Winter Judo Camp - one Perspective

What a great camp!!
"I don’t want to drive over there alone, I don’t want to be the only girl, I’m too old….." There are several excuses I tried. Thankfully, Mr. Rosbarsky struck them down as I said them. I am so glad I didn’t miss this opportunity.

Besides the nice accommodations and good food, the people are amazing. They came from all over the state and seemed to all know each other already, but it didn’t take long to feel a part of something great.

After dinner and introductions on Friday night, we listened to a lecture from Grand Master Park, Grand Master Fujiwara and Master Martin. They spoke of the Way of martial arts & life and they gave their testimonies of their journeys. They are very humble and thankful men. It was an honor to get to know these men better.

Saturday, we ate and then went on a drive to spot critters and saw several white tail deer. We got back to camp and gathered our gear for our Judo training. We took the bus to the training site near Elkhorn Hot Springs. We then made our way up to the pristine field where the snow was untouched. That didn’t last long as we started into the field. The first step sunk the line leader down to the hip. After forming our line and stomping out a suitable sized outdoor Dojo, we stretched and partnered up. Thankfully I was wearing a black cap or I may have been too camouflaged to find in the snow with my white gi and white belt. We worked on piggy backs first and then Ippon Seoinage , Morote Seoinage , Osoto Gari, O Goshi , Hane Goshi and Tai Otoshi . Between the two sessions, we gained valuable instruction and practice. The snow was soft to land on even softer than the blue mats at the Dojang. Footwork became more difficult with the snow conditions, but we kept on going.

The Hot Springs was a lot of fun. Many people soaked in the warmth while the others volleyed a ball around until we finally got 171 straight hits. That must be a Hot Springs record.

Dinner was great. We had prime rib, salad, rice and kimchee if you dared. The talent show followed. Not only are these people talented at Judo, but they can also sing, play instruments, act and tell jokes. As for me, I will not give up my day job, but it was a neat experience anyway.

The Missoula Team came in second place in Yut (a Korean "Sorry" game using sticks).

Grand Master Park instructed us for a third session on Sunday because he "liked us". :) We worked on footwork. It was a lot different than the deep snow we were in the day before. The temperature was probably 65 degrees warmer in the building too. It was a great work out. You know it is good when your legs shake after you’re done. It was awesome.

We said our goodbyes and went on our way. The Navigator buzzed with talk about the camp, next year’s plans, lessons learned, and the people we met. We all came out of the camp with the same lessons and some of our own. I was reminded that you need to "seize" the opportunities when you can. They are not always available. And that age is not an excuse to quit or not try. Martial Arts is a way of life not a hobby for a season. Do you have any excuses?
Kim

PS. It is probably best to do surprise attacks when dunking people, however it is not recommended to "surprise attack" Masters in Taekwondo.

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Plan Your Spring Tournament Season

Planning Ahead for a Good Tournament Experience

We hosted the Spring FUN Tournament at MTC to prepare our students and their parents for what to expect in the upcoming tournament season. The things we learned include:

1. Tournaments can be challenging, rewarding and FUN.
2. Long days are to be expected, so plan ahead with books, activities and snacks.
3. Secure gear to use in advance. (Some items may need to be ordered so place orders 2 weeks in advance.)

Mostly, we learned that a little preparation (knowing your Poomse well, attending Poomse and Sparring Classes, and knowing what to expect) will provide us the best chance of a good experience.

Great Tournament Opportunities

The tournaments we are excited to support coming up include: Bozeman--March 28th, Billings--April 18th, Livingston--April 25th and Great Falls--May 9th.

There will also be a Regional Qualifier in Colorado Springs on May 16th and the UC Open in Berkeley on May 30th.

When registration forms and other information are available for these events, they will be taced to the bulletin board.

Junior and Senior National Teams from MTC

In July, interested and committed athletes from MTC will compete at Junior and Senior Nationals. (These events are open to all students age 6 and up over yellow belt. Participating in these tournaments is an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience.)

If you are one of these interested and committed folks, you will need to submit a signed statement by March 11th stating you will be training and traveling to this event.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Fruit Sale? And Buses

We will plan some things this Spring based on preliminary interest.

These things include the Annual Fruit Sale which happens in April. Orders will be taken in early April and Fruit arrives about the last week of April.

We also would like to plan some bus transportation to some of the upcoming Spring Tournaments.

We will make arrangements for both of these things based on the "Interested In . . ." sheet on the front counter at the dojang.

So if you have interest in either of these things please take a moment to let us know. Thank you!!

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Judo Winter Camp

The Judo Winter Camp put on by Master Martin Martin and taught by Grand Master Jae Ho Park (our Grandmaster) is being held once again in Southwest Montana.

This is a fabulous opportunity for our Red and Black Belt Students who are 16 years old and older to experience Grand Master Park's teaching and the company of other high ranking Martial Artists from our region.

Winter Camp is held near Elk Horn Hot Springs which is near Wisdom, Montana. This years' accommodations will be at the Clark Canyon Bible Camp Facilities. Campers will arrive on Friday evening. The Judo seminar will take place Saturday morning to be followed by a trip to soak at Elk Horn Hot Springs. Transportation will be provided from the Camp to the training area and the Hot Springs and back to the Camp. There are Saturday night activities and Sunday Morning Activities. Campers will depart Sunday late morning.

They have costs estimated around $75 for the camp, lodging and food. This is a great opportunity not only because of the highly economical cost and great instruction, but most importantly, this is an opportunity to learn from and "just be" with our Grand Master. He is a phenomenal Martial Artist and a truly remarkable human being.

We urge all who fit the requirements to attend this camp and those who are too young or not yet a high enough belt level to keep this on your list of things to do in future years.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Adult Beginners Taekwondo Class

Want to start TKD, but can not make an evening class? There is now a daytime option for adults who want to start Taekwondo.

We meet Monday and Wednesday from 9:30 to 10:30. The cost is $8 per class or $75 for 6 weeks.

The scope of the class will include Taekwondo Basics, self-defense, stretching, and agility drills.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Committed to Tournaments?

We asked for Commitment Letters for Junior and Senior Nationals by February 27th (we have not received any yet).

For those planning to go to any Tournaments outside of Montana this Spring or Summer, we ask that letters be turned in by the March 11th Booster Club Meeting.

With these letters we can plan, without them we may not plan to go to any tournaments outside Montana this year.

from the Desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Missoula Taekwondo Community

We are so honored that you all continue to choose to call Missoula Taekwondo Center your Martial Arts School, but we are even more honored that most of you find it to be much more than that.

We are blessed to call so many of you "family", but what touches us more is that there are many more dynamics happening throughout the school which we are happy to facilitate but did not ourselves create. We see students supporting each other on the mat and that has carried over in to so many other areas. Fellow martial artists supporting each other through rough emotional times, and by supporting each other in the business world and so often by providing healthy supportive and loving friendships. We see this happening with our young students, older students and also their family members who sit together and watch classes on a weekly basis.

So many of these bonds are formed during class when we are working hard to better ourselves along side our fellow martial artists, but we know that the additional activities we enjoy work to secure the bonds we have with each other. We will continue to offer fun events like our Battle of the Bands Teen Night, FUN Tournaments, Girls Nights and Movie Nights to help foster even stronger bonds amongst the families that call Missoula Taekwondo Center home.

We sincerely thank all of you for making MTC a wonderful community. It is an honor to be a small part of this much greater whole.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky