Hanmadang

This past weekend M- competed in his taekwondo studio's Hanmadang Tournament.  As many of you know, he had competed in a few tournaments with his Oregon studio - most of those being in California and all of them being very intense.  Needless to say, he (and I) decided to take a break from the competition world for a bit.  As his studio was hosting this one, we both thought it was time to give it another go.

(From the web) - The meaning of "Hanmadang" is  important to understand: "han" means large and wide, and "madang" is the symbol of community spirit and working together.  Thus, although this was a competition, it was a much more relaxed atmosphere.  A good way to ease back into competing for M- (and mom).  M- rocked it with wins for 1st in forms and 2nd in board breaking (he did 4 breaks).  He opted out of sparring (may not do that again after getting hurt in CA).

Anyway, the tournament was awesome.  Very well organized, well run, and well attended.  Studios from around New Mexico and Texas attending with about 200 competitors in all.  I volunteered to help with the scoring.  M- volunteered in between competing as ring runner, board holder, and score keeper too.

Black Belts took 1st in Demo Performance

Ann keeping score during sparring

M- with 1st place trophy for forms

**Will try to upload video of the forms after I get home from vacation!