"Region 8 Championship 2002" --  By Mrs. Shai McGowan, 8th Gup

    The view of the 2002 Region 8 Tournament in the Pocono Mountains from the orange belt (8th gup) rank, was very exciting, amazing, nerve wracking, and overwhelming at times. The weekend was very special to me. Not only was it my very first Region 8 Tournament and I was competing, but also my husband, Erol, was competing. My son, Zachary, who also trains, was with us to cheer and encourage us on. From the time that we arrived at the hotel and then at the competition Friday night, the excitement just intensified. There were many, many people Friday night watching as the creativity competition got started and then finished with the Weapon Hyungs competition. I was warned that evening that I had not seen anywhere near the amount of people that would be there the next morning for the main competitions of Hyung and Dae Ryun. Thus, as the next morning came, it was surprising to still feel amazed and overwhelmed by the amount of people that were already there by 8:30 a.m. It was very exciting for me to see how many other people were a part of the big family of World Tang Soo Do. Throughout the weekend, one thing that consistently stood out to me was the whole meaning of the red circle on the association flag, brotherhood and unity. I met so many people, was introduced to so many more, and recognized many others. People generally did not just say hi and move on. They cared about you. Every single person that I spoke with seemed to be sincerely interested in me; my well-being, my training, my family, and my competition. It was if we had known each other all of our lives and getting together at an annual family reunion. As my group was called to for competition, all of the people in my group (10th - 7th gup students) wished everyone else good luck. Once the competition began, we settled down into our own training and did the best that we could. After it was all over, we again shook hands and usually hugged one another. Some of us exchanged names and talked with each other throughout the rest of the day and evening. One of the many memories that really remains clear to me today is the presentation of a huge cake celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the World Tang Soo Do Association to Grand Master Shin by some of the charter members of the Association, including Master White. Furthermore, afterwards all of the Masters in presence were then introduced by rank. Because the ultimate goal of Tang Soo Do students is to obtain a master's belt, it was intriguing to see all of the masters standing together as one entity of the knowledge of the Tang Soo Do training. As Erol and I drove home from the tournament, and constantly conversing about the weekend events, we were amazed to find how many other couples train together and move up rank together. Not only do couples train together, but entire families, very similar to ours, do the same. That was something special to both of us, and hope that it remains that way for years to come.

Respectfully submitted,
Shai McGowan
8th Gup