(1888PressRelease)
May 13, 2009 - (Birmingham) The International TaeKwonDo Alliance World Championships are coming to Birmingham, Alabama. This event will bring over 5,000 competitors and family members through the Jefferson Convention Center July 10 – 16th, 2009. The event will feature World Class Martial Arts competition and exciting demonstrations.
Sixty percent of the competitors will be juniors between the ages of 5 to 14. In addition, over 20 Black Belts will be promoted to Master, Senior Master and Grand Master during this event. While some will travel from as far away as England, some of this year’s most excited competitors are coming from right next door in Hoover and Tuscaloosa.
The International TaeKwonDo Alliance is built on the solid principles of its tenets: Honor, Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Courage, Community, Strength, Humility, and Knowledge The goal of the ITA is to empower member Instructors and students to enrich their personal, artistic, and professional lives through Ho-Am TaeKwonDo training.
In addition to physical benefits, an ITA martial arts education prepares its students for more than just self-defense situations. Grand Master and ITA Director of Operations Bert Kollars points out that, “The highest purpose of a TaeKwonDo education is to prepare students for the responsibilities of citizenship. TaeKwonDo is about real and powerful experiences, resulting in the discovery of innate capabilities and a heightened sense of responsibility. To that end, we encourage our students to use their Martial Arts knowledge to improve our communities through one act of leadership at a time.”
The ITA July World Championships and Tiger Trainings event is also a great family activity. “We have many families entering the championship together. Mom and Dad watch their children compete in the Juniors division, then the kids cheer on Mom and Dad in the adult competition,” says Karen Ordonia, an academy owner near Mobile, Alabama. Many families enjoy the time they spend together in TaeKwonDo classes, but training for a national event together is especially rewarding. “One of my adult students told me that preparing for the championships has been the best quality time he has spent with his son,” says Ordonia.
The annual event brings participants and competitors from ITA member academies all across the United States, as well as from England, for six days of seminars and exciting competition. Admission to the event at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center is $12 for the two-day pass. The Championships kick off Friday at 6:00 P.M. with adult Black Belt competition then continues Saturday with many Traditional and Xtreme divisions.
Included in the line-up is the first annual Career Opportunity Open House held on Saturday at 9:00 A.M. and 1:30 P.M. as well as Sunday at 10:00 A.M. Non-affiliated Academy owners and students and non-students interested in starting their own TaeKwonDo business, hobby club, or just becoming an employee in a TaeKwonDo Academy are invited. Advance registration by calling 605-422-2103 is requested to reserve a seat; day-of registration will be available.
For more information or to coordinate additional interviews, contact ITA Events Division Manager Betsy H. Wooten - 800-489-5101 or by cell phone at (850)-450-2974 or by email at bhwooten ( @ ) itaonline dot com.
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