Posted by: LadyTKD on Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - 09:07 AM


Basically 3 days until the USOC meeting. o­nly 2 major issues o­n their
table - their own restructuring and the decertification of the USTU.

For those thinking that the calvary will ride in at the last second,
think again. The USOC board is as big as ours and most of them have
no clue as to what is happening with TKD except that M&C is fed up
with the USTU and recommending decertication. The BIG D is not a slap
o­n the wrist - it is bigtime.  Without NGB status, the USTU will
continue, but most members basically o­nly belong because they have
to - with the USOC stamp of approval gone - who will join?  It will
turn into the USTW - basically the masters who make their students
join - and o­nly those students who don't know better.

Of course, we can still save the day - walk into the Executive
Committee hearing and announce all the officers are gone - especially
and including Sang Lee. It just galls me that we are spending all
this money to save Sang Lee and that people are actually buying into
the argument. Don't you see that the organization is bigger than the
o­ne man?

Ah well - let the chips fall. Just proves  - what goes around, comes
around - no matter how hard you try to manipulate the process.

The Sidekick foundation recently released results of the first study
ever to ascertain if martial arts training can improve executive
function in at-risk children.
  "Executive function' is a term used by psychologists to define the
parts of us that make decisions and give us direction."  Said Art
Pryor, president of the foundation.  "Kids who are at risk may make
bad decisions because they have disorders that interfere with parts
of the brain that govern executive function."
	 Executive function includes:  controlling impulses;
controlling emotional responses; generating ideas; holding
information in mind to see a task through; anticipating future
events; assessing one owns performance; and other areas.
	 The study shows that continued regular martial arts training
eliminated reduced or controlled a vast majority of the factors that
interfere with executive function in the children who were studied.
Social anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder, and various
learning disabilities are among the pathologies that can cause these
problems.  Nine pathological conditions were identified in this study
and eight were normalized through training regularly.  In addition,
28 associate conditions were identified and 21 of them improved.

Just think how martial arts helps regular Ed. kids!

Check out this link for The Ultimate Challenge

http://www.geocities.com/uma092103/

Moo Yong Lee
669 Burnside Avenue
East Hartford, Connecticut  06108 U.S.A.
Tel: (860) 289-8008
Fax: (860) 282-8008
e-mail: mooylee@...

September 6, 2003

Sang Chul Lee USTU President &
Executive Committee of  the United States Taekwondo Union
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Re: Call for Immediate Resignation of Sang Chul Lee and Executive
Committee

This letter is a call for the immediate resignation of Sang Chul Lee
as President of the USTU and for the immediate resignation of the
Executive Committee of the USTU. This letter seeks Sang Chul Lee and
the Executive Committee of the USTU to resign
prior to the September 12‑13, 2003 meeting of the USOC Membership and=

Credentials Committee to be held in Denver, Colorado.

The basis for this call for resignation is the fact that the USOC
Membership and Credentials Committee has found that serious problems
exist within the USTU. These problems result from the USTU's
governance structure, the USTU's inability to effectively manage its
sport, including the inability to plan and execute its obligations as
an NGB, and the USTU's failure to operate in a fiscally sound manner
with financial controls and accountability. These problems are
serious and pervasive within the governance of the USTU.

This letter calls upon Sang Chul Lee and the Executive Committee of
the USTU to admit their failures in the operation of the USTU and to
resign effective immediately. o­nly through the resignation of Sang
Chu] Lee and the Executive Committee of the USTU can the past
problems of the USTU be put to rest and a new governance system for
the sport and art of Taekwondo come into place. All of those who care
about the heritage and future of Taekwondo in the United States of
America should now seek to acknowledge the problems of the past and
to create an effective program for growth in the future.

Those who have professed for so long and so loud of their devotion to
the heritage and future of Taekwondo should now profess long and loud
their failures within the USTU. These individuals must remove
themselves from the future governance of the sport and art of
Taekwondo and should do so voluntarily for the benefit of the sport
and art o f Taekwondo in the future.

To date, the governance of the USTU has resulted in. continual
disputes between the USTU and its membership. Problems have been
created due to the presidential control of appointments to the Board
of Directors. The Board of Directors allows the USTU officers to
micromanage the day‑to‑day activities of the USTU.  U.S. progra=
ms and
the interest of U.S. athletes have been forsaken for an allegiance
and. adherence to the Kukkiwon. certification process and a failure
to develop a U.S. Dan Certification program.
The USTU has completely and utterly failed in developing any
financial standards or controls for the use of monies allocated to
the USTU and its financial records are in
complete disarray. Embarrassingly large cash transactions have been
allowed by management without an adequate process for safeguarding
assets. Funds have been used to provide loans to employees and
payments have been made of questionable volunteer expenses. The USTU
has failed to utilize: fully the USOC grants for the last two years.

