04/11/2024
I am incredibly honored to welcome my Master JeongWoo Kim, my instructor TaeKyoung Lee, and there demonstration team from South Korea for the Haidong Gumdo PanAmerican Championships. This is a dream come true, and the fulfillment of a quest I began in 2002 after attending the World Championships. The Haidong Gumdo World Championships changed my life and helped shape my future. When I first started competing at the Worlds in Korea, I was not a successful school owner. I worked several jobs. In fact, I sold my furniture and my prized jeep Cherokee to be able to afford to go and cover my school while gone. It was very difficult. I took one student with me , Mr Rupesh Patel, a young teenager at that time. I’m astounded at the trust he and his family showed in me. Travel to the other side of the world, to a country whose language we didn’t speak to compete. Amazing.
But, the experience, character, and comrades that adventure gave us both was….. immeasurable.
I knew many would or could not travel to Korea for this adventure, and I knew I wanted to be able to offer this to martial artists here on this content. I started in 2009 with the US Opens and then the 2011 PanAmerican Championships. Both were wonderful events that many said helped shaped there martial arts path. We also achieved success in 2016 and 2018 with the PanAm Mulimpia.
But now, here in Utah, my home, we have a chance again to offer the next generation the chance of adventure, experience, and of new comrades, to help build their character and shape their future path.
A dream come true.
Welcome to Utah! Salute to those of you who sacrificed for the journey, trained for the competition, and deserves the credit as one who shall always be known as a Haidong Gumdo PanAmerican competitor!
Haidong!
Dashihanbeon!
Never Quit!