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2008
2008 Recap Newsletter
12.28.08::Our 2008 Recap Newsletter is available here (3.4 MB). The newsletter is in PDF format. You can view it with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can get it here.
December Adult Promotion Test
12.13.08::Congratulations to everyone who took the promotion test on Saturday, December 13, and thanks again to Wes and Tanya for planning the excellent winter banquet. The level of technical excellence on the test was especially high, from the yellow belts through the black stripes. It was also nice to see the black belts (Jason B, Lisa D, Suzzanne F, Jason G, Darci H, Ana K, Matt L, Brian M, and Julie N) show their stuff on the maintenance test, particularly with the addition of Darci and Suzanne to our regular black belt corps.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of GREEN STRIPE, 8th Gup: Yoshiko I., Andrew N., Juan Q., Mariann W., Brandy W.
The following student has been promoted to the rank of GREEN BELT, 7th Gup: Mohammad J.
The following student has been promoted to the rank of BLUE STRIPE, 6th Gup: Wesley A.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of BLUE BELT, 5th Gup: Tanya A., Cindy C., Fang H.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of RED STRIPE, 4th Gup: Brenda C., Bart L., Jeni H., Agnieszka R.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of DOUBLE BLACK STRIPE, 1st Gup, Black Belt Candidate: Jim L., Erick R.
Lowell Tournament
11.09.08::On Sunday, November 9th, two members of our club competed at the Richard An Invitational Tournament in Lowell, MA. It was a well-attended tournament and featured some non-traditional events: team demonstrations, tag team sparring, and height breaking. Representing CW were Fang Hong Shi, who won Silver in forms and Gold in sparring, and Brian Loux, who competed for the first time, sparring in a highly-populated heavyweight division but losing to the eventual gold-medal winner. Congratulations to Fang and Brian! Also special thanks to Brian McCormick, who coached the competitors, and Maureen Shephard for volunteering at the event and providing transportation.
New England Championships
10.18.08::Congratulations to everyone who competed at the New England tournament, and thanks to everyone who helped out. The tournament was coordinated by CW's own Master Dan Chuang, who received compliments about our club's organizational abilities and our hard-working personality. Competitors from CW's adult program included: Josh Yeager - Bronze Sparring; Mike Scanlan - Gold Sparring; Joshua Doloff - Gold Forms, Bronze Sparring; Erick Rondan - Gold Sparring (2 medals); Chris Lo - Gold Sparring; Alexis Roth - Gold Sparring; Fang Hong Shi - Gold Forms, Gold Breaking, Gold Sparring; Wes Austin - Bronze Forms, Gold Sparring; moHammad - Silver Sparring; Sylvia - Gold Sparring. Volunteers included: Master Mel Minear (head table director), Master Chris Tuozzolo (floor general), Mike Harb, Brian McCormick, Anastasia Kazimirova, Patrick Starremans, Jim Lombardi, Agnieszka Rytych-Foster, Tanya Austin, Maureen Shepard, Juan Qin Tan. Also thanks to the volunteers from our competition workouts crew: Fabio Takahashi, Kyria Takahashi, Nathan Hanagami, Bobby Ren, Alicia Zhou, Richard-Duane Chambers, Ning Wu, Omar Fernandez, Stephanie Nix.
CW at Oktoberfest
10.12.08::CWTKD returned to the Harvard Square Oktoberfest this year on Sunday, October 12th. We were fortunate to have sunny weather, a prime location, and a steady flow of spectators and visitors throughout the afternoon. It was a relaxed day of forms, kicking, free sparring, and audience participation. The club was well-represented by members of our youth, adult, and competition groups, including: Dan, Kathy, Lisa, Jean, Mel, Matt L, Ana K, Jason G, Sylvia, Jan, Jacob, Paul, Brian L, Agnieszka, Srikumar, Susanne, Alicia, Erica, Nathan, and RDC. Special thanks also to James and Joe for helping out before and after the festival. Great job, everyone!
US Cup Championships
10.11.08::Congratulations to everyone from CW and tBos who competed at the US Cup Taekwondo Championships on Saturday, October 11th in Hartford, Connecticut. We had 8 participants from our school and our extended competition workouts family.