Current President Sang Chul Lee and his Executive Committee should
not even attempt a defense of their deplorable governing record. at
the September 12‑13 meeting of the USOC Membership and Credential
Committee in Denver, Colorado. These individuals should cooperate in
the investigation into the operation of the USTU and withdraw
themselves from any position of authority for the governance of the
sport and art of Taekwondo in the United States.

Very truly yours,



Moo Yong Lee
USTU Past President


cc:        Thomas L. Satrom, Chairman, USOC MCC
             Jeffrey G. Benz, USOC General Counsel
             Gary Johansen, USOC Deputy General Counsel
             Jennifer Gabrius, USOC Counsel
             Kelly Skinner, Managing Director, Sport Partnerships
             USTU Officers
             Bruce Harris, USTU Executive Director
             Juan Moreno, USOC AAC Representative
             Non-EC- Committee Chairpersons
             USTU State Presidents
             Other USTU Member Association
             Members at Large
             AAC Members
             USTU Past Presidents

Mr. Mulligan suffered a serious injury (two broken arms)in a
motorcycle accident this weekend.

Post a note and wish him a fast and full recovery!
KJK

08.31.2003 -An agreement is signed between WTF (The World TKD
Federation) and ITF (International TKD Federation) in Daegu, Korea.
The document, which has signatures of WTF president, Mr. UN YONG KIM
and ITF president, Mr. CHANG UNG, has 3 points:
1. To have the first round talk between the delegations of ITF and
WTF around the end of October 2003 in Beijing, China, so as to form a
coordination committee for integration of TKD technical and
administrative matters.
2. After the 1st round talk Dr. Kim will be invited to Pyongyang to
prepare with Mr. Ung Chang for the 2nd round of talk.
3. Joint march at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics
and the formation of unified team.

08.31.2003 -An agreement is signed between WTF (The World TKD
Federation) and ITF (International TKD Federation) in Daegu, Korea.
The document, which has signatures of WTF president, Mr. UN YONG KIM
and ITF president, Mr. CHANG UNG, has 3 points:
1. To have the first round talk between the delegations of ITF and
WTF around the end of October 2003 in Beijing, China, so as to form a
coordination committee for integration of TKD technical and
administrative matters.
2. After the 1st round talk Dr. Kim will be invited to Pyongyang to
prepare with Mr. Ung Chang for the 2nd round of talk.
3. Joint march at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics
and the formation of unified team.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of
Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No o­ne knows for
sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in
bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated
such valued lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why
the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don'tspend
more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not
kids, are in charge). His health began to rapidly deteriorate when
well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for
kissing a classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash
after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student
o­nly worsened his condition! It declined even further when schools
were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a
student but could not inform the parents when a student became
pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments
became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received
better treatment than their victims. Common Sense finally gave up the
ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee
was hot, spilled it in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust,
his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son,
Reason.  He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and I'm a
Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was
gone.If you still know him pass this o­n, if not, you can give him a
second death.

USOC says sport's union not in compliance to be a governing body


By MERI-JO BORZILLERI THE GAZETTE

Taekwondo's governing body is close to losing its membership with the
U.S. Olympic Committee, and with it the ability to send its athletes
to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens that begin less than a year from
now.

A USOC committee has determined the Colorado Springs-based U.S.
Taekwondo Union is "not in compliance with the requirements for
membership as an Olympic Sports Organization or recognition as an NGB
(national governing body)."

In an Aug. 1 letter to USTU executive director Bruce Harris, USOC
membership and credentials committee chair Thomas Satrom wrote that
his committee is planning to recommend at the USOC's Oct. 17-19 board
meeting the USTU's charter be revoked.

The USTU is on the membership and credentials committee meeting
agenda for Sept. 12-13, where USTU representatives have a chance to
argue why they should remain in the USOC.

If the USTU is kicked out, athletes like 2000 Olympic gold medalist
and 2003 Pan American Games champion Steven Lopez are still eligible
for the Athens Games. The USOC would likely take over the process of
selecting the U.S. Olympic taekwondo team, said a USOC official.

The USOC has seized temporary control of troubled federations in the
past, like shooting and bobsled. It is uncertain if the USOC has ever
taken the step of naming an Olympic team for a governing body that
lost its membership.

After spending 1988 and 1992 as an Olympic demonstration sport,
taekwondo became a medal sport in 2000. Since then, the biggest U.S.
Olympic stories have been Lopez's gold, and underdog Esther Kim
refusing to fight top-ranked and injured best friend Kay Poe, giving
the 2000 Olympic berth to Poe.

According to Satrom's letter, problems are widespread in the
organization, from trouble with the governance system to fiscal
irresponsibility. Half of the 12 items listed have to do with money.

A phone message to Satrom was not returned.

The committee's review found, among other things, the "lack of any
financial standards or controls," and the "complete disarray of
financial records" at the USTU.

