Photo of Grandmaster Morris and Master Amy Dexter with elementary aged student practitioner2019

Grandmaster Tony Morris and Master Amy Dexter Contribute to Career Day at West Buncombe Elementary School

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Photo of Grandmaster Morris and Master Amy Dexter with elementary aged student practitionerOn October 31st, Grandmaster Tony Morris and Master Amy Dexter contributed to the Career Day at West Buncombe Elementary School. This event, held annually at local schools, is designed with the intent of exposing students to the variety of career possibilities for their futures.

Grandmaster Morris and Master Dexter, represented Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts, inspiring the kids to build their futures by emphasizing the importance of education, living in excellence, setting goals, practicing perseverance, and living with integrity as they continue to develop. As an example of what it’s like to be a martial arts instructor, Grandmaster Morris and Master Dexter taught the attending kids a few moves. The kids had fun, practiced their manners, and left excited about their possibilities.

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is committed to making a difference in our community! If you would like Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts to come to your location to facilitate a class, workshop, demonstration or other event, please contact Grandmaster Tony Morris at 505-4309.

Photo of TKD students in the Black Belt ranks with 3 Grandmaster instructors2019

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts Hosts Annual Fall TKDI Invitational Tournament

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Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is honored to have hosted the 2019 Fall Taekwon-Do International Invitational Tournament. The Fall TKDI Invitational Tournament is hosted annually by Asheville Sun Soo, and this year’s event was the first invitational tournament held in our new River Ridge location!

Master Instructors and students from several different schools participated and contributed to a fantastic day! Competition was rigorous, respectful, and challenging and allowed students from different schools to share brackets, which made the day fun as well as a valuable way to develop and improve martial arts skills.

Students ages 3-80 competed in different areas of practice – forms (patterns), sparring, and board breaks. Competing in these areas provided competitors with multiple opportunities to cheer for their fellow practitioners, make new friends from participating schools, and to notice things about their own practices – all of which contribute to growth as a martial artist!

We want to give special thanks and recognition to 9th Dan Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, President and Founder of Taekwon-do International, 9th Dan Grandmaster Terry Brumley, Founder of United Taekwon-Do Alliance, 8th Dan Grandmaster Barry Partridge, 7th Dan Master John Meany, 7th Dan Master James Marr, and 5th Dan Master Shay Tippens – as well as all their participating students – for their collective contributions to the 2019 TKDI Invitational Tournament.

Congratulations to all who competed! We look forward to seeing our sister schools at future events!

Students at Tae Kwon Do Tournament
Students at Tae Kwon Do Tournament
Preschool and Kindergarten martial artists with boards
Preschool and Kindergarten martial artists with boards

Asheville Sun Soo Supports a Mental Health Awareness Event at UNC Asheville

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Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is happy to have supported the inaugural occurrence of Fresh Check Day – a new, student-led annual event held at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

This event was coordinated, organized, and facilitated by Kenda Mullert, Health Outreach Coordinator, with the Health and Counseling Center at UNCA, and was held on October 22, 2019. Fresh Check Day was created in order to bring awareness to the value of mental health issues in the college community. Breakout sessions were held to educate students to experiences around mental health that are common to many, but not highlighted or discussed. These sessions served to help students gain greater awareness of resources and tools available to support their mental health.

Asheville Sun Soo was invited to support the event through facilitating a series of three mini-workshops, emphasizing goal-setting and achievement, while navigating and breaking through limitations and barriers. We provided experiential sessions, with participants ultimately breaking adult boards with a palm strike. This activity served as a metaphor for breaking through obstacles in order to reach target goals. The UNCA students who participated made new connections in awareness around breaking barriers on the way to achievement. Everyone had a great time, and left inspired.

We at Asheville Sun Soo believe that the fundamental aspects of a consistent martial arts practice contribute to a balanced, high-functioning and excellent life. If you would like Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts to come to your location to facilitate a class, workshop, demonstration or other event, please contact Grandmaster Tony Morris at 828-505-4309.

Photo of woman with a 2nd degree black belt shaking the hand of a girl who has just broken a board

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts Participates in Leicester Elementary School’s 2019 Fall Festival

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Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts once again enjoyed tremendous student participation in our demonstration at this year’s Leicester Elementary School annual Fall Festival. It was a wonderful opportunity to show our support for teacher Amy Vaughn, a 2nd degree Black Belt practitioner at our school and first grade teacher at Leicester Elementary, as well as for families and education in general.

