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And the Belts
Go On
Mind - Body - Soul
The Talk team was very moved by this story - some of us to tears - about a place of transformation, that we decided to dedicate an entire e-zine to it.
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Seven years ago, Bob Wilson's family was in transition. His marriage was ending, and he was looking for something that would help provide some stability for his 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. "We were looking for something we could all do together where we would not only be getting the physical side of being together and getting a workout, but also a sort of togetherness on the mental side, of trying something new," he says.
They found what they were looking for, and more, at the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Academy. Under the direction of founder Grandmaster Eung Gil Choi, the family learned more than just about the Korean martial arts form; they learned that "life is not really about successes, but more about failures and what happens afterwards," Wilson says.
That lesson came to them early, when his son failed a particular belt testing, leaving him in tears. Wilson told his son he wasn't disappointed in him at all, and asked what he thought they should do now. "He said, 'Well, Daddy, I think we need to stay and practice a little bit more.'
"That was a very powerful lesson for a 5-year-old, and for a thirty something-year-old father, it was a really powerful thing. I thought, if this little boy gets that, for me as a grown man with two children, I definitely should understand it. I was in the army so I know what it's like to have to run up against adversity ... (but there were) times when I sat at the back of the class and had tears streaming down my face because of ... what was going on with my family not being together, my wife moving out. I felt overwhelmed with everything that was happening."
Over time his daughter joined the program and together the family healed - in no small part thanks to their time at the martial arts academy. "The physical workout - you would be surprised how much that gives you back in terms of confidence. But Grandmaster Choi, he's just an awesome guy, I didn't have to tell him, but he knew (about our situation). ... His approach to us was just a little bit different, a little bit more empathetic."
Today the 44-year-old division manager of Mark Anthony Brands (parent company of Mike's Hard Lemonade) is an instructor and 3rd degree black belt, his son is a 3rd degree black belt, and his daughter is a 2nd degree black belt. "Grandmaster's Choi's mantra - and when you hear it, it may sound cliché - is that nothing's impossible. It's something he believes very strongly and he makes people believe it too."
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The Beginnings
More than a saying or motto, "Nothing is Impossible" is a reflection of how Grandmaster Choi has lived his life. Born in the early 1950s during the Korean War, Choi grew up in a small town in Kangwon-do Province, about three hours north east of Seoul. The small town boy had big dreams, though, of traveling and living in large cities and even larger countries. He started learning tae kwon do at age 6 under the tutelage of his father and continued his training to the point that he became an instructor while serving in the Korean Army's Special Forces. After traveling through Europe and Asia as a martial arts instructor and demonstrator, in 1982 he moved to the United States to pursue his American Dream.
With little money and no family, he landed in Washington DC with no idea of what shape that dream would take. After quickly landing a job as an instructor with Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee's Institute of Tae Kwon Do in Falls Church, though, the vision became clear: his own martial arts studio.
"I never borrowed any money. I didn't want to owe anyone. I was outside digging dirt, whatever I can do," Grandmaster Choi says of those early years when he took whatever odd jobs he could to supplement his tae kwon do instructor's salary. "There was no resting, Saturday, Sunday - whatever you want, I did it."
By 1987, he had earned enough to open the first U.S. Tae Kwon Do Academy in downtown Leesburg. A few years later, he moved the academy to the newly opened Bellewood Commons Shopping Center off East Market Street. Word spread throughout the community about an inspirational tae kwon do instructor who had a way with children.
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 Transformations
"It's amazing what they can do with these kids," says Suzanne Carawan, vice president of marketing and strategy with social networking software company Higher Logic. When she first approached Grandmaster Choi about signing up her high-energy 5-year-old son, he asked her why she wanted her son to learn tae kwon do. "I said I want him to learn discipline. He slid the application form over to me and right at the top it says, USTMA Home of Discipline, and he says, 'You've come to the right place.'
"Really just for us to have this kind of tae kwon do family has been amazing. ... For my son, it's beyond worth it. They have the older kids, and I can't say enough about these kids. You know they've gone to Grandmaster Choi and his son Master John for 10 years and you see them now, they're these respectful young men. You can see ... they feel good about themselves, and they're so good with the little kids. They're good role models ... this is what I want my son to be like when he's 16."
Those kinds of tributes are common statements by parents at the belt ceremonies, and Grandmaster Choi is honored by each of them. "My school system is very simple," he says, explaining that he individualizes his approach for each student. "Target by target - this is a very shy boy, this is a very wild girl, whatever, I'm going to try to (assess) what they need, and lead (them) that way.
"I give them direction: no TV, no games. ... Focus on your school. Listen and study. That's it. What else you need? Have fun? You (shouldn't) be expecting too much fun now. Your job is student right now. Your mom and dad is working hard for you. Study and you're going to become a great person.
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"I make them upgrade spiritually. They change, even a 3 year old. Their parents are surprised - they say Grandmaster Choi is doing magic. I don't do magic. I give them what they need."
And that approach works just as well with adults. "He reads people really well; he gives each person what they need to be successful," Carawan says. Impressed with the program and how her son had become more poised, she signed up herself and her business partner, then finally got her husband to join. As a high-level athlete who went to the Olympic Team Trials for swimming, he had to return to a beginner status in the new sport, she says. "They're harder on him I think at times but Grandmaster Choi is a master at knowing the sport psychology of each person. ... he gives my husband a long leash.
"For myself, it's almost coming down to more confidence," Carawan says, adding that the program couldn't have happened at a more opportune time for her. She was transitioning from the corporate world to owning her own business, which she later sold to the startup she now works for.
"There's a saying in class, "Pil Sung," which means Certain Victory. It's all about going into battle, and there is only one outcome, and that is victory. I've always been an athlete, so that wasn't new. I've always had confidence performing, but it was real confidence I didn't realize I didn't have - when you're sitting by yourself at 2 in the morning working on your own company, ... I've always had confidence externally, it's the internal piece where you cannot be swayed, you're that solid in who you are. (Working on that) has made a massive difference. .. Without it, I would have collapsed; I wouldn't be where I am today."
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 Next
As Grandmaster Choi's students gain the self-confidence, discipline and self-respect promised on the windows of the studio, he could easily be looking toward handing over the reins to his oldest son John, a 23-time Virginia state champion who has trained with Olympic coaches and gold medalists from South Korea. Some of that already has begun, as Master John has led the academy's C-Crew to become one of the top tae kwon do competition teams in Northern Virginia.
But Grandmaster Choi has expanded his American Dream to something grander in scale and vision than the small space his Leesburg academy currently occupies. He envisions a space of at least 10,000 square feet that will house an academy featuring a holistic system that incorporates health programs, to be located somewhere in Leesburg, which he now considers his hometown after 22 years of building his personal tae kwon do community here.
"That is my No. 1 dream. If you have land, let me know," he says, laughing. "Like I say, don't ever give up. Nothing is impossible."
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Coming Soon:
Rendezvous Destination & Total Health Destination
Take 3 - From time to time Talk Loudoun will dedicate an entire Rendezvous or Total Health issue to a great destination getaway within 3 hours of Loudoun County. That's 3 hours by plane, train, Bolt Bus or car.
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