In the Red Belt division: Erick Rondan took gold in men's heavyweight, earning a point gap 7-0 in just 1 minute. In the Black Belt division: Jayson Grant took gold in men's middleweight, sparring up one division heavier than he usually does, and winning a trip to the Dominican Republic to compete as part of the US Cup team. Richard "RDC" Chambers and Nathan Hanagami shared a gold in men's lightweight, bowing out to each other in the finals; Nathan won his first match coming back after 15 months off due to injury. Erica Chan took silver in women's fly, Anastasia Kazimirova took bronze in women's feather, Amy Maillet took a bronze in women's heavy, competing for the first time after knee surgery. Dorian Alexander took bronze in men's feather. Kudos to all for outstanding performances!
Coaching the athletes were Dan Chuang (who was awarded "US Cup Coach of the Year"), Chinedum Osuji, Fabio Takahashi, and Kathy Chuang. Cheering everyone on were Jason Grant (Sr.), Kyria Takahashi, Alicia Zhou, Brett Schusheraba, and Fang Hong Shi.
September Adult Promotion Test
09.27.08::Congratulations to those who tested, and thanks to Tanya and Wes for throwing a great party! The test was a testament to all of the instructors' hard work this semester and to all of the students' commitment to learning Taekwondo.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of GREEN STRIPE, 8th Gup: Silvia B., mohAmmad J., Samia M., Maureen S.
The following student has been promoted to the rank of GREEN BELT, 7th Gup: Wesley A.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of BLUE STRIPE, 6th Gup: Tanya A., Cindy C., Richard F., Faissal L., Fanghong S.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of DOUBLE BLACK STRIPE, 1st Gup, Black Belt Candidate: Joshua D., Alan L., Michael S.
Chinedum and Jayson at Pan Am Tournament
10:6:08::This past weekend Chinedum Osuji and Jayson Grant participated as coach and athlete, respectively, at the Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Puerto Rico. Jayson competed for the United States in men's middleweight, scoring a dominant win 8-1 over Grenada, then losing a nail-biter match to Brazil 7-6 in the quarterfinals. Chinedum also led the Trinidad and Tobago national team to a successful result: Dorian Alexander (feather) had a 1-0 win over a very talented US team member, falling 10-5 to Brazil in the quarterfinals; and Lenny Hypolite (light) won 4-1 over Suriname, 5-3 over the US Virgin Islands, 5-4 over Canada to make the finals, where he lost 6-1 to Brazil, earning a SILVER medal. It was an outstanding performance for the two athletes, who under Chinedum's guidance are getting some great results. Congratulations to Jayson, Chinedum, Dorian and Lenny, for carrying part of C.W. Taekwondo to these major international Championships and for representing their countries well.
Announcing the New England Championships
08.04.08::The New England Championships will be held on Saturday, October 18, in Tewksbury, MA, hosted by Grandmaster Young A. Kwon. For an application, please click here.
World University Taekwondo Championships
07.21.08::Head instructor Dan Chuang recently returned from the World University Taekwondo Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, which were contested on July 16-20, 2008. He served as one of the coaches of the US National Collegiate Team and coached 4 athletes over the course of the competition, including friend of the club Jermaine James and bronze medalist John Duhart. The US team earned 1 silver and two bronze medals over the course of the competition. "The team performed well despite some tough draws. It was great to be a part of Team USA", said Dan Chuang, who also serves as the head coach of MIT's Sport Taekwondo Club. For a full summary of the results, click here.
U.S. National Taekwondo Championships
07.08.08::Members of the CW and tBos competition group went to Detroit, MI during the first week of July for the U.S. National Taekwondo Championships. Master Dan Chuang was there coaching along with Fabio Takahashi, and Liza Shakhnovich was there to lend her support.
