15 children from the Assisi Hospice were featured on several television news broadcasts on 17 February 2007 for using taekwondo as a form of therapy for their cancer
The taekwondo programme sponsored by the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) has not only helped in the participants’ therapy but also contributed to their developing new skills which they enjoy doing.
Said Petra Anna Jasmine: “I love doing all the kicks and punches because I am a taekwondo warrior.”
That was well said as it represented the feelings of the other taekwondo warriors.
More importantly, the warriors did everyone, including their parents, proud with their awesome display of skills during the filming for the broadcasts.
They demonstrated various ‘explosive’ techniques and broke planks in a manner that belied the relatively short training they had. From their performance it was hard to believe that the martial art was only introduced to them about four months ago!
Mr. Milan Kwee, President of the STF, said: “The warriors are an inspiration to even the able-bodied exponents of taekwondo.”
One of them must be Sister Linda Sim, a Catholic nun from Franciscan Missionaries of the Devine Motherhood, who hung up her blackbelt 30 years ago. When she saw the kids in action during their training, she ‘dusted’ her belt and made a comeback.
Following the resignation of STF Manager Kevin Quek, the STF is looking for his immediate replacement.
The minimum requirements for the position are as follows.
Accounting and computer knowledge
Writing skills
Please email (tkdf@pacific.net.sg) or fax (63451452) your application and resume if you are interest to be considered for the post.
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
The Management Committee would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the taekwondo community, to extend their best wishes to Kevin in his future endeavours.
The annual ‘Wired to Win’ seminar will be held on 18 March 2007 from 9am to 1pm at the National Training Centre.
The objectives of the seminar are as follows.
To keep blackbelt holders abreast of the latest development in the sport;
To enhance their knowledge on the management of clubs; and
To provide a platform for networking and team building.
The speakers and activity leaders for the event are experts in their field. They include Mr G V Nathan (Associate Trainer, Management Development Institute), Mr Michael Fong (Director, Actuated Associates Pte Ltd), Mr Edmund Tan (President, St Teresa Taekwondo Group) and Dr Lee Chee Wee (CEO, Lynk Biotechnologies Pte Ltd).
The seminar is useful not only for club leaders but also blackbelt holders who wish to upgrade themselves, improve their club operations, or run their own clubs in future. What’s more, the knowledge acquired from the event will put them in good stead for their theory tests which are required for higher dan gradings.
On that day, successful candidates in the poomsae referee course will be awarded their certificates. If you are one of them, it gives you another reason to participate in the seminar.
Coaches who are registered with the National Registry of Coaches will be granted Continuing Coach Education points for attending the seminar.
If you are interested, please complete the attached form and submit it with the registration fee of $5 to the Secretariat by 7 March 2007.
Some members of the junior, development and national squads were at the National Training Centre on 12 February 2007 to attend a talk by Ms Chan Mei Yi, Manager, Business Development, Lynk Biotechnologies Pte Ltd.
The talk covered, among other things, joint protection which was of importance to the members. The members found the session interesting and enlightening.
Ms Chan also answered a number of questions raised by the participants. It showed the members’ keenness to get as much out of the session as possible.
The talk ended with a presentation of Transdermal cream sponsored by Lynk Biotechnologies.
Said Ms Wong Liang Ming, STF Hon Secretary and National Coach: “On behalf of the Federation, I would like to thank Lynk Biotechnologies for the support. It is our good fortune to be associated with a company dealing with a product which is useful for our members.”
More than 100 members from the junior, development and national squad and their families and members of the Management Committee gathered at the National Training Centre on 14 February 2007 to celebrated two occasions – Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day.
After a brief address by Mr. Milan Kwee, STF President, the party began with (what else?) food, glorious food. There was certainly plenty of food for everyone. But not everyone was attracted to it, the younger children seemed to be more interested in the film show and horsing around.
For the President and the other members of the Management Committee, it was a good time to interact with the parents. As the President said in his speech, they were the true heroes. Without their support, their children could not have achieved that much in the sport.
Besides the interaction among officials and parents, the occasion provided an excellent opportunity for family bonding and community integration. The function was attended by many families of different races.
The party was graced by Sister Linda Sim from Assisi Hospice. She was a special guest of the STF.
The STF would like to put on record its special thanks to the parents for sponsoring the buffet for the evening.
1. Submission for the Grading can only be at the STF office during office hours.
2. Please ensure that ALL grading cards are properly completed and duly endorsed. A recent photograph of the candidate must be attached.