Students of varied ages and ranks demonstrated forms, self-defense techniques, and board breaks for an engaged and interested crowd of elementary school students, teachers, and families.

We love supporting our local community and are proud of the community contributions all our students make on a regular basis. If you are interested in booking Asheville Sun Soo for a martial arts demonstration for your group or organization, please contact Grandmaster Tony Morris at Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts 828-505-4309.

Teen girl prepares to break a board
Teen girl prepares to break a board
Teen girl practices self defense technique
Teen girl practices self defense technique
Taekwondo practitioners of various ages demonstrate forms
Taekwondo practitioners of various ages demonstrate forms
martial arts for adults
martial arts for adults
tae kwon do for kids
tae kwon do for kids
martial arts for families
martial arts for families

Asheville Sun Soo Service Project Opportunity

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Photo of Jessica Tripp, Executive Director of Serve to LEAD and 1st Degree Black Belt at Asheville Sun Soo Martial ArtsServe to LEAD is an amazing, humanitarian non-profit that provides service outreach to people in need, while simultaneously creating opportunities for people to give to communities in need around the world. Their core values – Love, Equity, Altruism, and Dignity are represented in their name – LEAD – the collective of which is harmoniously in line with the tenets of Taekwondo!

The Executive Director of Serve to LEAD is Ms. Jessica Tripp, one of Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts’ first degree Black Belts. Ms. Tripp exemplifies excellence, compassion, and empathy in her practice, as well as in her professional life. We are proud of the work she is doing to create a more just and caring world.

To that end, Asheville Sun Soo would like to promote and endorse a service opportunity for our families. Serve to LEAD, lead by Ms. Tripp, will be traveling to Lumberton NC, an area of our state that was dramatically impacted by the recent hurricanes, in order to assist families in their recovery efforts. Participants will:

  • Perform exterior and interior home clean-up and debris removal
  • Assist with home repair and construction

Members of the Service team will depart from Asheville mid-afternoon on Wednesday October 9th. They will participate in service projects all day October 10, 11, and 12, and return to Asheville on Sunday October 13 after lunch.

  • Lodging is provided. Transportation is available for a fee of $25/person. Team members are responsible for their own meals.
  • In order to be a service team member, participants must do the following:
  • Must be 15 years of age or older
  • Turn in completed and notarized paperwork by October 1
  • Pay the $25 transportation fee if traveling with Serve to LEAD
  • Attend the team meeting on Sunday October 6 at 1pm, at the Serve to LEAD office – 225 Sardis Road in Asheville.

For more information, and to register (appropriate paperwork will be provided upon registration), please contact Jessica Tripp at jtripp@goservetolead.org or by phone at 828-505-5842.

uta grand nationals photo of school owners2019

Grandmaster Morris Attends UTA Grand Nationals in Louisiana

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uta grand nationals photo of school ownersOver the weekend of July 25-27, Grandmaster Tony Morris represented Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts at the annual Grand Nationals event conducted by the United Taekwondo Alliance (UTA).

The Grand Nationals serves several purposes within the UTA. It is a venue for a weekend long convention that includes professional education for member school owners and instructors, an opportunity for high-ranking (4th Dan and above) Black Belt testing and promotions, and the Grand National Championship Tournament.

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is honored to be a new member of the UTA. As a function of that membership, Grandmaster Morris was invited to attend the Grand Nationals, both as a professional presenting speaker to other school owners covering best business practices and relational operations – as well as –  one of several high-ranking (8th Dan and above) judges for the Black Belt rank testing.

Asheville Sun Soo is enthusiastic about adding the UTA to our network of school associations, in addition to our home association of Taekwon-do International. These partnerships are beneficial to our students, expanding the number of sister schools we connect with, and providing opportunities for expanding outreach and service. We look forward to our continued association with both TKDI and the UTA – and to seeing students and instructors from both at our Invitational Tournament, to be held on September 28!

 

Hall of Fame Best of WNC 2019

Thank you for helping Asheville Sun Soo to be Selected as the Best in WNC!

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Hall of Fame Best of WNC 2019Every year, the people of Western North Carolina are given the opportunity to vote for their favorite businesses in the area. We are proud to share that once again, Asheville Sun Soo has been voted #1 in the “Best of WNC” voting in several categories! We are honored to be recognized with this distinction, and are grateful for the support of the Asheville Sun Soo family and friends!

The categories in which we were voted #1 in WNC are:

In addition, we were voted the 3rd best Youth Sports Program in the Asheville area!

Thanks to all who voted!