Jayson Grant earned a bronze medal in men's welter, competing despite a very painful injury to his toe that had him barely walking. He avenged a recent loss by winning over a tough player from Florida in the quarter finals, and won again in the bronze medal match over one of his New England training partners. Christina Park earned a bronze as well, scoring a nice win over a junior national team member in the bronze medal match and barely missing the gold medal match in a sudden-death match. Christina also earned a bronze medal in the US National Poomsae Team Trials. Richard "RDC" Chambers won his first match by point gap and lost a close decision to the bronze medalist in the quarterfinals, reaching the top 8 in the country. Bobby Ren won his first match in an exciting 8-7 decision in overtime over a player from Texas, and lost a competitive match to last year's champion in the quarterfinals, reaching the top 8 as well. Anastasia Kazimirova fought the bronze medalist her first round and landed some solid kicks in a very high-rate match. Jason Greenberg and Josh Yeager both fought in their first matches at the national level and hung tough, and showed great spirit in taking on some very experienced opponents. Elijah Grant fought well but he felt the weight lost by his second round, falling short at the end. He definitely showed that his game is improving and that he is getting stronger as he finds his optimal fighting weight during his growth spurt. In forms, Alicia Zhou won a gold in the elite open competition poomsae division and was in 4th place after the 1st round of forms in the US National Poomsae Trials.
Congratulations to everyone who competed!
Adult Promotion Test
06.28.08::Congratulations to everyone who took the promotion test on Saturday, June 28! It was a small but spirited test, with the lower ranks looking strong on the paddles, and the upper ranks showing how it was done on their breaks and sparring. The black belts put on a great show in the maintenance test with some technically advanced and precision kicking, and also demonstrated their proficiency with the the WTF Poomsae standards. Also, the 1st Dan Candidate (Julie N.) and the 2nd Dan Candidates (Jason B., Lisa D., Jean K., Matt L., Joe M., and Ana R.) from December received their embroidered belts.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of GREEN STRIPE, 8th Gup: Wesley A., Ebony V., Maya E. (make-up test), Siddhartha M. (make-up test).
The following students have been promoted to the rank of GREEN BELT, 7th Gup: Tanya A., Cindy C., Richard F., Brian L., Faissal L. (make-up test).
The following students have been promoted to the rank of RED STRIPE, 4th Gup: Bessie C., Erick G., Brian Mo., Mike B. (make-up test).
The following student has been promoted to the rank of BLACK STRIPE, ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR, 2nd Gup: Erick R.
Cambridge River Festival
06.14.08::C.W. Taekwondo Boston was well-represented at the Cambridge River Festival on Saturday, June 14. We had sunny weather and a very visible spot near the river, making for a successful day of community outreach. Members of our Youth, Adult, and Competition groups drew crowds with their impressive demos. Particularly entertaining were the dramatic sparring and board breaks done by Master Dan Chuang and Master Mike Harb. Throughout the afternoon, club members distributed flyers and answered questions about our club. We also held a free raffle, with nine lucky winners to receive complimentary class sessions.
Festival helpers and participants included: Alan L., Alicia, Ana K., Bessie, Brian Mc., Cindy C., Dan, Erica, Jarek, Jason G., Jeni, Jim L., Joe M., Josh D., Lisa D., Matt L., Mel, Mike H., Nathan, Patrick, RDC, Richard, and Rich F. Thanks to everyone for their tireless and cheerful efforts. Special thanks also to Master Chris Tuozzolo and his Youth Program participants: Steven L., Emmanuel D., Joe D., Noah H., Menelik E-B., Jacob S., Jan S., Jamal S-Y., Noah B., Pascal B., Alex P., Mame Cheikh G., and Nana A. Good job, all!
CW Volunteers with Charles River Conservancy
05.31.08::On Saturday May 31, members of the CW community joined a group from Single Volunteers of America to clean up an area of parkland by the Charles River. During the course of about three hours, the hard-working team pruned several trees and removed invasive plants and trash. Volunteers included: Agnieszka R., Alan L., Bessie C., Brenda C., Brian Mc., Flora H., Jasmine Y., Jeni H., Josh D., Julie N., Lisa D., Matt L., Mike B. and his wife, Mona M., Rich F., Tanya A. and Wes A. A Thanks to all, and a special note of appreciation to Bessie Chuang for coordinating this event.
Yellow Belt Promotions
05.08.08::Congratulations to the following students, who have been promoted to the rank of Yellow Belt, 9th Gup: Anna G., Brandy W., Maureen S., Sylvia B.
