sparring steps, basic kicks and paddle and hogu drills, as well as some sparring. The Blue Wave students had a great time, and learned some new techniques and strategy to work into their sparring.

Blue Wave athletes who participated were: Heidi Mahoney and Kevin Shangraw from Sanford; Todd Sayles, Emily Steinberg, Stacy Walters, Lesley Hubert and Gordon White from Burlington and Christian Centonze from Lebanon.

Hello. My name is Taylor McNally-Anderson (Mr. T, for short). I am 14 years old and I am a 2nd Poom. I started Taekwondo the end of 2nd grade when I was 7 years old. Taekwondo has taught me a LOT in the 7 years I have trained. One of the most valuable things that Taekwondo has taught me is self-confidence, especially with people my age.

In 2nd grade I was a quiet, shy kid that did not have much confidence in myself. It was really hard for me to talk to people that were older than I was or even kids that were my age. I had a few friends that I hung out with. I did not talk to other people that I did not know. Basically, I was very shy and did not have the confidence do go up and talk to other people I did not know. Then I started Taekwondo. I slowly became ever so slightly more confident in myself but still had trouble talking to others I did not know. Then in 6th grade the confidence part of Taekwondo paid off.

In 6th grade there was a new kid in school. His name was Danny. At lunch he sat all by himself at a round table kitty corner from where my arsenal of friends and I were sitting. I felt badly for him and invited him to sit with us. I probably would not have done that if it were not for Mr. Warren. Whenever a new student came to class, Mr. Warren would tell everyone to introduce themselves. He said that was the respectful thing to do. At the time I hated introducing myself to people (as I explained) but over the years I have had to introduce myself to more and more new students. I became more comfortable with introducing myself to people. So when I saw poor Danny sitting by himself I was not scared to say, "Hey, Danny, I’m Taylor. Come sit with us."

During the 6th grade year, Danny and I became friends. We are "best" friends today. I have learned a lot from him over the 3 years I have known him.

This is just one experience where Taekwondo has helped me in life. There are many more experiences but I only have so long to write this article.

- Mr. Taylor McNally-Anderson, 2nd poom

I have been doing TKD for about 7 years. I am currently a 2nd poom training in Milton and Burlington. My little brother Kevin is also in Taekwondo. It’s cool we can do something together. I like sparring. It is fun and I want to get really, really good. Oh, by the way, Mr. Robie is threatening to put something in this newsletter as a joke, a really strange "Mr. Robie" kind of joke. Now that I have said this he probably won’t write it, which makes me lose either way. Oh well.

- Mr. Glenn Xiques, 2nd poom

Hi, my name is Charles T. Cheney II. I am a second poom at the Blue Wave studio in Milton, Vermont. To me, TaeKwonDo is more than a class that I attend two times each week in Milton. It is a way of life for me. I began my TaeKwonDo training around June 1995 in California at the age of 4½. The people I trained with were like my family. We all trained hard together and competed side-by-side, wishing the best for each other. I have won many forms competitions and sparring matches, and I have also lost a few. I believe TaeKwonDo emphasizes perseverance, honor, integrity, respect, self-control and discipline to all of its members. I trained 6 times per week for more than three years before moving from California to Texas. I continued my training in Texas because I have always had the dream to become a Master, or possibly a Grand Master.

I was always told never to be arrogant or to feel that you were better than someone else in your training because there was always going to be someone out there who was going to be a little better than you. My philosophy about TaeKwonDo is to do your absolute best while enjoying yourself in the process.

Since moving to Vermont, I have met many friends in the Milton studio. Under the training of Mr. Robie, I have developed new skills and am meeting new challenges. Thank you, Mr. Robie, for being such a great instructor. Training with you is hard work and also a lot of fun. I always look forward to coming to class and doing my best.

