2024 National Festival Follow-up
Jen Rupert, Sa Bom Board Chair
Greetings Fellow Members –
We hope this finds you well as Summer winds down and Fall is upon us. On behalf of the Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Committee, we wanted to extend a very sincere thank you to all who attended the National Festival contributing to a successful event. Whether you participated in competition, seminars, demonstrations, judging, scorekeeping, timekeeping and/or simply wanted to reconnect with your Moo Duk Kwan family – your presence was felt and helped carry positive energy throughout.
Josh Lockwood, TAC Chair
Region 3 put forth a fantastic effort in preparation and execution allowing members to enjoy their time to the fullest. A special thank you to all Region 3 volunteers who spent valuable time before and during the event working behind the scenes – especially Gary Brown Sa Bom Nim and Deana Brown Kyo Sa Nim as our oceanfront hosts and Mary Kate Stinehour Sa Bom Nim leading the charge as our tournament coordinator organizing all divisions, judges, last minute changes and streamlining the process to expedite competition for all. We can’t thank you all enough for your support and dedication to the membership.
Regional Examiners played an integral and vital role as Center Referees throughout the event working to ensure a Moo Do and fair environment was maintained within their rings. Complementing their effort were several Ko Dan Ja and Dan members attentively focused in corner judging positions as well as numerous volunteers supporting as scorekeepers/timekeepers. Without this team of individuals – the event can’t happen. We appreciate all of you who stepped up to support and thank you again for spending back to back days on the competition floor serving the membership.
Lastly, without our core group of Studio Owners and Instructors we simply wouldn’t be able to host events such as the National Festival. We thank you for motivating your students to actively participate supporting the Federation and preparing them to demonstrate to the best of their ability – ultimately creating unforgettable memories and establishing lifelong relationships in the Moo Duk Kwan.
Regarding participation, there were just over 200 members present with 183 registered competitors. These numbers are down by roughly 15% from 2023, but mid-August proved to be challenging for many members given the back to school season. We will target more favorable timing moving forward to maximize participation. The Silent Auction was very successful raising $15,500 in support of the Federation + Foundation. We thank all who contributed auction items and those enthusiastically raising their hand to bid during the banquet. Additionally, we appreciate all those who supported the 50/50 raffle which will benefit the Youth Leaders this year.
We look forward to seeing you again soon in November at Moment with the Masters & Ko Dan Ja Shim Sa in Minneapolis, Minnesota – a first in Region 7. Additionally, we’re asking everyone to begin planning to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Federation in July 2025 at the National Festival hosted in Region 2 (we anticipate sharing the dates and location before the end of this year). To that end, Studio Owners and Instructors will be receiving a survey requesting feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement as our objective is to continue refining our events to maximize member benefit and create an ideal experience for all. Wishing everyone a great Fall Season and hope to reconnect in November.
In Moo Duk Kwan,
Jen Rupert
Chair, Board of Directors
Josh Lockwood
Chair, Technical Advisory Committee