Massachusetts State Tournament
05.03.08::Seven CW members competed in the Massachusetts State Championships in Marlborough, MA on Saturday, May 3. While the tournament was modest in size, it was still a great chance to meet up with competitors and referees from other Taekwondo schools in the area. Here's a recap of the results:
Jason Greenberg earned a SILVER in forms and GOLD in sparring (Welter, black belt). Josh Yeager earned a GOLD in sparring (Middle, black belt). Josh and Jason also sparred off in an exciting demonstration match. Richard-Duane ("RDC") Chambers easily won his match in Lightweight black belt. Michael Conroy earned a SILVER in men's red belt sparring. Alexis Roth earned a default GOLD in women's Green Belt sparring; sadly, she didn't have an opponent to spar. Richard Furr earned a GOLD in men's yellow belt forms. Cindy Claudant eanred a GOLD in women's yellow belt forms.
Congratulations to everyone for putting your self out there in the ring! And thanks to coaches Mel Minear, Brian McCormick, and Mike Harb.
National Collegiate Championships
04.26-27.08::Congratulations to members of our competition workouts group, and to our sister club, MIT Sport Taekwondo, who competed at the US National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships at Stanford University. Hundreds of competitors from dozens of universities were there to compete. MIT won title of Overall Collegiate National Champion as a club! Master Dan Chuang was there coaching, along with Mike Harb and Conor Madigan.
Some standout performances by black belt competitors: Jayson Grant won a GOLD medal in men's welter, earning the title of collegiate national champion. He was also awarded the honor of "Freshman Athlete of the Year" by the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association. It was a great outing for him in the very competitive men's welter weight division, and a big feather in his cap in addition to his title of US National Champion in 2006. Erica Chan earned a BRONZE in women's fin, winning a 6-2 decision in the quarters and losing a tough contest to the eventual champion in the semifinals. Alicia Zhou point gapped her first opponent and sparred a very athletic competitor from Iowa in the finals, earning a SILVER medal in women's fly. Jayson, Erica and Alicia all qualified for the US Collegiate National Team trials on May 17 in Denver, CO. Ana Kazimirova had a tough draw, meeting the gold medalist in the first round, but scored some solid points in the match. Richard "RDC" Chambers got to the quarterfinals in men's light where he lost a close 10-7 decision to the eventual gold medalist. Nicole Teague earned a BRONZE in women's middle, where she faced former champion Sanaz Shabazzi.
Dojang Cleaning Day
04.26.08::Supervised by V.P. Operations Jason Brownhill, a group of 17 club members pitched in with teamwork and efficiency to clean the dojang on Saturday, April 26th. The volunteers (who gave up a sunny afternoon to help out) included: Abdallah, Alexis, Agnieszka, Brian, Bomi, Darcey, Erick, Faissal, Jason G, Jeni, Jim, Maureen, Mike S, Tanya, and Wes. Thanks to all!
Adult Promotion Test
04.12.08::Congratulations to everyone who tested on Saturday, April 12th. The yellow belts impressed with their paddle work and side kicks, the blue stripes showed much improved sparring and great spirit throughout, and the red stripes and red belts set a very high standard with their excellent performance all around. Special thumbs up to Brian Moll, who has officially set a record for the longest time between promotion tests, with his last promotion coming in 2002. Way to stick with it and come back from a long hiatus! Special thanks to Mel and Mindy (along with Patrick and Muge) for hosting the post-test party, which was full of feasting and festivity.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of GREEN STRIPE, 8th Gup: Tanya A., David C., Cindy C., Richard F., Faissal L., Patchanee P.
The following student has been promoted to the rank of GREEN BELT, 7th Gup: Jim T.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of BLUE BELT, 5th Gup: Brenda C., Erick G., Jeni H., Laura K., Brian M, Agnieszka R., Julia T.
The following student has been promoted to the rank of RED BELT, 3rd Gup: Erick R.
The following students have been promoted to the rank of BLACK STRIPE, 2nd Gup: Joshua D., Alan L.
