News & Event

2011 U.S. Open National Taekwondo Hanmadang

    This August 5-7th, over fifteen hundred athletes and spectators converged in Chicago, Illinois.  Local Erie athletes from Park’s Taekwondo Academy on Peach Street competed against others from all across the country, including some from as far away as Hawaii.  Hanmadang is a Korean term derived from an ancient festival that was held to celebrate the unity of mind, spirit, and body.  The purpose being to demonstrate skills learned through dedication and hard work achieved by putting forth levels of hard work in which only a select few are honored to be included.  These ideals are still put into effect today with the U.S. Open National Hanmadang.  Athletes demonstrate their skills in the areas of forms via team, pairs, family, and individual competition.  There were also divisions in self-defense, team demonstrations, breaking, and weapons.  During opening ceremonies, there were displays put on by Korean traditional drumming groups, the U.S. Marines Color Guard, U.S. Navy Bugle Corps, Chicago’s Jesse White Tumblers, and the Muju Park Taekwondo Demo Team from Muju, South Korea.

    We would like your help in congratulating these outstanding individuals, excellent athletes, and national champions for all of their hard work and dedication to personal achievement and showing all of us that anything is possible.

New Black Belts - April 2011

Congratulations to the following Students
who successfully completed their Black Belt Testing.

1st Dan

Scott Taylor
John Taylor
Cindy Ho
Jennifer Ho
Olivia Ricci
Tommy Lee Dylewski
Frank Semelka
Edward Lambing
Rob Carver
Jennifer Nies
Owen Carlson
Cameron Schroeder
Sam Keysper

2nd Dan

Shane Mink
Kyle Mink
Mazi Alimahmoodi
Hank Terwilliger
Hanna Iadeluca
David Iadeluca
Alex Patton
Joshua Taylor
Gina Carpenter
Heidi Gianaris
Nick Gianaris

* indicates student is from Ashtabula branch.

3rd Annual Asian Festival

The Asian Festival was a big success.
Click on the Poster above
to view pictures from goErie.com

Everyone attending had a wonderful time, good food
and excellent entertainment. Good job demo team!

Erie Bayhawks demonstration

The Demonstration at the Bay Hawks game was a great success.

The fans at the game were given a terrific show.

Black Belt Testing

Black Belt qualifications held
Saturday April 9, 2011 - 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Black Belt testing to be held April 16, 2011 - 1:00pm

New Black Belts - November 20, 2010

Congratulations to the following Students
who successfully completed their Black Belt Testing.

1st Dan

Robby MacGurn
Jackie Brown
David Kim
Nathan Wiley
Jaden Partillo
Avery Demarco
Andre Crosby Jr.
Matthew Su
Andrew Terwilliger
Justin Phares*
Collin Stewart*

2nd Dan

Daria Alimahmoodi
Uma Rajiyah
Sun P. Farrell
Gabriel Rodriguez
Timothy Kim
John Donahue
Mary Golba
Krishnen Rajiyah
Charlie Angelone
Dominic Hoffer
Jacob Wise*
Aaron Reed*
Jason E. Dalton*
Ben A. Mathys*

* indicates student is from Ashtabula branch.

:: October 2010 ::

:: March 2009 ::

Missionary Trip to Leona Vicario Quintana Mexico

Recently Grand Master Park visited the Secondary School Francisco Zarco in Leona Vicario Quintana Mexico as part of a missionary trip through his church. During his trip, Grand Master Park taught Tae Kwon Do to many of the schools students while helping to provide medical and building assistance for the school. Below is a copy of the certificate presented to Grand Master Park on behalf of the school.

:: October 2008 ::

Visit to Sullivan University's College of Pharmacy

Recently I visited my friend Dr. Hieu T. Tran for the dedication of Sullivan University's College of Pharmacy in Kentucky. Dr. Tran, the Dean of Sullivan University since October, 2006, he has worked to help open the second pharmacy college in the state of Kentucky.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Tran in his efforts. To read more about the dedication and Sullivan University, please visit http://www.sullivan.edu/pharmacy/

:: Summer 2006 ::

Park's Tae Kwon Do (PTKD) Trip to Korea

6/12/06-Monday
Today was the first day PTKD arrived in Seoul. The first site we went to was the Seoul Tower. Then, we went to a recreation of a typical village back in about the 1400’s. Although in the past, they did not have good materials, the buildings could still withstand the harsh weather. During the evening, the Brotherhood Agreement Ceremony was held between Grandmaster Choi and his dojang, and Grandmaster Park and his dojang.

