Fall 04, Winter 05, Spring 05, Summer 05:
Co-President:
Alyssa ViñasClass: 2006 Rank: 3rd Dan Black Belt Major: Psychology
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Co-President:
Kate MartinClass: 2006 Rank: 4th gup blue belt Major: English |
Vice President:
Vietnam NguyenClass: 2006 Rank: 4th gup blue belt Major: Premed-Psychology
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Treasurer:
Geoff GoehleClass: GR Rank: 5th gup blue stripe Major: Math
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Secretary: Sonia LeiClass: 2008 Rank: 8th gup yellow belt Major: Studio art and Ecology
|
Dartmouth Tae Kwon Do: History and
Constitution
Dartmouth Tae Kwon Do is a student-run organization that was
founded in 1984 by two brothers and their friends: Master Sung Chul Whang, Jun
Chul Whang, and Javier Arizmendi, a former member of the Mexican National Team.
This group of Dartmouth alumni had previous Tae Kwon Do training when they
enrolled at Dartmouth. They joined the only existing martial arts club at
Dartmouth--the Shotokan Karate Club, under the instruction of Master Kazumi
Tabata (Boston). As students started to lead classes that Master Tabata was
unavailable to instruct, the club started to change from Karate to Tae Kwon Do.
This led to their founding of the Ivy-New England Collegiate Tae Kwon Do League
(INCTL) and Dartmouth's first trip in 1983 to compete in Yale and Princeton. The
hiring of Master Jong Soo Lee from Concord, NH in 1984 completed the change to
Tae Kwon Do. In 2002, Dartmouth Tae Kwon Do became affiliated with the Blue Wave
Association through new instructors, Master Linda Smith-Blais, and Master Jean
Del Porte.
Presently, Dartmouth TKD practices the official South Korean and now Olympic
(IOC) recognized form of Tae Kwon Do, the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)
style, employing full contact and "modern training methods".
Please see our Constitution for details on how the club is run, the duties of
the officers, etc.
Constitution
Lisa Fearon interviewed one of the cofounders of the club in Sept 2003:
Master Whang Interview
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Team Information
In addition to the P.E. class, we also have the club and team,
which overlap. In general, the team consists of individuals ranked yellow belt
and above who attend and/or compete with us in tournaments. These individuals
demonstrate a desire to not only advance themselves and their understanding of
Tae Kwon Do, but also a willingness to help and teach others. Higher ranks and
more experienced members can coach fellow teammates in competitions, and all
team members are expected to set an example in class and help out when
necessary. More info to be posted later.
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Instructors
Our classes are instructed by Master Linda Smith-Blais and Master
Jean Del Porte. Both instructors train with the Blue Wave Association based out
of Vermont, founded in 1969 by Grandmaster Bruce V. Twing. They teach Monday and
Wednesday class.
Master Blais is the 2nd Vice President of the Blue Wave Association as currently
holds the Kukkiwon certified rank of 6th dan. She began her Taekwondo training
in 1979 with Grandmaster Bruce V. Twing. She owned and operated the West Lebanon
dojang for 8 years before turning it over to one of her students. She now serves
as Master Instructor of this location, as well as instructor at Dartmouth. A
former regional and national level medalist, Master Blais is instrumental in the
development of the Blue Wave association. Her most recent project was the Black
Belt goal sheets which serve as a guideline for rank promotion requirements.
Master Jean Del Porte is currently the instructor at the Lebanon Blue Wave
dojang and currently holds the Kukkiwon certified rank of 5th dan. Jean Del
Porte also began her Taekwondo training in1979 with Master Chung K. Ma, in
Wappingers Falls, NY and received her 1st dan in November 1982. Master Del Porte
trained and assisted in teaching classes at Chung Ma's until 1985 where she
competed in local, state and two National competitions in both poomsae and
sparring. From 1989 to 1994, Master Del Porte was a student of Grand Master Dan
K. Choi and assisted in teaching at Choi's Taekwondo in Mesa, AZ. During this
time, she performed in many demonstrations and community events. In 1994, Master
Del Porte joined the Lebanon Blue Wave in Lebanon, NH and became a student of
Master Linda Smith-Blais. In addition to instructing at Lebanon and Dartmouth,
she also teaches HASP (Hanover After School Program) Taekwondo classes. In the
last two years, she has taught at the Mount Ascutney School in Windsor, VT.
The information above was taken with the permission of the instructors from the
Blue Wave website. To learn more about the Blue Wave TaeKwonDo Association, feel
free to visit their webpage:
http://www.bluewavetkd.com
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