2022 TKDI Bootcamp

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Asheville Sun Soo is honored to host the TKDI (Taekwon-do International) Bootcamp,  August 5th through August 7th, 2022. This event will bring together over 100 practitioners of varying ranks, representing schools throughout the TKDI family. We are excited to have Grandmaster Kim share his vast knowledge, enthusiasm and many years of experience with students of all ranks.

The weekend will feature round robin training sessions, meals, and time to socialize with fellow practitioners.

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Teen girl at ready stance2019

Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts Prepares for February 2020 Testing

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Asheville Sun Soo will conduct belt rank testing on Friday, February 14th and Saturday, February 15th.  We are excited to welcome 3 visiting Guest Master Judges for this event – 9th Dan Grandmaster Ju Hun Kim, 6th Dan Master Robert Word, and 5th Dan Master Bob Kerr! 

Grandmaster Kim (not to be confused with Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, Founder of Taekwon-Do International, our parent organization) was the first Tae Kwon Do instructor under whom Grandmaster Tony Morris studied, when he was only 10 years old, in 1972! Grandmaster Kim ran his own school, Kim’s School of Tae Kwon Do, which was headquartered in Charlotte, NC (with many associated schools over the 50-year history of Kim’s School of Tae Kwon Do that were located in other cities, states and countries!) for several years.  Grandmaster Kim instilled a sense of excellence and tradition that Grandmaster Morris continues to pursue in the day to day operation of Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts. Please be certain to greet Grandmaster Kim at testing this weekend! 

Master Robert Word is a longtime friend of the school. He and his wife, 5th Dan Master Dawn Word, owned and operated AIM Tae Kwon Do in Greensboro, NC, for several years before taking some time off. Masters Word plan to open a new school in the upcoming year. We are happy to welcome him back to the school! 

Master Bob Kerr, also a longtime friend and frequent visitor to Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts, has been a pastor for several decades, and still practices with Grandmaster Ju Hun Kim today. Welcome back Master Kerr! 

We want to congratulate all of our testing students for all their efforts and accomplishments. We want to give special recognition to the five students testing for Black Belt ranks: 

John Mellin, 13, testing for Junior 1st Dan 

Lucca DeGennaro, 10, testing for Junior 2nd Dan 

Silas Flaum, 14, testing for Junior 2nd Dan 

Devin Martin, 18, testing for 2nd Dan 

Amerie Delfin, 14, testing for Junior 3rd Dan 

Reminder: 

We will be closed for classes beginning at 11:30am Friday, February 14th. There will be no classes on Friday afternoon or evening, all day Saturday, February 15th, and all day Monday, February 17th. We will resume our normal class schedule on Tuesday, February 18th.  

Testing Schedule: 

Friday, February 14th 

4pm: Mighty Tiger/Mighty Lion Testing 

6pm: White Belt Testing, White-Yellow Belt Testing, Color Belt Board Breaks, Black Belt candidates begin testing. Please arrive by 5:30pm.  

Saturday, February 15th 

10am: Special Seminar for students in the Black Belt ranks, conducted by Grandmaster Kim! 

12pm: Testing for all students, ranked White-Yellow belt and above, Black Belt candidates complete testing. 

Community meal immediately follows testing. Food will be provided by Happy Cinco de Mayo, a delicious restaurant located within the River Ridge Market Place, specializing in Mexican cuisine. 

Students should wear WHITE uniforms ONLY! 

We will be closed for classes throughout testing weekend, as well as on Monday, February 17th  (in order to reset the space)! Classes will resume on Tuesday, February 18th and will follow our regular schedule! Please wear your current belt to your first class back. Students who have been promoted will receive their new belt at their first class back.  

Kids who move up to yellow belt or blue belt should attend one more class for their current rank. White-Yellow belts who test to Yellow belt should attend one more Kid’s Beginner class, then begin going to Kid’s Intermediate classes after receiving their new belt. Green-Blue belts who test to Blue belt should attend one more Kid’s Intermediate class, then begin going to Kid’s Advanced classes after receiving their new belt.  

We look forward to seeing all of you this weekend! 

 

photo of Asheville Sun Soo's storefront2020

Asheville Sun Soo Celebrates Our 13th Anniversary

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photo of Asheville Sun Soo's storefront

 

Asheville Sun Soo is excited to celebrate our anniversary! We opened on January 3, 2007 – making today, January 3, 2020, our 13th anniversary! In addition to today marking our 13th year serving the Asheville area, we are also commemorating our 1-year anniversary at our current location in the River Ridge Market Place!

We would like to thank all of you for being a part of our Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts family! Asheville Sun Soo wishes all of our students and families a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Photo of Black Belt students and Asheville Sun Soo vans in front of the dojang

Asheville Sun Soo Celebrates the Holidays with December 2019 Belt Rank Testing and Holiday Potluck

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Asheville Sun Soo Welcomes CJEM Designs as The Sponsor for Our December 2019 Testing

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Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is thrilled to have CJEM Designs as the sponsor for our December 2019 belt rank testing event!

CJEM Designs is owned and operated by Jessica Larsen, currently a yellow belt practitioner at Asheville Sun Soo, as well as mother of two of our advanced student practitioners. Jessica is a licensed architect who specializes in sustainable home design in Western North Carolina.

Her commitment to excellence, which is evident in her professional life as well as her martial arts practice, make this partnership a fantastic match. We appreciate that she goes above and beyond for her clients, provides exceptional service, and specializes in solutions that are not just beautiful aesthetically, but also functional and energy-efficient.

We appreciate the contributions Jessica has made to the Sun Soo community over the years, as well as her sponsoring our December testing, and look forward to her continuing involvement!

To contact Jessica about her professional design services, please call (828) 768-8708, or email her at cjemdesign@gmail.com.

Remember that our schedule for testing is as follows:

Friday, our last TKD class for the day is the 8:30am Adult/Family Mixed Rank Class. There will not be any Friday afternoon or evening classes, no Saturday classes, and no Monday classes. We will resume our normal schedule on Tuesday, December 10th.

Part 1 of testing is our Mighty Tiger/Mighty Lion testing at 4pm. This will take the place of the normally scheduled 4pm Mighty Tiger/Mighty Lion class.

Part 2 will begin at 6pm. At this time, we will test our white belts and white-yellow belts. Our Black Belt candidates will begin their testing, and upper color belts will break boards.

Part 3 is on Saturday, beginning at noon. We will test all ranks white-yellow belt and above. This part of testing will be followed by our annual holiday potluck event. All students, whether testing or not, are invited to participate in the potluck. Please sign up at the front desk.

Asheville Sun Soo Welcomes Chief Master Brice Bishop as Guest Master Instructor at our December 2019 Belt Rank Testing

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Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts is excited to welcome Chief Master Brice Bishop as the Guest Master Instructor for our December testing event. Grandmaster Tony Morris met Chief Master Bishop when they both served as the Guest Masters at the October Testing of Taekwondo University, the collection of schools run by Grandmaster Terry Brumley – our visiting Guest Master Instructor from August!

Chief Master Bishop recently visited Asheville Sun Soo in anticipation of his serving in the capacity of judge for our upcoming testing. His visit provided him with context for what he will see on the mat during testing, and he looks forward to seeing the difference 3 weeks has made in our students. In addition, Chief Master Bishop will be holding a special class for Asheville Sun Soo Black Belts centering on footwork as it relates to effective sparring.

We look forward to hosting Chief Master Bishop this weekend, and having him share his perspective and skills with our students. Please be certain to meet him and thank him for being here!

Asheville Sun Soo Students Brave Rainy Weather to Participate in 2019 Asheville Holiday Parade

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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.