6/13/06-Tuesday
While we were still in Seoul, we traveled to King Sae Chong’s castle. After that, we went to the Korean National museum, which is the largest museum in Korea. There are three floors of artifacts and history. Dinner was ja-jang-mien, a Korean dish. After dinner, we looked at street markets, and later some of us watched the World Cup game of Korea and Togo. Korea won with the score of 2-1.

6/14/06-Wednesday
Today we left for Cheonan, the second city we visited. We first went to Grandmaster Kim’s dojang, which is in Pyungteuk, a city near Cheonan. There, we took class with the students, and also took pictures. At Grandmaster Kim’s school, there were also some students that had come to Erie back in January.

6/15/06-Thursday
This is our second day in Cheonan. PTKD first went to the Nazarene University and practiced with some of the college students who took classes there. We had a chance to meet the 21st Century grandmasters, and they also were there for the Brotherhood Agreement Ceremony. After practice, we were off to Grandmaster Hwang’s two dojangs. We practiced with the students, some who had come to Erie, then later took more pictures. Dinner was bul-go-gi, another Korean dish.

6/16/06-Friday
On our third day in Cheonan, we drove to the 21st Century dojang to practice with all the masters in the committee. From stretching to forms to personal kicking training, it was a great practice. The Brotherhood Agreement Ceremony was held, and the award was given to Chi-son Park, the president of the committee. After eating some burgers and chicken, a relief to some people, we left for Seoul, where Kukkiwon, the taekwondo headquarters are. We practiced the standard of blocks, kicks, stances, and the form, Koryo. One of the Kukkiwon grandmasters who we practiced with was Chong-Kwang Lee. After our great practice, we toured around Kukkiwon, and met the director, Jun-sub Park. In the evening, some students went with Master Kim, Grandmaster Hwang’s instructor, for more practice.

6/17/06-Saturday
This has been our fourth day in Cheonan. First, PTKD went to Admiral Soon Shin Yi’s memorial. It was a remodeling of where he grew up, his throne, his recreational places, etc. Admiral Yi was a great hero who saved Korean from Japan. After touring his memorial, we left to go to the 21st Century dojang again, to watch some children take a promotion test. Some of our students even did a small demonstration of forms and breaking. Later, we drove to Grandmaster Hwang’s daughter’s 1st birthday. We took pictures with the family, and then left for the 21st Century dinner. It was a ceremony to show the bond between Koreans and Americans. Later that night, some students went with Grandmaster Hwang for even more practice.

6/18/06-Sunday
On our last day in Cheonan, we went to a large museum that showcased Korea’s independence. After viewing the history, we left for a swimming resort. Some of us even tried boogie boarding. Dinner was more ja-jang-mien and man-du, Koeran dumplings. The next day, very early in the morning, some students went to the soccer game of Korea and France. The game was tied, 1-1.

6/19/06-Monday
First, PTKD left Cheonan for Kyung-ju. We went to a museum about the Royal Silla family grave, how they are buried, and their closest treasures. Later that day, we went to the Buddhist temple where the monks train their ancient Korean martial arts. We then trained with them. It was a great experience.

6/20/06-Tuesday
While in Kgyungju, we visited two World Heritage Sites about Buddhist temples and old villages. Then, we drove to Seoul, and on our way there, we parted with Grandmaster Hwang. After arriving in Seoul, we went shopping on street markets and inside a four story mall. Two of our students also won a dance contest that night.

6/21/06-Wednesday
First, PTKD had our last lunch together as a group. We parted Grandmaster Kim, and then drove to the airport. After that, we flew home.

A special thanks to Grandmaster Park who hosted and made this trip possible. Also to all the masters we stayed and trained with.

:: 11/23/2005 ::

:: 10/01/2005 ::

Grand Master Park would like to thank staff and volunteers to make the 4th Annual Great Lakes Open tournament (October 8th, 2005) a success.

Congratulations to the Grand Champions of the 4th Annual Great Lakes open tournament:
- Victoria Bisigni from Park's TKD Academy in Ashtabula.
- Joshua Velez from Park's TKD Academy in Erie.
- Jae Jin Lee from Park's TKD Academy in Pittsburgh.

Picture Gallery . . .

:: 08/30/2005 ::

Tae Kwon Do Times - September 2005 Issue

"...Park's Tae kwon Do Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania, recently held a break-a-thon to raise funds for black belt David Cray, 13, who is fighting bone cancer..."

