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4th British Tang Soo Do
Federation Exposition Weekend
by
Kyo Sa Martina Chovancova, E Dan - BTSDF
Region 1
The weekend of the 29th and 30th of
October saw the prestigious 'Rugby School Sports
Centre' play host to the British Tang Soo Do
Federation's Fourth Exposition Weekend. Two hundred
and ninety two Competitors were joined by fourteen
non-competing Ko Dan Ja level practitioners for
Saturday's Invitational Championships. The line up
representing a dozen UK based Tang Soo Do
organisations additional to which Master Brian
Edmondson (TGI) had driven eight hundred miles to
bring competitors from Southern France.
Eleven o'clock saw the opening
ceremony followed swiftly by general orientation and
introductions, thanks to the heads of organisations
present. All eight rings were fully operational by
eleven thirty. As ever, old friendships were
cemented and new ones forged in a spirit of friendly
competition. A new addition to proceedings came in
the form of the Expo Weekend 'Moo Do Award'. The Moo
Do Award trophy was instigated in order to recognise
the individual who best displayed their selfless
consideration for others and their awareness that
'your competitor is not your enemy'. This award will
help the BTSDF to realise its goal of creating and
fostering an environment for 'gathering in
celebration of Tang Soo Do' rather than an
environment solely for competing.
The final category amongst the days
proceedings was the Ko Dan Ja hyung division. The
entire assembly crowded around rings one and two to
witness dynamic performances delivered by Ko Dan Ja
from varying lineages. Master Scott Richards (TTF)
won a narrowly divided category to the rapturous
applause of the visiting crowd.
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During the closing ceremony Christian
Matthews (BTSDF) was named as recipient of the first
Moo Do award with Sheraleigh Frieslaar (ATMA) also
being highly recommended. Christian, a 7th
Gup had requested advancement into a higher sparring
category because he felt it unfair to compete
against those of his own grade. It transpired that
he had trained as a boy, some fifteen years
previously. What he had left out at that stage was
the fact that he had sustained a cracked rib
competing some two weeks previously and was due to
fly out to Jordan two weeks later to undertake a 400
kilometre charity bicycle ride. That degree of
'Yong-gi' and good Moo Do demanded recognition. The
Championship Day was drawn to a close ten minutes
ahead of schedule at four fifty pm.
Sunday the 30th of October saw the
BTSDF's four hour 'Dan-Day' Clinic open with an
examination of the differences between Eastern and
Western styles of education. The topic moved on to
how we could fulfil our need to accept personal
responsibility for our individual progress. Twenty
senior Tang Soo Do practitioners representing six UK
based Tang Soo Do organisations utilised the Chil
Sung hung set to experientially learn the meaning of
that serious undertaking.
The day concluded
with a recap of the material covered and profuse
note taking.
As ever it was those who travelled in
order to promote good will that made the weekend the
huge success that it was. Our thanks goes to you.
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