You have seen taekwondo members around campus - it's hard not to notice their 100-plus army in their red and white uniforms. But you might not know just how strong the club is. Brown is part of the Ivy Northeast Collegiate Taekwondo League and is ranked No. 2 in Division III this year.
Two weeks ago on Oct. 25, the team sent 22 competitors to the MIT INCTL Tournament. Brown has been ranked top three in this tournament in the past eight years for the lower division - competitors who have not reached black belt ranking - and top three overall in six of the past eight years. The Bears finished second-place overall with three individual medals - Nina Lauro '11 took first place in women's green belt while Randall Trang '11 and Paul Jeng '10 finished one-two in men's blue belt forms.
The MIT tournament was the first tournament of the season for INCTL. It draws over 300 competitors from northeast area schools every year. The tournament has two components, the poomse (form) and kyorugi (sparring). The form competition is made up of prearranged taekwondo moves that incorporate taekwondo blocks, kicks and strikes. Competitors are judged individually on their technique and understanding of the form. Sparring involves two competitors of the same gender, who have similar belt ranking and weight.
The three weight classes include light weight, middle weight and heavy weight. For lower divisions, there are two rounds of one-and-a-half to two minutes each, whereas in black belts, there are three rounds of two minutes each. Teams advance in the tournament if they win two of the three weight classes.
All three of Brown's medals came from the form competition. The Bears faced a disadvantage in the sparring competition because most of the members only qualified for light and middle weights, which means they need to win both classes in order for the team to advance.
"We are very proud of everyone who competed at MIT," said assistant instructor Jackie Dwulet '08. "We haven't had as many sparring practices as in past years, but everyone brought energy, enthusiasm, and spirit into the ring. The individual fights went very well, and we look forward to adding to our forces and team standing as the new members begin sparring."
Besides Dwulet, the club has five more instructors, including master Sung S. Park '96, co-head instructors Nguyen Van Anh '09 and Nick Chung '09, assistant instructors Dan Grollman GS and Bhuvic Patel '11.
As with any club, the Taekwondo club receives support from the Student Activities Office, but club president Angela Yang '09 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that "there are also endless frustrations in trying to secure space and time for practices."
"We practice in Leung (Gallery in Faunce House), and in order for us to fit everyone in the room, there are a lot of constraints. We hope that in the future Brown can provide a facility for martial arts groups like ours a matted room with large enough space to sufficiently meet our members' needs. Right now, due to an alum's generous donation, we have our own mats, and before and after each class we lay down and tear up the 140+ mats," Yang wrote.
In the meantime, the club will be busy preparing for its next tournament, the Lowell Invitational Tournament, taking place this Sunday in Lowell, Mass.
"We are excited to see the new members compete this weekend in Lowell," Dwulet said. "Some have experience and a lot are just natural athletes. The dedication we've seen so far this year from both new and old members is amazing."
The highlight for the club this year will be next semester when Brown hosts the Collegiate Nationals Tournament, which will bring over 400 taekwondo competitors from all over the nation.
"We will be looking for volunteers to help out," Yang said.
The taekwondo club has been at Brown since the 1960s, and the club is expected to grow more "in the next couple years," according to Dwulet. This sentiment is echoed by Yang who sees the value this martial art teaches the students.
"I am very excited for what is to come for Brown taekwondo. I am particularly inspired by the energy and dedication of the new members that have joined our club and the continued strength in spirit of the club collectively. This club has been such an important part of so many Brown students' lives here because of the discipline and training it teaches in learning this sport."
