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The 3rd Theo
Ketelaar Cup
Submitted by Master John
Correljé
- 5th Dan
Do Jang Chon Kyong, Netherlands
February 6, 2010 - It was a misty morning and a two
hour drive to Ulft, close to the German Border. This
is where Master Theo Ketelaar established his very
beautiful Sport Centre and where the Championship
was held.
It was
a tournament that was well organized by Master
Ketelaar's students - not big, but you could feel
the Tang Soo Do spirit. There were competitors and
spectators from different organizations, about 100
in all from all over the Netherlands. They
entered the tournament to commemorate Master
Ketelaar, who unfortunately died too soon. His
passing was a great loss for the United Tang Soo Do
Congress (UTC), All Tangsoodo Organization (ATO),
and Tang Soo Do in general. Master Theo Ketelaar had
so many plans and things he still wanted to do.
Master
Ketelaar who had owned his school for 40 years was
the first to be promoted to Master rank in the UTC
by Kwan Jang Nim Richard Byrne. He started with
Judo, but when he got acquainted with Tang Soo Do he
was addicted. He had been a member of different
Organizations such as the NTMB, WTSDA, ITSDF, HTSDO
and finally the All Tang Soo Do Organization and the
United Tang Soo Do Congress. He traveled the world
with his students to many different championships
and seminars, and was a great leader and teacher.
You can still see it by the great quality of his
students and his superb Do Jang.
There
where four competitions - Hyung, Weapon Hyung, Dae
Ryun and Kyok Pa.
The
morning started with the youth. There were four
fields divided between two halls. The nice thing
about the tournament was that you saw many new
faces, and you could see that the youth enjoyed the
tournament through their smiles.
In the
afternoon break the competition for the adults was
held. It was a very heavy competition and the
quality was high. And most of them where each others
equals. They fought with different combinations of
kicking and punching to impress each other. The
judges had a difficult task.
The
Hyung competition was very impressive to see and
once more, they made it difficult to judge.
With
the Kyok Pa it was again Kyo Sa Eray Bayrak, one of
Master Ketelaars pupils who impressed everyone with
his breaking technique, not the usual board break
with the back flip, but with a jumping elbow thrust
through five boards.
It was
a very relaxed tournament that Master Ketelaar would
have been proud of, especially the high quality of
the performances and the true Tang Soo Do spirit.
MASTER
KETELAAR, Kam Mup Sam Nida
TANG
SOO!!!
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