[Michael Steward]

Hello,

Welcome to the community. Please take a moment to tell us a little about yourself and how you found this community. We hope you enjoy your stay and encourage you to participate in the discussions around here.

[Dave Leverich]

My name is Dave, I started Taekwondo in the beginning of 1985, in the summer I switched to an ATA school. I like puppies.

(starts ducking from the projectiles flying in from Washington).

[Michael Steward]

:gun:

[Balrog]

...And I'm Chuck Sears, 5th Degree from Houston, Texas, and I'm judging your overall presentation: flow, timing, etc....


Oh, wait. I judged too many rounds last weekend. :huh:

[John Patton]

Hi Im John Patton I started in TKD in the World TKD Asso. in 78 then my Instrutor went in the air force then I worked out a couple years with some friends in other styles. Then I heard of a seminar that Joe Lewis was going to be at ,little did I know that at that time my whole life would change a 360 degrees! I meet a gentlemen name Mr. Richard Lee Stults he was the gentlemen that hosted the seminar and he told me that he was going to be opening a school in my home town of Lebanon Oregon .At that same seminar I meet a young guy Mr. Dave Leverich (now a great freind and student of mine . Day one that the Lebanon school opened me and my wife were driving through Lebanon she saw the school and we went around the block and we went in and I signed up ,that was around 4 month of 86 I tested for my Yellow belt now orange belt with newer belts added in 6 month of 86 . I got my 1st degree in 87 then test with now Master Lyon for our trainee collors in front of Master Jack Pierce know GMpierce of HWT Federation . The ATA has been a life changing experiance for me . Also little did I know that I would one day own that school and be helping in changing and makking a difference in others lives! What a great job. I have meet so many great people and friends and will continue to as long as I live ! Thank you all for being my extended ATA family and freinds !

[Matt Konwiser]

Matt K. here from North Carolina (Chapel Hill/Durham area)...

Green belt about to test for purple. Got into Taekwondo in 2005 because I relocated to NC from NJ and I loved fencing but can't find many fencers around here, and I love mountain biking but I can't find any mountains around here either (excluding a 4+ hour car ride).

I am also a leadership student, and I love my red stripe and what it means. Just went to my first tournament as well, and got my butt kicked learned a lot there!

I found this board through Google-ing ATA, and I have been hooked ever since...

[nightowl]

Lesley B. from Shorline/Edmonds (small cities that abut the northern boundary of Seattle), Washington. I train under Robert Goins (ATA Northwest Tacoma & Edmonds Schools).

I am a 2BD, instructor. I started TKD in April of 2000 after several years in the chairs as a parent. My son has been in TKD since he was 5 (now 14 1/2). I have a daughter (11) and a husband who are not in TKD (they find tournaments excruciatingly boring and cannot understand why we want to stay to the end).

I am also trained as a writer & editor. I love dogs, kids, chocolate, trying to kick people in the head, :lol: and people who like to try to kick people in the head. :lol:

This post has been edited by nightowl: 24 February 2006 - 11:42 AM

[Aodhan]

John P. here from Arizona, training under Master Mark Kaup Lee and Mrs (Soon to be Master) Michelle Landgren Lee.

Started in MA in 1987, I've done Shotokan, Kenpo, WTF, ITF, and ATA. Been in the ATA since....1999 ish? Will be testing for 3rd in September, I'm a certified instructor, and I recently (17 days!!) got married.

I like kittens, and clouds are cool.

Aodhan

[Dave Leverich]

Ok ok a real one heh.
Dave here, Albany Oregon. Started TKD in the start of 85 in WTF, then changed schools in the summer to this new school. My first ATA instructor was Mr. Stultz, a parapalegic (injured in VN, shot like 5 times, couldn't use his legs much). He taught me more that I ever would have believed possible.
Other than that, certified instructor, 3rd degree (test in 8 days, who's nervous ;p), I absolutely love... breaking, boards and bricks.... escrima, sticks rock... sparring, medium to full contact with big enough opponents.

It's my job to make schools more successful now with the card business, an offshoot of my advertising agency.

I live eat and breathe ATA Taekwondo.