 

* Indicates Hall of Fame status. This designation is reserved for winners who have won first place for at least 4 years in a row, including the current year!

Asheville Sun Soo Conducts Self-Defense Training at Local Summer Camp

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Photo of all girls self-defense class

Asheville Sun Soo was thrilled to have been asked to conduct a self-defense class as a part of the Young Women’s Camp with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! The camp was conducted at Mars Hill University, and was well attended with over 60 campers, ages 11-18!

Photo of female martial arts instructor teaching self-defense techniquesAsheville Sun Soo provided instruction in the form of an all-female teaching team, lead by 4th Degree Master Instructor Amy Dexter and supported by 2nd Degree Instructor Cyd Smith, 2nd Degree Teen Assistant Instructor Jennifer Marshall, and 1st Degree Teen Assistant Instructor Devin Martin.

Participants were taught basic self-defense techniques, supported by movement fundamentals. Students learned to find their inner strength, establish healthy boundaries, and use basic taekwondo moves in defending themselves.

In addition, our excellent Teen Assistant Instructors demonstrated high level forms and broke multiple boards, illustrating some of what is possible as a result of a consistent and ongoing martial arts practice.

Asheville Sun Soo believes that it is important to empower members of our community with the tools and confidence helpful to navigating the world. We welcome opportunities to provide schools, camps, businesses, and organizations with highly engaged and interactive workshops and events customized to their needs. If you are interested in having Asheville Sun Soo do a presentation, demonstration, or special class for your organization, contact Grandmaster Tony Morris at 828-505-4309 or by email at tkdtonymorris@gmail.com!

Grandmaster Morris and Ms Amy Vaughn's First Grade Class at Leicester Elementary2019 Asheville Sun Soo LLC

Grandmaster Tony Morris Visits Leicester Elementary

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Grandmaster Morris and Ms Amy Vaughn's First Grade Class at Leicester ElementaryFounder and Head Master Instructor Grandmaster Tony Morris recently paid a visit to local elementary school, Leicester Elementary. He taught students some of the basics of self-defense and the tenets of Tae Kwon Do, while conducting a class that was fun and engaging.

While engaging with these students, Grandmaster Morris was also there to support teacher Amy Vaughn, a 2nd degree Black Belt practitioner at Asheville Sun Soo, as well as a first grade teacher at Leicester Elementary.

It is always a pleasure to support our local community, and we are proud of the contributions our students regularly make to the local community. If you are interested in booking Asheville Sun Soo for a martial arts demonstration, self-defense class, or other engaging venue for your group or organization, please contact Grandmaster Tony Morris at Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts – 828-505-4309.

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is Proud to be a Recipient of the 2019 Sky High Growth Award!

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Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is proud to have been awarded a 2019 Sky High Growth Award by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. The Sky High Growth Awards recognize businesses for their growth and contribution to the local economy.

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts was selected as one of only 20 businesses in the greater Asheville area, from among the tens of thousands in its business community. Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts was chosen in acknowledgement of its exceptionally high professional standards, innovations within the martial arts industry as well as the business community at large, along with its 12 ½ year continuous history of sustained growth, #1 ranking in the annual “Best of WNC” area voting, and contribution to the local economy and quality of life in Asheville.

Grandmaster Tony Morris and Master Michael Dickinson received the award on behalf of Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts. Also present at the ceremony were Instructors Master Amy Dexter, Master Thabiti Sabahive, Ms. Tina Clark, and Ms. Cyd Smith, as well as Krisy Williams, our Operations Manager.

The award ceremony was held at Sierra Nevada Brewing in Mills River, and was well-attended by many local businesses, many of which also received a Sky High Growth Award. Asheville Sun Soo is thrilled to have been recognized by the Asheville Area Chamber for its business excellence.

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts would like to congratulate its fellow 2019 Sky High Growth Award Winners!

Asheville Arborists,  Asheville’s Fun Depot, Avadim Health, Inc., Blue Ridge Orthodontics, Center for Craft, Center for Massage & Natural Health, Hi-Wire Brewing, The Market Place Restaurant & Lounge, The Matt & Molly Team, LLC, Mind Your Business, Inc., Mosaix Group, Inc., PHYSIO Physical Therapy and Wellness, Shoji Spa & Lodge, SimplyHome, Sona Pharmacy + Clinic, Spherion, Vannoy Construction, YMCA of Western North Carolina, and Zoe Dental.

photo of Sun Soo staff members at Sky High Growth Award Ceremony