Local Martial Artists Head to Cherry Blossom Festival

A local martial arts studio is headed for the national stage in March, as students demonstrate forms and breaking techniques at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

 United States Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Academy will be sending a special, all-age team to demonstrate at the festival, according to Suzanne Carawan, the school’s director of marketing.

 The two half-hour performances are scheduled for March 27 at 2:15 p.m., and April 10 at 2 p.m. at the Cultural Perfomance Stage at Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument, according to a release from the school.

 "We are honored to have been selected from so many applicants and are grateful that the National Cherry Blossom Festival organizers saw the value in the cultural awareness and fitness programs that we provide at our Academy," said Grandmaster Eunggil Choi, the school’s founder. "Many people misunderstand martial arts and see it as just a fighting sport, but it is not. Taekwondo is a lifestyle--it is a way to live fully and excel in both mind, body and spirit.”

The school’s demo team will be composed of students from the school’s C-Crew and Super Seniors, and also the school’s Junior Olympians and Virginia State Champions. It will feature board breaking and sparring, according to Carawan.

"Our athletes are world-class and many have made the trip to Korea to compete in Tae Kwon Do tournaments,” Master John Choi, head coach of the school’s competition and demonstration teams, said, adding that as a first-generation Korean-American, he relished the opportunity to demonstrate the sport with origins in that country.

"This is so much bigger than Tae Kwon Do," he said. "I've spent my whole life teaching and practicing the art of Tae Kwon Do that my father has passed on to me from his father. Participating in the National Cherry Blossom is a tremendous opportunity for me, personally, to exhibit the family values core to Asian culture and further educate my students."