Our annual Pot luck, awards, and class picture are this Saturday, February 13^th from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. I will be providing the

hamburgers and hotdogs. There is a sign-up poster at the school. Please write your name and what you are bringing.  Also, please come in uniform for the class picture.

The pledge sheets have already been passed out. If you do not have one, please see me.

We will hold this years kick-a-thon/break-a-thon at the St. Philomena’s gymnasium on March 13, 2010 from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.  It is located at 3216 Emery Ave. in Peoria.

I would like all students to participate in the fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Hospital even if you do not wish to participate in the demonstration or you are not able to attend the event. Last year we raised $5,500.00! Let‘s try to surpass that amount this year!!

If you would like to participate in the demonstration you must be able to attend the scheduled practices below.

Saturday, February 27, 2010, 11:00 a.m.

Sunday, February, 28, 2010, 1:00 p.m.

Friday, March 12, 2010, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 13, 2010, 10:00 a.m.

I want everyone that is participating in the demo to attend the

March 12^th and 13^th practice so we can all practice together.

Please email me ASAP if you would like to participate. This is for ALL ranks! White belts and above can participate.

If you do not participate in the demonstration, you can still participate in the kick-a-thon/break-a-thon.

Adults, yellow belt & above and kids red belt & above will be allowed to break.

We will have two types of breaking. The first will be simple breaks, (palm strikes, front kicks, etc.) The second will be specialty breaking (3 or more stations). For example, I will be breaking several boards with advanced kicks and breaking bricks with hand techniques.

White belt adults and white belt kids through red stripe can participate in the kick-a-thon.

Pledge sheets and money need to be turned in to me by the day of the event.

In order for this event to be a success, I need YOU to make this happen. When we work together for a common cause, we can accomplish anything. This is just another aspect of martial arts behavior. Courtesy, Compassion and Charity!

As always, if you have any question, please let me know.

Sbn

All classes tonight are canceled due to the Icy weather. Classes will resume as normal tomorrow unless notified differently. I do update the local TV stations.  If you have questions, just let me know.

If you are out and about, drive safely!

Sbn

Happy New Year Students!

I am ready to get back in the Do-Jang for classes.  I hope you all are well rested and ready for training!

Speaking of the Do-Jang, on December 26th, I was notified by my realtor that the University property has been approved and meets EPA standards!

Over the next few weeks we will close on the property and secure the location of our new Kuk Sool Won of Peoria school location!  I hope you all are just as excited about this as I am!!

Calendar information:

There have been a couple changes to the calendar.

Black belts and Dbn’s, we will have classes every other Friday. Classes are now 2 hours long, from 5:30-7:30.

Instructors will now have 2 hour classes opposite weeks of the BB classes. Please make sure you check the schedule!

Kids testing will now start at 5:30 instead of 4:30.

Dates to remember:

January 16, 2010-I will be testing in Le Claire, IA. Any of my black belts that would like to test are welcome to participate.

January 31, 2010-Association fees are due no later than TODAY!

February 13, 2010- We will have our annual pot luck, class picture and awards. I will have a poster board up to sign-up. Remember to put what food/drink/utensils you will be bringing. I will be providing hotdogs and hamburgers.

February 20, 2010-There will be testing at the St. Louis school for Black Belts and DBN’s. I’ll be testing at this test as well. I recommend that those DBN’s due to get promoted in June to participate in this testing! It will be a good tune-up testing for you!

March 4th-7th 2010- I will be at head quarters for testing and training.

March 13, 2010-We will be having the St. Jude fund raiser at the St. Philomena Gym. We are looking for parents to volunteer in putting the event together. If you are interested, please let me know. We will have a meeting soon to cover the details.

April 23 & 24 2010- The annual St. Louis tournament is April 24th. I would LOVE to have 100% participation!

You have 4 months to prepare for the trip! With diligent training, we will have a LOT of 1st place medals coming back to the school along with the FLAG!

Black Belt testing is April 23rd in St. Louis.  I will be testing as well.

June 2010 (date tbd)- Kuk Sa Nym will be visiting our school for Black Belt testing, promotion(s), and seminar.  I will be testing as well.

Do you all see a pattern yet?? I will be testing in January, February, March, April and June! Whew!

There will be no class on the following days:

• Monday, January 18, 2010-Martin Luther King Jr.Day
• Thursday, January 28, 2010-Testing
• Friday, January 29, 2010-Testing

As you can see, we have a lot going on over the next few months, not counting the Open tournaments we have been invited to!  We also will be launching a new website soon-hopefully within the next few weeks.  We have a lot to do in 2010!

Remember, if you have questions, please contact me.

Kuk Sool!

Sbn Ben

Happy Holidays Students!

Why did the Kuk Sool Won Student admire Santa...?

Because he has a black belt!  Hahaha

This just may be my last post of 2009!

Do you all have your snow boots out?  I have the snow plow ready!

The Santa Parade was a blast. If you did not attend, I hope you were able to see us on TV.

Weather Reminder-

December is here and bad weather may be near!  Remember that when District 150 closes due to severe weather conditions, Kuk Sool Won of Peoria will cancel all classes.  I will update our local TV stations, WEEK and WMBD.  If in doubt call the school!