Oh, lineage wise.. CM (now GM) Clint Robinson->SM Willy Rankins->Lee Stultz->Dave Leverich. This was the Sacramento ATA before a split a few years back, I believe Master Jaime is what's left of that side. I train with John Patton in Lebanon, we've been close friends for nearly 20 years now. Came up through the ranks with him, Scott Turner, Master Barry Lyon.. And we're all still here, though our ranks have changed a bit heh.

I'd babble more, but my fingers are starting to hurt ;p

Oh yeah, other studies... Tai Chi (underwater slow motion ;p), Kung-Fu (tiger style much fun), Escrima (Inayan - Largo Mano currently), Wing Chun. Then smatterings of other styles when I can, I can kind of be a sponge for MA's.

[Jack Smail]

My name is Jack Smail. I joined the ATA in December of 1993 when I was 11 years old. I was lucky to join the ATA. I wanted "to do Karate" and my mom picked out a random school in the phone book. It just happened to be Master Sandoval's school and I have been there since. I believe I hold the record over there for longest amount of time at brown belt (while still actively training <_< ) and I recently was promoted to 3rd degree and currently run a small club in Manchester, MI.

I found this site through the "official" ATA web forum before it was shut down. This site is a VAST improvement over the other one.

This post has been edited by Jack Smail: 21 February 2006 - 04:29 PM

[webstertkd]

nightowl, on Feb 21 2006, 08:21 PM, said:

I love dogs, kids, chocolate, trying to kick people in the head, :lol: and people who like to try to kick people in the head. :lol:

HEE! This is one of the best sentences ever!

[webstertkd]

I am Diane Myers. I started taekwondo 2 weeks after my son joined in October 1995. My instructor is Mr. Kevin Henderson known on this board as MrH. In the summer of 1999 I taught a taekwondo program thru my city's summer camp program. At the end of the summer there was interest in keeping the program year round thru the parks and rec department. And that's how I became a "club" owner. From that summer program, 5 Karate for Kids aged students and three tiny tigers joined my official "club". Of those original 8, 3 of the k-for-k's and 1 tiger (who of course became a k-for-k) went on to obtain their black belts with me. About half my students wouldn't be able to take martials arts if not for a club like mine simply because they could not afford it.

My son is 16 and a first degree black belt. He is also autistic. I was a special ed major in college and have worked with special abilities kids for..ever. I wrote my instructor's thesis on working with special abilities students, sent a copy to Sr. Master Kohl and volunteered to work with special abilities students in any capacity. I've been working with Sr. Master for about 7 years now. I coordinate special abilities rings in Texas and have co-chaired the special abilities round table at world championships for the last 4 years. In 2001 I was appointed Regional Chief of Special Abilities and was sworn in by Eternal Grand Master.

Last year my good friend Erin Baker and I started ATA Kicks Far for NAAR and through the participation of ATA schools all over the U.S. and Canada, over $50,000 has been raised for autism research.

By day I am a paralegal at a local lawfirm and assistant to one of the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustees in Houston.

On a lighter note, I like puppies, kitties, sunsets and long walks on the beach.

[texz71]

I'm Brad Eleeson and I originally started in Dec '85 (age 11) under then Mr. Douglas Blomker for a year then under an awesome instructor, Mr. Larry Hoover (now Sr. Master) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Received 1BD in July of '87 and continued to practice off and on up until 1991. Over these years, I also had the great opportunity to attend a few good camps and workouts under others such as: Sr. Master Robert Jager, Mr. Dale Craig, Sr. Masters MK and GK Lee during those times and well as have the great fortune to meet EGM Lee, as wells as many other great instructors that are still with ATA or have moved on to other ventures. Unfortunately, I got bored with ATA at the time as well as lost in too many other hobbies, school and a career traveling the world. I'm back into the groove again, along with my 10 year old daugher in Texas under Master Sustaires shcool. Things have certainly changed in ATA over the years and there seems to be many more opportunities for younger kids to stay involved and continue to learn new material and grow and not get stuck into a rut for several years.

My short term goals are to get back my flexibility, focus on sharing my skills and having fun with my daughter, and re-learning all the old material along with all the new material and hopefully test for 2BR in the next year. Long term goals are to get back to tournement readiness, become a trainee instructor and hopefully someday a certified instructor as well as continue to grow, develop and learn in the ATA.

I can honestly say It's been a long time since I felt this good physically and mentally and I am so glad to be back and apart of this organization again.