- Mr. Charles Cheney, 2nd poom

1. Why are red belts blamed for everything?
   
   1. Because there is no one else to blame
   2. Just because
   3. A + B
   
   
2. In TaeKwonDo, what does "medicine" mean?
   
   1. Stuff to make you feel better
   2. A long piece of “iron wood” to hit people with
   3. Something to help you train
   
   
3. In sparring, how many points is a head shot?
   
   1. two
   2. three
   3. one
   
   
4. How many points is a hogu shot?
   
   1. two
   2. five
   3. one
   
   
5. What were the 3 kingdoms of Korea in the 6th century?
   
   1. Silla, Paekche, Koguryo
   2. Ying, Yang, Yong
   3. Neither A or B

Hi, my name is Patrick (Mr. Gilbert). I am a black belt in TaeKwonDo and I’m 9 years old. I want to encourage everyone in TaeKwonDo that aren’t black belts yet to keep trying really, really hard to get yours. If you try even harder then you might even be able to become a Master. That is my dream. I hope you achieve yours too. Good luck!

- Mr. Patrick Gilbert, 1st poom

I had taken TaeKwonDo for many years and achieved the rank of black stripe, but somehow with responsibilities of the family and work, I couldn’t find the time to train for my black belt. I drifted away from TaeKwonDo. About three years ago, my son expressed an interest in TKD, so I enrolled him at the Milton Blue Wave, since I was a member at the fitness club there. Several times a year I thought about joining myself, but there was always the excuse that it was a different style than I had been training in and I would have to learn all the patterns. I looked into training in Williston where my previous instructor now was, but it seemed too far and inconvenient. The years seemed to slip by and I watched my son progress to a blue belt. I learned most of the patterns with him to help him for his testing. One day when I was talking about wanting to start TKD again, but giving the excuse that I didn’t want to learn a new set of patterns, my husband replied, "Do you think it will be much different then re-learning the ones you haven’t practiced in five years?" That was what it took. The following week, I took my first TKD class after five years.

The first class was the hardest, being new, but I was determined to try. Maybe a little too hard, for the few days after class I could barely walk from all the kicking I had done. I was surprised how many new muscles I discovered in that first class. I considered myself in fairly good shape, since I had been working out consistently at the health club, but TaeKwonDo provided a whole new set of challenges. Each class, I became a little more confident, with a few less muscle aches the following day. (Although, just when I think I’m not going to be sore again, Mr. Robie comes up with some new ‘warm-up’ exercises that surfaces an entire new set of muscles to be sore).

I have been attending classes for about three months now and I realize how much I missed the challenge of TaeKwonDo. I have learned about half of the new patterns and the footwork and terms are becoming more familiar. I am trying to recruit some of my friends to take class with me, since I am the only adult female in Milton, but either way I plan on sticking with it. It will take a while to perfect all the forms and techniques, but I intend to get my black belt this time and maybe more.

- Sue Cronin, 1st gup

As a regular student at the Milton Blue Wave Dojang, one thing that is apparent to anyone who observes class is the family atmosphere that exists. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Robie has us working hard, doing pushups, working on our poomse and other drills. There are 5 adult students who have children in the all ranks class. My 11 year old son, Paul, a blue stripe, is in the class as well. It is a great experience to watch the parents working hard while their kids are working hard too. I think it sends a message to the kids with parents in the class, who see their mom or dad, sweating, kyuping loud and obtaining all the benefits that TaeKwonDo gives. From a personal standpoint, it allows me to spend time with my son, doing something together that we both love. As a parent, a lot of your spare time is spent taking your child to their different activities, so when the activity is shared, it is a positive experience for both parent and child and makes it special. In class, we encourage each other and also help each other prepare for testings. After recently attending Winter Camp, I feel that this family atmosphere exists at other Blue Wave Dojangs. Judging by the number of kids attending with their parents, Winter Camp was more than a TaeKwonDo event, it was a family gathering. The tenets of TaeKwonDo: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self control and Indomitable Spirit are values that as parents, we want to instill in our children. The efforts of our instructor help to reinforce that in our kids. That is what it's all about!

- Michael Ortega, 3rd gup

TaeKwonDo is great because it trains the mind, body and spirit. I am a 3rd gup blue belt and I have been taking TaeKwonDo for about 4 and a half years. A lot of times it seems very hard, but you get used to the training and you feel good about getting better.