Annual Dodge ball tournament-

We will have our annual Dodge ball tournament on December 23^rd from 10:00 a.m. - noon. Everyone is allowed to participate.

Remember… if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!

Annual Membership/Association fee-

The annual fee is due by January 31^st.  Please see me if you have questions.

Testing-

Testing will be on Thursday, December 17^th and Friday, December 18^th.

School Hours-

The school will be closed December 24^th- January 2^nd and will resume normal classes on Monday, January 4^th.  Students can

come to class unlimited in December and January because of the short months. I encourage you to take advantage of this!

No Class-

We will no have classes on the following days:

December 17^th-testing

December 18^th –testing

December 23^rd- no evening classes

December 24^th through January 2^nd

Have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

See you Next Year!

Sbn!

'Twas the night of Thanksgiving, 
but I just couldn't sleep... 
I tried counting backwards, 
I tried counting sheep. 
The leftovers beckoned...the dark meat and white, 
but I fought the temptation with all of my might. 
Tossing and turning with anticipation, 
the thought of a snack became infatuation. 
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door 
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore. 
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes, 
stuffing with gravy, green beans and tomatoes. 
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round, 
till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground. 
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky 
with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie 
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees... 
Happy eating to all -- pass the cranberries, please. 

The holidays are fast approaching! What does that mean to us? Well, our schedule will be a little different.  Please make sure you look at it closely! Testing will be on a Monday and Tuesday this month. We will also be participating

in the Santa Parade on Friday, November 27th.

Let's hope our warm weather continues!  I will send out more information about the Santa Parade as I receive it. 

There will be no class on the following days:

Monday, November 23^rd- Testing

Tuesday, November 24^th, Testing

Wednesday, November 25^th, Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26^th, Thanksgiving

Friday, November 27^th, Santa Parade

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hello Students!

Fall is here and Halloween is in the air!  Are you ready for trick or treating? While you are out on Halloween, going from house to house, how about practicing Kuk Sool.  How you ask? Well, you can practice long stances to get your bag in front of everyone else’s at the door! If you trip over a pumpkin, make sure you do a nak bub!   

This month I, along with two Dbn’s, will be traveling to Texas for testing.  I am testing for Kwan Jang Nim (5th degree, master level). I am very excited and proud to be testing in Texas. Colleen King and Caitlin Haisler will be testing for Jo Gyo Nim on October 9th! Normal monthly testing will be on October 29th and 30th.  Are you ready?  

There will be no class on the following days:

October 12th- Columbus Day

October 29th-Testing

October 30th- Testing

Kuk Sool!!

                                                  

Hello Students!

Can you believe summer is coming to an end?  The first day of autumn is September 22^nd! Boy time flies when you are having fun and training in Kuk Sool!

There will be no class on Thursday, September 24^th or Friday, September 25^th due to testing!

Q:  What is "de ja fu"? 

A:  The feeling that somewhere, somehow you've been kicked in the head like this before.

Kuk Sool!

SBN!

Hello Students!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

I want to take this time to thank everyone for a successful testing & seminar with Kuk Sa Nym and the visiting Masters.

If anyone has a group photo of the seminar, please get me a copy. I would like several copies to choose from for the Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine.

Attention Dahn Boh Nyms with 4+ stripes!! 

With regular class time, hard work and dedication you will be promoted to Black Belt next June!  We have a lot of work to do and a lot of teaching hours to get out of the way, so let’s get busy!!

Hey Red Belts!!

Did you know that with regular class time, hard work and dedication, you will begin black belt testing next year!

I would love for all of this to happen at our new school!

School Shut Down:

The School Shut Down will begin on July 16^th and will re-open 

on Saturday, August 1^st. There will be unlimited classes for the

month of August to make up class time from July.

Please keep practicing during this time.  Just because we are on vacation, doesn’t mean we stop training. 

I challenge everyone to practice their forms and techniques once a day, every day during the vacation shutdown!!! Come

back to class on August 1^st focused and ready!!

Remember

WE NEED MORE PRACTICE!!!

Kuk Sool

Hello Students- Here are a few jokes to make you smile! Kuk Sool! 

Two guys were in a Do Jang when a mad dog came flying in and attacked the smaller guy. The larger guy grabbed a belt and strangled the dog. A news reporter standing by said, "You're a hero!" He wrote in his notebook the heading "Kuk Sool Hero Saves Friend from Savage Dog!"

The guy saw the note and said "I do not practice Kuk Sool, I practice Karate."

"OK," said the reporter, then wrote down "Dog Hater Kills Family Pet!!"

_______________________

There were two old  Kuk Sool Masters who continued to compete in Kuk Sool tournaments well past their prime. One day, while relaxing after yet another competition, they were chatting and wondering if there is Kuk Sool in heaven and made a pact that whoever passed away first would come back and let the other know.

About a week later one of the old Kuk Sool Masters passed away. About a month after that the surviving old Kuk Sool Master was at yet another competition when all of a sudden he saw a ghost. Sure enough it was his old buddy who had come back to see him.

"Well, please tell me," asked the surviving Kuk Sool Master "Are there Kuk Sool competitions in heaven?"

"I have good news and bad news for you," replied the ghost of his old Kuk Sool buddy. "The good news is that, yes, there are Kuk Sool competitions in heaven. The bad news is that your first match is the day after tomorrow.