When I was a kid I was a karate master- all right, master might not be the right term, Karate Try-Harder might be a little more accurate. Specifically I took Jiu-Jitsu at a small studio in J-Town. The studio itself has since gone by the wayside however in my time I made my way to a Green Belt (essentially a visual representation of where a student is) and competed in two area competitions.
I didn’t necessarily fare too well in these, however because of this I appreciate the annual U.S. Chung Do Kwan Do Tournament which occurred Saturday at the Evangel Christian School in South Louisville.
The event itself draws Tae Kwon Do Students of all ages- from five to senior citizen to compete regionally. Tae Kwon Do is currently probably the most popular Martial Art in the area, much of this is due to the sudden increase of schools that teach the defense art popping up all over the ‘Ville in a trend which really started in the 90’s.
Regionally, people came from all over Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana to present their own demonstrations at this year’s competition.
This comes after Lisa and Michael Twyman began teaching the genre of Karate at the school fifteen years ago in a very successful program dubbed “Just for kicks,” two years later this annual event began, marking this the thirteenth lucky year of the exhibition.
In reality, there are a plethora of reasons that people go to the sport of Karate, for me, I wanted to be a Ninja Turtle and a Power Ranger, however there are countless other reasons. In my defense though, many come to karate due to TV and movies only to discover a rich art form that they might not have even known about be it not for the wise Mr. Miaggi.
But, I digress, this year’s event proved another success in promoting a strong community outreach program for kids and adults alike.
In conclusion I would simply like to say, “hi ya.” Thank you, and that is all.
Image courtesy of Tae Kwon Do-Network