I worked hard for the first three years, but then I broke my elbow in a biking accident. I was in a cast for 6 weeks and then had to go through physical therapy for 6 months. It was difficult starting TaeKwonDo after this, because it almost seemed I was starting over again. Many of my friends had been training while I was in a cast, unable to train. It was difficult to see them progress to new levels when I wasn’t training. Even now, I can’t do all the things I used to be able to do with my arm. My arm hasn’t fully recovered, but I think TaeKwonDo is helping my recovery. Even though it seems hard, I am going to stick with it. Some of my friends have dropped out, but I know if I keep training I will keep getting better. I will gain more by continuing to train in TaeKwonDo.

- Seth Cronin, 3rd gup

My name is Kevin. I’ve done TaeKwonDo since I was 6. Now I’m 9. I really like TKD because you learn how to defend yourself. I like paddleball too! Sparring too! I love Winter and Summer Camp!

- Kevin Xiques, 3rd gup

My name is Paul Ortega. I started TKD in October of 2000 when I was 9 years old. As I progressed towards yellow belt I started to find it more interesting. At yellow belt I found that I was in better shape than when I started. My first class I couldn’t even do a push-up, but now I could do a million of them. I am now a blue stripe. TKD isn’t just a physical thing. It has helped me mentally by helping to raise my grades and spiritually by helping my behavior and teaching me to respect my parents. I have met my ultimate goal, meeting Grand Master Lee. The best part of TKD is Winter Camp. The jump front kick competition is so cool.

- Paul Ortega, 5th gup

For years, I've been wanting to try a martial art, but for one reason or another, I have always managed to come up with an excuse not to. I'm 38 now, soon to be 39....and now, more than ever, I wished I had started earlier.

I had an opportunity to travel to Seoul, South Korea, in October of 2000 for business. My boys, Eric and Alan, started TaeKwonDo classes shortly after that in another dojang that ran for the school term. When school started back up in the Fall of 2001, they wanted to do TaeKwonDo again; I felt I ran out of excuses, and that this was the perfect opportunity to do what I had wanted to do for years. In September of 2001, I, along with my 2 boys, joined the Milton Blue Wave TaeKwonDo dojang.

The boys bowed in wearing their yellow belts, and I held my position in the last row trying to keep up with all the bright colors in front of me. I was glad to be in the last row, it hurts to kick high.

The first 2 months were the toughest. I didn't even know I had some of the muscles that hurt. It seems like for a while I had at least one ache that caused me to walk funny. I have been able to keep up with my goal sheet, with a minor exception lately, the round kick. It looks easy when someone else does it, but I can't seem to perfect it yet.....ask anyone.

I knew I wanted to be in this for the long haul, so I bought all of the sparring gear, figuring it would be an incentive to continue. One night in March, we were told to bring all of it because we were going to spar most of the night. I was paired up with Mike (big).........my first thought........as long as I can stay out of his way, I wouldn't go home in too much pain. We were even told that light head contact was ok..........ok, he didn't have to worry, no way could I kick his head (that’s when I was thinking, I wish I was paired up with Elizabeth (little)). We were free sparring for 2 minutes, and after a good run on me by Mike, the event was over. Mike went off to the sideline calling timeout.....I immediately declared victory..........come to find out, one of the times (many times) Mike kicked me, he re-injured an old toe injury, he was ok, even though unofficial, it was a still a victory in my book. To finish off the evening on a positive note for me, I asked to be paired with anyone who was shorter and/or injured, it didn't matter..............

- Jim Doyle, 7th gup

Hi, I’m Alan; I just turned 9 years old. I am in TaeKwonDo, and I am a green stripe. I had to break a board when I was a yellow stripe to get my yellow belt in another dojang, then I started at Milton Blue Wave to continue learning. I trained here to test for my green stripe. I was only signed up for a six-month membership. I will sign up again after I go to California for the summer. I hope to get back soon, so I can join again. TaeKwonDo is good, because you will know how to defend yourself if it’s an emergency and it’s good exercise. I like to spar, because you get to feel what it is like to have some one kick you or punch you. I would encourage you to at least try TaeKwonDo. It is very good for strength and builds up parts of your body.