3. For ALL candidates who are going for Brown 1 & above, please have the following documents during submission:
a. Candidate’s grading card b. 1 photocopy of the candidate’s Identity Card (front & back) / Birth Certificate (for candidate below age of 12) c. 2 recent IC / passport photographs of the candidate d. Form B (duly completed)
Submission will not be accepted if any of the documents is not available or, for Form B, partially completed.
4. Submission will not be accepted if candidate fails to produce any of the documents mentioned above.
5. The last day of submission is on 20 MARCH 2007 (TUESDAY). Any submission after this date will be considered as LATE SUBMISSION.
6. Late submissions for candidates taking Brown 1 & above are to be done within two (2) weeks from 28 March 2007 (Wednesday). Submission beyond the grace period of two (2) weeks WILL NOT be accepted. An administrative fee will be charged accordingly for late submission. The charges are as follows:
Period of Late Submission
Administrative Fee Chargeable
1st subsequent week from last day of submission (21 Mar 2007 – 27 Mar 2007 )
SGD 10.00
2nd subsequent week from last day of submission (28 Mar 2007 – 03 Apr 2007)
50% of the grading fee payable by candidates for their respective grades.
7. An administrative fee of SGD 5.00 will be charged for late submission of candidates taking all other grades except Brown 1 & above.
8. A roll call will be taken at 1.30pm for Brown 1 (Senior) candidates going for 1st dan and 2.30pm for 1st dan , 1st poom and higher candidates. Those who miss the roll call will be considered as ABSENT or LATECOMERS. Latecomers will not be graded.
9. Candidates are to turn up in proper dress code (as stipulated by the STF) for the grading. Candidates who fail to comply with the dress code will not be allowed to take the grading.
10. Supplementary Grading can only be conducted two (2) weeks before or after the Centralised Grading and will be subjected to the approval of the Grading Department.
11. Candidates will be taking the grading at their own risk and therefore will not hold the Federation, the Grading Department or anyone so concerned, responsible for any injuries, accidents or mishaps that may befall on them during the course of the grading.
12. For any enquiries, please contact the STF Secretariat Office or the Grading Department.
The Singapore Taekwondo Federation had ‘churned’ out its first batch of national poomsae referees. More than eighty participated in the 1st National Poomsae Referee Course comprising three sessions – one for the senior examiners, one for the examiners and one for the rest.
While the senior examiners and examiners took their tests on 18 and 25 January, 2007 respectively, the rest took their tests on 3 February. Eighty participants in all passed.
The tests were preceded by a twelve-hour course held at the National Training Centre. It was a comprehensive course covering, among other things, the attitude of a poomsae judge, the competition rules and the scoring structure.
For practical session, the participants spent more than three hours on performance judging. It was primarily to enhance their ability to spot inaccuracies and provide the final scores quickly.
In the beginning, it was observed that the variance of judgment was quite significant. After some practices, it became narrower. The confidence of the participants in passing the correct judgment also grew.
All successful candidates were awarded the National Poomsae Referee qualification. But their classes would depend on their qualification as a poomsae coach.
The next poomsae coach course will be held on 25 February 2007 from 9.00am to 5pm at the National Training Centre. It is open to holders of 1st dan and higher.
The course fee is $50 per participant.
Participants who successfully complete the course will be awarded qualification certificates – either Level 1 or Level 1 (Provisional).
We encourage all blackbelt holders to attend the course if they have not done so as only holders of poomsae coach certificates are allowed to coach at STF-organised or STF-sanctioned championships and participate in the National Poomsae Referee Course. It will also be to their advantage if they want to compete in poomsae tournaments or go for higher dan gradings.
Coaches, who do not have the qualification, are advised to attend the course as the new poomsae movements will be implemented from the April 2007 centralised grading. It will be good if they can upgrade themselves for their students.
The application form is attached and the closing date for submission is Friday 16 February 2007.
The Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) would like to start a database of qualified coaches who are interested in teaching taekwondo either full-time or part-time. It would serve as a source for the STF to select coaches for clubs or schools who request for their services. One club has sought the assistance of the STF to employ a full-time instructor, aged 24 to 30, with at least a 1st dan blackbelt. The monthly salary will be from $1250 to $2250 depending on qualification and experience.
Qualified STF blackbelt holders, who would like to be considered for the position and other future employment opportunity, are requested to complete the attached form and return it to the STF Secretariat by 9 February 2007.
