Dragon Tang Soo Do

DTSD Open Championships October 2008

The Morning of the 2008 Open Championships got off to a very chilly start - with doors opening at 8:30am. It was freezing standing in the doorways checking competitors names off the list, whilst pacing up and down trying to keep warm….. we didn't have to wait long for the masses to turn up. It seemed more hectic than usual, or maybe I just wasn't used to the rush of people trying to funnel their way through narrowed doorways to get into the main hall in time for the lining up Ceremony. It felt a bit like Moses trying to hold back the waters of the Red sea!

Entering the Main Hall, you couldn't help but notice the new stage layout….very polished and professional, especially with the new back drop and video screen streaming live pictures from the arena.The trophies looked impressive, taking pride of place either side of the stage, waiting for people to claim them.

Looking out into the line up of people, it seemed a bit odd there was such a huge gap between the stage and the Competitors……but we soon found out why.

Zara, our special guest, did a quick demonstration of the Whip staff chain form, which was truly amazing. No-one would like to be on the receiving end of that!

There was quite a lot going on behind the scenes at this years Championship. Not only was the event was being filmed as part of an up and coming documentary featuring Zara, Master Drury called up onto stage a brave young man called Jack... It was a very special moment, as we had the priviledge of seeing him being presented with his Black Belt Certificate, and he didn't seem to be fazed by the fact hundreds of people were watching!

Once the applause finally came to a halt….for the benefit of new comers to the Competition, the rules were explained by Master Ward and demonstrated by Sah Bum Nims' Lee Sutcliffe & Mark Hillier. It must have seemed quite daunting, but judges were on hand to make sure everyone understood what was expected of them as soon as they got into the rings. Then it was all hands on deck, to make the day go as smoothly as possible….. As always there was a great atmosphere to the day, with a few surprised people picking up well earned trophies. It's a joy to see the look an the kids' faces when they don't expect to win!

After the Weapons Categorys and Hyungs were concluded Team GBR took centre stage and performed a short creativity piece for us during the interval. They certainly put on an impressive display!

The Second half of the Competition is dedicated to sparring, and speaking to some of the old hands, they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the comradery.It's a shame more people don't stay until the very end of the competition to see the Senior Black Belts sparring.and watch true sportsmanship, with no hard feelings between competitors,even after a few hard blows.

Our aim as always is to provide a fair competition for all entrants, so special thanks go to all the judges, especially the visiting Dan grades who willingly helped out. The concentration levels you need to be a Centre Judge are phenominal, so hats off to them! It really is a tough job, but they judged the last fight with as much enthusiam as the first one. There are bound to be a few mistakes…we are after all only human!

I hope you all had a chance to read last years articles on the Open 2007 to appreciate all that goes on behind the scenes to make this day a success? It really is a long and tiring day especially for your Black Belts and Cho Dan Bo's, but the results are worth it!

Our Grateful thanks to those that stayed on when everyone else had left, to carry on with clearing up - it really was appreciated.

To all our Competitors - we hope this Championship was a memorable and enjoyable occasion, and that you come back again next year, and to the spectators for their support as it wouldn't be the same without you!

Tang Soo!

 

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