:: 08/03/2005 ::

The Korean National Demonstration Team, the Dolphins, displayed their tae kwon do skills at an event sponsored by Park's Tae Kwon Do Academy, on July 26th, at Family First Sports Park in Erie. About 600 spectators watched the demonstration by the 36-member Dolphins, as well as by our own school's demo team. Erie County Executive Rick Schenker signed an official document welcoming the team to Erie County. It was presented at the event to the Dolphin's leader, Master J. Yi Park. The Dolphins 2005 North American tour made stops in Philadelphia, Chicago, San Fransisco, and Erie.

:: 11/02/2004 ::

The Erie Times News - Article published Sep 27, 2004

How I stay fit?

Brian Sheridan

Age: 39       Height: 5 feet 10 inches       Weight: 180 pounds

Personal: married, no children

Occupation: TV news anchorman for Fox 66

Workout location: Park's Tae Kwon Do Academy, 3860 Peach Street - Erie, PA.
Background: Sheridan has been training in tae kwon do for almost a decade and received his black belt in 2003. "I've always been interested in martial arts. I grew up watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan (movies)," he said. He trains under eighth degree Grand Master Dong O. Park. Rather than competing, Sheridan focuses on the discipline and inner peace that tae kwon do training provides.

Regimen: Sheridan trains in the martial arts three times a week. His sessions start with 20 minutes of stretching, followed by work on form through kicks and punches. "(Over time), you obtain better self control."

Training table: Sheridan loves fish and chicken with rice. Fittingly, he also enjoys eating Asian cuisine.

Results: "It keeps me level-headed, especially with having a stressful job. It keeps the weight off, plus I'm a lot more flexible," Sheridan said. He's also been told that he looks much younger than his actual age, what he thinks is a product of his focus and commitment to martial arts.

Favorite workout activity: Sheridan has taken a liking to Hai Dong Kum Do, a form of sword training provided at Park's school. "I'm learning techniques of (ancient) swordsmen. I love the historical and spiritual side of it," said Sheridan.

Obstacles: Sheridan stresses that a good mental state is a necessity for success in martial arts training. "When you're there, keep focused, and don't bring baggage. You have to have a quiet mind to do it," he said.

Inspiration: "Master Park is a great inspiration. When my wife (Katherine) and I got married, he cut the wedding cake with a sword. That was (a ritual) that was very honorable," he said.
Celebrity athlete he looks up to: Jet Li, the Chinese martial arts movie star and wushu (Chinese martial arts) champion. Sheridan admires Li's spirituality (he's a devout Buddhist), and his ability on and off the movie screen.

Tips and comments: Martial arts are "not about beating people up," Sheridan said. "You have to find the right teacher, and it's something that (be done) at any age. It's great for older people, as it keeps you strong."

:: 6/12/2004 ::

On June 12, 2004, at the main school in Erie, nine students tested from bo-dan to 1st dan. Their test consisted of writing a five-page essay on the history of Tae Kwon Do, their experiences in training, what Tae Kwon Do means to them, how Tae Kwon Do has helped them in everyday life, and how they plan to share their Tae Kwon Do training with others. The physical parts of the test included advanced kicking techniques, Koryeo, Palgwe Sa Jang , advanced one-step sparring, self defense, free sparring

one-on-one and two-on-one, a three station break, and a power break (a cement block), Hai Dong Gum Do (sword forms), and putting out the flame of a candle with only the snap of a punch.

 There were also six students who tested from 1st dan to 2nd dan. Their test consisted of a translation of American terms into Korean terms, advanced kicking techniques, Keumkan, Palgwe O Jang, Palgwe Yook Jang, special one-step sparring techniques, knife defense, free sparring, Sang Su Il Bu and Sang Bu Yee Bu (sword forms), a three station break, a power break (a cement block), and putting out the flames of two candles with only the snap of a punch.
     At the end of the test students were awarded their new belts, certificates, trophies and participated in a tea ceremony. The tea ceremony is a symbolic sharing of the blood between Grand Master and black belt students. The ceremony consists of Grand Master Park sitting at a traditional Korean table and the newly promoted dan student performing a deep bow, then sharing a drink of tea served by Grand Master Park’s highest ranking student. The ceremony symbolizes that Grand Master Park is the students father in Tae Kwon Do, and they become part of his Tae Kwon Do family.
    Congratulations to everyone who tested: Megan Cunningham, 9; Ian Bierley, 9; Richard Orlando, 9; Morgane Lemire, 9; Sean Price, 11; Michael Winders, 12; David Gray, 13; Michael Harrington, 38; Mary Gray, 45; Jonathan Jung, 14; Lauren Mazzotta, 16; David Tran, 18; Shiryn Tyebjee, 33; Anh Kim (Jacques) Nguyen, 36; Daniel Shimmel, 45.