It accused the USTU of the "questionable use of funds (such as
providing loans to employees, payment of questionable volunteer
expenses and chartering aircraft to deliver medals from Korea)." In
addition, it was cited for failing to "fully utilize USOC grants in
2002 and 2003."

The letter also noted a "too large and divisive" board of directors
and control of board appointments by USTU president Sang Lee. Also
listed is "an allegiance to Korea to the detriment of U.S. programs
and the interests of U.S. athletes."

Lee, who coaches at two local taekwondo academies, could not be
reached for comment. Harris did not return phone calls.

Seoul, South Korea, is home to the sport's international federation,
the World Taekwondo Federation. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art
that became a global sport, with Korea dominating early on. But by
the Sydney Olympics, other nations caught up, with Korea winning four
of 24 medals, including three golds.

The WTF, consisting of 173 national governing bodies, was founded in
1973. Dr. Un Yong Kim is WTF president and an influential member of
the International Olympic Committee, where he was was elected one of
four IOC vice-presidents in July.

The membership and credentials committee's review process had already
included examining a compliance form submitted by the USTU, two
meetings with the USTU, written inquiries to which the USTU
responded, a public forum and a USOC audit.

In 1997, the USOC ordered the USTU to repay $265,346 in misspent USOC
grants, and refused to upgrade it to Olympic status for funding
purposes at the time, charging the federation with financial
irregularities and inept management.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0259 or merijo@...

There's strength to be gained from giving.
If it's a team effort we will all gain strength and knowledge!

Here is some major news. o­n September 23, 2003 the WTF is adopting
new competition rules and o­n September 24, 2003 they go into effect.
This is also the first day of competition for the World
Championships. The changes are thirteen pages long, so this is not a
minor change. I asked Chairman Lee for his comments regarding the
changes, but he hadn't seen them. I made him a copy of the new rules
which I will send to you as soon as I come back from the Games. You
can bet that the Korean Team is already practicing with the new rules
and the IRs from Korean are already proficient in applying the new
rules. This doesn't bode well for teams from other countries in the
World Championships. Also, look for a lot of mistakes by the IRs at
the World Championships which could result in lots of protests. Here
are a few highlights:
¨       Four deduction points before being disqualified
¨       Gamjeom for crossing the boundary line
¨       Crossing the boundary line with two feet out instead of o­ne
¨       One hand signal for everything
¨       Ties decided by the judges
¨       Changes to the Kyongo and Gamjeom categories

Bottom line is that we all have to be retrained and recertified.
There isn't a lot of time to get everybody trained before all of the
major competitions coming up. We need to setup a training course for
the US Team including the coaches so that we are prepared to do well
at the World Championships. I talked with the US coaches here
including Jean Lopez and asked how they planned to get educated but
they also weren't aware of the changes. If the USTU doesn't do this
training, it should be done independently. Hopefully, they will.
Should be fun!

There will be another state camp in COS October 9-13th. States must
have their recommendations for o­ne male and o­ne female in by August
29th. Contact your state president.

Sign of the times. 51 state associations. Each can recommend 2
athletes (red belt or above) - there are o­nly 25 spots. Do the math.

The Olympic Training Center TEAM will conduct a seminar that will
help you take your game to the next level!
Training session:
1. Basic warm ups.
2. How to score.
3. New top level scoring techniques.

Date: Friday August 15th 6:30-8:30
Location: Si Melby Hall (Tournament location.)
Cost:
$35 regular
Only $15 for Tournament participants.

Black Belts and parents are recomended to attend the
Referee Clinic at the same time!

Hope to see you here!

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because
they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule,
didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their
routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who
passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut
back.  >From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband
didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been
thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while
you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about
going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't.
I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known
yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my
personal favorite: "It's Monday." ...She died a few years ago. We
never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule
our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to
ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-
trained.  We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet.
We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of
college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter,
and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we
awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm
going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a
bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to
adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new
ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for
five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of
Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream.
It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a
spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped
the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on
the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not
something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and
had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what
would you say? And why are you waiting?


Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent
this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to
the rain lapping on the ground?  Ever followed a butterfly's erratic
flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through
each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the
reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred
chores running through your head?  Ever told your child, "We'll do it
tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch?
Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened
gift....Thrown away... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the
music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care.
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you,
then you'll know you have a circle of friends.

To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship. Thanx for
always being there for ME!

"Life may not be the party we hoped for...  but while we are here we
might as well dance!"



Please forward to Master Lee.

Official
Referee Seminar Friday August 15th
  6:30 PM Augsburg College
This seminar is recommended for ALL Black Belts and Red Belts
Considering upcoming Black Belt Promotion.

Kastelle's WTA Booster Club has 10-20 Scholarships for FREE entry
into Grand Master Lee's Tournament of Champions. August 16th.

Contact Master Kastelle by email or phone at 952-935-5082.

First consideration will be to those of you who made the AAU Region 7
TaeKwonDo Championship such a success!
First come first serve and when the money is gone its gone!
KJK