1st National Qualifier
03.31.08::The weekend of March 2930, members of the CW competition group, coached by head instructor Master Dan Chuang, traveled to York, PA for the 1st National Qualifier of the year. This tournament is one of five national qualifying events held across the US. In order to compete in the "World Class" or high-difficulty level class at the National Taekwondo Championships in Detroit, MI in July, competitors must perform at a qualifying event and place in the top 4 in their weight class, earning a bronze medal or better. Here are highlights from the weekend:
Club instructor Anastasia Kazimirova had a breakthrough performance with a clutch win in the quarters over a former US collegiate/Junior national team member, earning a BRONZE medal in women's feather. Club senior instructor Kathy Chuang was team trainer and doctor on the trip, warming people up and making sure everyone was taken care of. Former CW senior instructor Ji Bae was there supporting his athletes from the Taekwondo school he teaches at in Virginia. Elijah Grant had a great win in the quarterfinals, landing 10 back kicks on a point-gap win, 9-2. He lost his second match to the eventual gold medalist but earned a BRONZE medal in junior finweight. Jayson Grant easily won his first match 8-0 and his second match in a hard-fought win over friend and fellow New Englander Adam Paolino. His other matches were walk-overs and he came home with a GOLD medal in men's welter. Richard-Duane "RDC" Chambers won two matches by a convincing margin to reach the semifinals, where he met up with a former US Junior Team member. He fought a very competitive match that ended 10-7 and was definitely within reach, earning a BRONZE in men's lightweight. Amy Maillet was able to pick up her qualification for nationals, where she'll have had enough time to be back to full strength. Congrats everyone!
Youth Promotion Test
3.8.2008::After testing on Saturday, March 8th, students in the Youth Program were successfully promoted as follows:
Demonstration for Green Stripe Belt: Jan S., Nico L.
Promotion Test for Green Belt: Menelik E-B., Noah H., Jacob S., Jasper W.
Promotion Test for Blue Stripe Belt: Emmanuel D., Joe D., Joseph Y.
Demonstration for Blue Stripe Belt: Steven L.
CW Volunteers at Food Pantry
2.16.2008::On Saturday, February 16, nine energetic club members served at the Harvest Food Pantry/Cambridgeport Baptist Church located in Central Square. Donning CWTKD shirts, the group proudly represented our club, showing up as a formidable force to organize food and clothing, then interacting with the pantry clients. This was the first of what we hope will be annual volunteer and community-service events. A sincere and special appreciation to Bessie Chuang, the organizer, along with all the volunteers: Brenda Cobleigh; James Glettler; Jeni Harnden; Maokun Li; Alan Lenarcic; Brian McCormick; Patchnee Petprayoon; Josh Yeager.
Ringmaster Open
2.3.2008::Several members of the CW community participated in the Ringmaster Open in February. The tournament, held in Marlborough, MA, attracted over 200 competitors from all over New England. Members of CW's Youth Program (Emmanuel D., Jasper W., Jacob S., Menelik E., and Jan S.) competed for the first time, performing exceptionally well and bringing home a total of six medals. In the 14-17-year-old fin weight division, Elijah Grant won a gold medal. Representing CW in the adult division, Neal Nemiroff earned a silver medal in men's welter weight, and James Glettler took a gold in men's heavy weight blue-red belt. Congratulations to all!
Club Promotions following December Test
1.4.2008::Congratulations to everyone who tested on December 15, 2007. It was a great way to end the year, particularly with the inspiring 1st and 2nd Dan tests. Julie Nelson has been promoted to the rank of provisional 1st Dan Black Belt. Jason Brownhill, Lisa DeSiro, Jean Kung, Matthew Litman, Joe Martinez, and Ana Reyes have been promoted to the rank of provisional 2nd Dan Black Belt. Following the test, club members from all parts of the CW community came together to celebrate at a holiday pot-luck party. It was a real treat and everyone was pleasantly stuffed by the end of the night. We're all excited about starting the New Year after some much needed rest and recovery, and we're looking forward to having an even better year than the last!
2007 Recap Newsletter
1.2.2008::Our 2007 Recap Newsletter is available here. The newsletter is in PDF format. You can view it with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can get it here.
