On March 29, the Memphis Taekwondo Club went to Lebanon tocompete at Tennessee State Championship.
This meet was very important because only medalists qualify forthe United States National Taekwondo Championship. Members of theTaekwondo Club that competed were: Tyler Rudd, Alex Willingham,Joni Janis and Chris Hawk.
At the competition, competitors were divided into categoriesaccording to weight and belt rank. All of the club members did wellin their respective categories.
Joni Janis won a gold medal in the forms competition. Chris Hawkwon a gold in forms and a bronze in sparring.
Also, Alex Willingham won a gold in sparring and a silver informs. Tyler Rudd won a gold in sparring.
All competitors qualified to represent Tennessee at the NationalTaekwondo Championship, which will be held in New Orleans, May21-25.
The Memphis Taekwondo Club, which was formed in 2001, is basedon Olympic-style Taekwondo sanctioned by the World TaekwondoFederation.
While this style is still a martial art, much of the focus isplaced on Taekwondo as a sport. The headquarters for the WTF is inSeoul, South Korea, where Taekwondo is the national sport.WTF-style became an Olympic demonstration sport in 1988 and anOlympic medal sport in 2000. Since that time, the sport hascontinued to grow in the U.S. and around the world.
The main category of competition in Taekwondo is the sparring.This is a full-contact sport. Fighters can win by way of points orknockout. One point is given for a strong punch or kick to thetorso, two points are given for a strong kick to the head, and onebonus point is given if the strike required a standingeight-count.
Taekwondo is based on respect, humility, perseverance,discipline and honesty. Practicing Taekwondo improves the body,mind and the spirit. Also, it can be a fun way to be competitive,learn self-defense, and stay in shape. Practice for the club isheld on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm in the Multipurpose Roomat the Student Recreation Center.
