The Booster Club/ Butter Braids

Taekwondo Competition is life enriching, and can sometimes be wallet slimming. To counter the slimming of any families’ wallet we encourage the use of the MTC Booster Club as a source of funds for competition or other extras like the Dae Myung Winter Camp. 

Currently Booster Club members can sell the very delicious Butter Braids to earn money for their Booster Club account ($3 from each braid goes directly into the student’s account). Students can sell until March 8th and the Braids will be delivered on March 20th.

To learn more about this and other facets of the MTC Booster Club please plan to attend the Monthly meeting , scheduled this month for February 13th at 5:30PM (may be changed to February 20th-announced soon).

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Why do we Do?

When our Grandmaster speaks he constantly reinforces that martial arts are for life. That we may be kicking, punching, blocking, rolling, throwing, sweeping, holding and pulling, but what we are really doing is enhancing our own lives and the lives of everyone we know.

We are utilizing the knowledge we gain to enhance our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves. We are developing our physical bodies to use in and outside of the dojang. We are building relationships that will help us uncover our own true hearts and that will support us through the highs and lows of training and life.

Simply, our daily training goal should be to do Taekwondo tomorrow as well as today. Listen to and respect what your body tells you and internalize the entwined lessons of humility, perseverance, modesty and self control.

Broadly, our training goal should be to do Taekwondo for our whole life. Not just until we die, but also to become a better human being every step of the way. To contribute in a positive way to all our rolls in life.

Tae Kwon Do, the way of kicking and punching, is primarily about the way.  Grandmaster Park also defines it as “the Life Road”.

Through your entire journey stay mindful of the fact that whether you are in a period of incremental growth or are leaping forward along your path, you are still making progress along your life road.

Taking on Thomas Edison’s way of thinking, you can see where what you learn in Taekwondo can take you. He said, when asked about all of his attempts at inventing the light bulb, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that it won't work.”  Let your failures and your successes be woven into the fabric of you. Celebrate and own every stitch of your existence. Develop your “Do” through a lifetime practice of Tae Kwon Do.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Stay in the Loop

The best way to be sure that you know what is going on at MTC is to follow us on Twitter. It is as simple as sending a text message to start and then you will receive a text message update when there are schedule changes or other important time sensitive information to share.

To receive our updates as a text message on your cell phone: text  follow mtcweb to 40404. You will be asked to reply with your name. Once you have done that you are all set to receive our tweets. You will know when we have an abnormality in our schedule or get reminders of special events.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Belt Testing Coming Up

Belt test preparation is a perfect way to imbibe your training with purpose. We recommend testing every 3 months for all colored belts.  Test readiness can be determined by the individual student but we highly encourage being fully prepared so you may approach the test with an, “I can’t wait to show all that I have worked hard to learn.” Instead of, “I hope I did enough to get by.” All Belt Test Requirements are available to download at missoulatkd.com. 

We also encourage checking in with an instructor to make sure you know what is required to test.  A private lesson may be just the right way to ensure that a student is fully prepared for a test.  See the posters on the bulletin board for available instructors.

We always shoot for holding our belt tests every 6 weeks, so students should participate in every other test until they reach black belt. The next test is scheduled for Friday, March 8th.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Drummond, Denver and 2 in Missoula

This time of year we don’t always have many competition opportunities in Montana, but this year is far different. Starting with 2 new tournaments on January 19th. 

The first of which is just to the east of us in Drummond. This will be The Drummond Taekowndo Championships first year, but the tournament organizers are very familiar faces around here. Gordy Paske and his daughters all have trained here at MTC with us off and on over the years and run the Taekwondo program in Drummond. They are faithful supporters of our tournament and they and their students exemplify good martial artists. We encourage all of our students to participate in this tournament as we are sure you will find a positive community of martial artists hosting this event. The cost of this event is $45 for MTA members and $55 for nonmembers. Please fill out your registration and hand it in to Mrs. R by January 11th. 

Also on the 19th about a dozen of our MTC NET (National Events Team) will travel to Denver for the 1st Pikes Peak Daedo Challenge which promises to be a top level event with competitors from all of the nation.

We will have our biannual FUN Tournament here at MTC on February 2nd.  This has stood the test of time as the greatest tournament experience for new students and for students who are new to competition. It is also, like the name says, FUN. This is just for MTC students and is an incredibly low stress way to bond with your Taekwondo Family. We use the FUN Tournament as a day for learning and gaining confidence in all facets of the tournament experience. From fitting the mouth guard to learning the holding area process to learning what the referee signals and calls mean. Spectators are free and the registration fee is $30. To encourage a fuller tournament experience we give a discount to families that also volunteer an hour or 2 to help out.

Also, Montana TKD Academy is hosting a tournament on Feb 9th. Details available soon.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

NEW!!!! Poomsae DVDs

The long awaited revamp of our very own Poomsae DVDs are now available!

We are grateful to Tony Gamell for affording us the opportunity to develop this invaluable tool for students to progress in Taekwondo. The videos feature Master and Mrs. R showing the poomsae in 3 helpful formats with instruction to optimize your at home practice time. Having these DVDs will help you take the progression of your TKD journey in your own hands.

Each DVD, Taeguek or Palgwe, can be purchased individually for $25 or as a set for $45. This pricing is for a limited time and will normally be $30 each. The Mastering Taekowndo Poomsae DVDs are also available on Amazon. If you purchase from Amazon please also submit a review so more people can benefit from your experience.

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky

Ski Day at Discovery

Our annual ski day is planned for January 26th at Discovery Ski Area.

Every year we set aside a day for our TKD family to ski together. Most years there are around 60 of us that meet at the hill and spend the day gliding down the mountain on our boards and skis.

In years past we have done an advanced sign up for lift tickets, rentals and lessons. It has been a bit of a logistical nightmare, so this year we will coordinate a  caravan and plan for a group picture followed by a group run.

To caravan with us please plan to meet at the dojang at 7:30 AM. There will be a sign up sheet available to coordinate drivers with extra room and ride-less skiers and their gear.

We will plan a 1:30 picture behind the lodge and a Goldbug run to follow. All TKD family welcome. 

from the desk of Mrs. Rosbarsky