Paving the Way for Taekwondo
The word Pioneer is defined in the dictionary in a dozen different ways, but all refer to those who are first or earliest in any field. Pioneers are also a body of soldiers detailed or assigned to make roads, or literally “pave the way” for others to follow. We all know that historically this is how Taekwondo has spread around our planet so rapidly and successfully in roughly forty years. In the same length of time Moses and the Hebrews wandered the desert; Taekwondo has spread around our Earth and established itself as a cultural and educational Korean born martial art and Olympic sport. Worldwide it consists of a community exceeding seventy million people. Only speculation could begin to determine how many lives it has effected in total. Undoubtedly it is in the hundreds of millions, possibly billions.
The word Community is defined in the dictionary as a social group whose members share government, and have a cultural and historical heritage. It can include social, religious, occupational or other group sharing characteristics and interests. In Taekwondo, this community is a large population sharing among other things, a common love, a healthy activity, an art and sport.
One reality of the world we live in is that change is a constant. This is true of our community, as well as in the Taekwondo world around us. New challenges are faced to assure Taekwondo remains in the Olympics. Communities are separated from each other by loyalty to individual pioneers. Numerous offshoots and derivative communities and organizations have evolved. In reality, much of our community is disconnected from the rest of the community. Yet we are all bound together through Taekwondo.
Americas founding was accomplished with great effort and dedication to a primary belief; Freedom. Freedom is an intangible thing, a concept you cannot touch, but the feeling of having it is as powerful and important as anything we can lay our hands upon. Freedom must be fought for and defended, and in our rapidly changing world, Freedom seems to regularly come up against new frontiers. Like the American pioneers that kept pushing west to the Pacific until our great nation was settled from coast to coast, border to border, Taekwondo also faces new frontiers.
All of us in Taekwondo are fortunate to still have many pioneers of our art and sport still living, teaching and actively participating in Taekwondo today. In many respects, Taekwondo is a direct result of the freedoms South Korea attained when Japanese occupation ended in 1945. An era of oppression ended to be replaced with one of great comparative freedom. With the subsequent restoration of an ancient culture, a new birth, Taekwondo, grew rapidly to become a mature art form, martial system and international sport.
Today, an opportunity to compete in the Olympics or the major international events is severely limited. Four athletes from the USA get to compete in the Olympics, 128 compete in all, and that leaves 70 Million people who love Taekwondo wanting new frontiers for themselves. From a need unfulfilled, from the fragmenting and division of communities, a desire for community and continuity has inspired the formation of the USTC, the U.S. Taekwondo Committee.
Organized by pioneers and students together, the USTC bid for, was awarded, and successful y hosted the 2008 World Taekwondo Hanmadang, for the first time ever outside South Korea. The USTC was created, events arranged and executed, all in less than one year. Now we have a member base, and the philosophy of promoting traditional Taekwondo again has had seeds planted for new and vigorous growth. The first American Hanmadang will take place in Chicago June 19th – 21st, 2009. Kukkiwon seminars have been conducted with more planned. The basic organizational structure now exists, with educational and competitive events taking place.
We are still a fragmented community, even within our own USTC structure, because we have had no way to speak with each other. Communication will be a key to binding our community together and continuing growth, and the creation of new tradition for Taekwondo. This is how we will create and provide new opportunity for the many Taekwondo practitioners who are hungry for knowledge. This is how we will bring together those that seek community, and to be a part of something worthwhile, while aspiring to conquer ever new frontiers. The USTC can become this source; the community organization that has the potential to accomplish for traditional Taekwondo today, what the pioneers of Taekwondo brought to the world some forty years ago.
The USTC website will soon begin to publish a monthly newsletter. This is a critical portal to our community. Its active development will allow us to communicate as a community. It will provide us with an interactive vehicle to assist us in accomplishing the goals the USTC has set and promised our members. We intend to unlock this portal and invite you, our members into a community filled with the many existing and possible new frontiers for Taekwondo.
Change will happen, want it or not. Knowing this, the wise course of action is to become strong enough as a community to influence the direction of change. A powerful and unified voice, speaking for an entire community can accomplish great things. This is the power of communication. In Taekwondo as in life, where we are lacking we give extra attention and effort to create strength. This is modern America in the twenty first century. We have the tools and talent available to create exactly what we need for success of the USTC. We invite you all to participate with suggestions, true stories, human interest articles and news.
It has been said that a commander who cannot speak with his officers, or listen to reports from the field, is in command of little. We want and need to hear your ideas about what more you want the USTC to be for you. We invite you to participate in continuing USTC goal of paving the way for new and continued tradition in Taekwondo.
Allan Schein
USTC Columnist
Copyright 2009