- Alan Munoz, 7th gup

Hi, my name is Eric. I am 10 years old. Before I came to the Milton Blue Wave I was a yellow belt. I did TaeKwonDo at school. I stopped at yellow belt when I was at school. For my yellow belt I had to break a board. I tested at the Milton Blue Wave for my green stripe. I think TaeKwonDo is good for you so you can defend your self if you ever get in a fight. I also think it is good for you so you can stretch. The best thing I like to do is to spar against different people that I have never seen before. I like to kick the paddles also. I would encourage people to try TaeKwonDo! I think TaeKwonDo is fun!

- Eric Munoz, 7th gup

Testing is fun. I recently tested for my green stripe. It was hard, but I did it. For testing I had to know some basics and a series of basics called kibon. Most kibons consist of 7 or 8 basic movements. I also had to learn my poomse.

- Matt Rigoli, 7th gup

My son, Rodney, who is currently aged 10½ and a blue stripe, joined Milton Blue Wave TaeKwonDo in September 2000 with Ken Robie as his teacher. After watching how much Rodney enjoyed class and making the trip to Winter Camp 2001, I started thinking it might be fun to join him. However, being over forty and having a rotating work schedule that would force me to miss classes, made me wary that it would work.

When my daughter, Elizabeth (age 9), asked to join in September 2001, my wife encouraged me to join TaeKwonDo with Elizabeth. Coupled with Mike Ortega’s urging, I joined and fervently hoped that my over forty body would not fail me.

I am now a green stripe. I am glad I joined. I have enjoyed the exercise, the discipline and learning the art of self-defense. I hope over the coming years I will increase my range of flexibility.

The best part of joining Blue Wave has been doing something fun, as well as educational with my children. Our experiences have been great due to the nice people and instructors associated with Blue Wave. Thanks to Mr. Robie, the whole experience has been wonderful for all three of us. I hope the future will include Rodney, Elizabeth and I getting our black belts.

- Rodney Rhea Sr., 7th gup

My name is Elizabeth Rhea and I am nine years old. I joined Blue Wave TaeKwonDo last year with my Dad. My Dad and I are both green stripes. My brother is a blue stripe. I like kicking paddles and paddleball the best. I also like to spar. I like to watch my Dad and my brother during the second class and look forward to when I am a green belt, so I can join the second class. Thank you Mr. Robie, for being my instructor.

- Elizabeth Rhea, 7th gup

My name is Rodney Rhea, Jr. I have always wanted to join a martial arts program and finally did in September 2000 when I was 9 years old. I am now a blue stripe and I plan to continue to black belt and beyond. My favorite part of TaeKwonDo is learning new techniques and poomse. Since becoming a green belt, I have enjoyed going to the second, more advanced class because I am learning the moves I will need to know for my higher belts. I have enjoyed taking this class with all my friends.

- Rodney Rhea Jr., 5th gup

TaeKwonDo is new to us. Hi. Our names are Marc and Erich Ziegler. I’ve always been interested in TaeKwonDo, but never took the time to get started. My son, Erich, is 6 years old. I thought that we could learn this together. It’s only been a short time since we started. So far here at the dojang it’s been fun training, even if it is work. The people have been helpful both to Erich and myself in learning various basic skills. Erich and I look forward to each class. I hope that we will both continue with TaeKwonDo for a long time to come.

- Marc and Erich Ziegler, 9th gups

Well, this is the end of our stab at the newsletter for this quarter. I had great intentions early on in this process (like the day after Winter Camp) and most everyone did a great job submitting items to me in a timely fashion, but once again, the rigors of daily life have me typing this at 2:00 AM on Friday the 17th. Not like waiting until the last minute or anything. I’d planned on trying to make this a very professional looking document with lots of pictures and captions, but had to settle for getting all the content in and sacrificing the rest.

It’s been a great couple of years here in Milton since the last time we hosted the newsletter. The dojang is doing well, lots of multi-family member students and a real solid poom base. It’s really great to see parents and their kids working together and to see these young pooms sticking with their training year after year.

I hope you have enjoyed this little slice of the Blue Wave, and I apologize to anyone who’s material I omitted (unintentionally, of course).

Have a great Summer and we’ll see you all in Tunbridge!!

Mr. Ken Robie, 2nd dan
Instructor at Milton Blue Wave