The Grand Master Nominee has completed all but "Mastership". Chief Master In Ho Lee will be inaugurated during the 2011 Songahm World Championships' - Inaugural Ceremony on Saturday, June 25, 2011 (at 6:30pm). Experience history in the making during the only traditional ceremony held publicly to inaugurate a Grand Master in the martial arts at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Watch2011 Inaugural Ceremony Teaser |
WatchThe 1st Inauguration through the eyes of Chief Master Phillip Minton |
WatchWorld Championships Teaser |
The 2011 Songahm Vision Tour ("Destination: Grand Master") is designed to honor the accomplishments of Grand Master Soon Ho Lee and introduce Chief Master In Ho Lee as the Grand Master Nominee. They will revisit the humble beginnings of Songahm and celebrate the rise and eventual destination of the ATA as the largest martial arts organization in the world. The Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee, will seek to garner the support of fellow high-ranking Songahm Masters, who will unify in recognizing him as the future leader of leaders. In earning their trust, he will be given one of nine parts of a Songahm Star at each location. Together, the nine parts will form a complete Songahm Star that will be debuted at the Grand Master Inauguration during the 2011 World Championships.
The tour will commence on September 11, 2010, where it all began: Omaha, Nebraska. At each location, a segment of the Master Ceremony will be performed by the Grand Master Nominee culminating with "Mastership" at the 2011 World Championships, the Inauguration of Songahm’s third Grand Master
As Grand Master Soon Ho Lee says, "There is always more to learn." Each stop of the Songahm Vision Tour incorporates learning as well as ceremony and training. Participants will have the opportunity to train with, meet and interact with these two amazing leaders of the worldwide martial arts community, while witnessing history in the making. We hope you will join us for one or more stops during this historic tour. You can also follow the Songahm Vision Tour here through news reports, blog entries, photos and videos. Take a moment to express your gratitude to Grand Master Soon Ho Lee and lend your best wishes to the Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee as he seeks to attain the most esteemed position in all of Songahm Taekwondo.
Across the globe we will celebrate a journey of transcendence, as Chief Master In Ho Lee seeks to attain the highest title in Songahm Taekwondo, that of Grand Master. The Songahm Vision Tour will take him to locales that revisit the humble beginnings, the majestic rise, and the eventual destination of Songahm as the largest martial arts organization in the world. Grand Master Soon Ho Lee invites you to witness Chief Master In Ho Lee as he exhibits his worthiness of this most noble position. At each stop Chief Master In Ho Lee will garner the support of fellow high ranking Songahm Masters, who will unify in recognizing him as the future leader of leaders. In earning their trust, he will be given one of nine pieces at each location, the sum of which will make up the nine parts of the Songahm Star. This expedition will culminate at the 2011 World Championships, where all nine parts of the Songahm Star will be brought together. Do not miss this most historic event. It will be the first time ever that one living Grand Master will pass the torch of leadership to his successor. We welcome your participation and support as we begin a new era in Songahm.
Tour dates and locations are always subject to change...
This page is dedicated for a review of each Tour Stop update. Check back here on a weekly basis for awesome photos, videos and updates from each location. Check our Facebook page for daily updates from the road.
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Soon Ho Lee is Grand Master of Songahm Taekwondo, as well as an inspiring teacher, prolific martial artist and highly respected ambassador for ATA. A Ninth Degree Black Belt, Grand Master Lee has personally trained more than 140 Masters, 48 Senior Masters and 10 Chief Masters.
Born in 1939 in China (where the Lee family lived during the Japanese occupation of Korea), Grand Master Lee survived a childhood marked by poverty, hunger and danger. Following World War II, the Lee family returned to their Korean homeland, and by the mid-1950s, the teenage Lee boys were already training in and teaching the martial arts.
Grand Master Lee joined his older brother, Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, in the early years of ATA. Soon Ho soon opened his first Taekwondo school in Milwaukee, later expanding to three schools.
Grand Master Lee became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1976. In 1978, he moved his family to Panama City, Fla., and built a state-of-the-art training and fitness center. All the while, he continued his development as one of the world's most accomplished martial artists.
In 2000, faced with the news of the Eternal Grand Masters' terminal illness, Grand Master Lee accepted with a heavy heart ATA's nomination to succeed his older brother. He moved his family to Arkansas and began the demanding nine-month training process that culminated in his 2001 ascension to Ninth Degree Black Belt and appointment as Grand Master.
Grand Master Lee has served for nearly a decade during a time of significant growth and innovation for ATA. Since 2001, ATA has introduced extreme martial arts, new weapons curricula, a child safety program and a new leadership program. Grand Master Lee has announced his retirement effective in June 2011, when he will become ATA's first-ever Grand Master Emeritus. Until that time, he will continue his work, including his role as trainer for the next Grand Master of Songahm Taekwondo.
Chief Master In Ho Lee, now the Grand Master Nominee, has been an inspiring and instrumental force in continuing the vision of his older brother Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee. He has also been key in helping the ATA grow and prosper over several decades.
Chief Master In Ho Lee was born in Seoul City, Korea two years after the end of the Korean War. He is the 44th generation of the Lees and the fifth son in a large, traditional family.
He began to study and practice Taekwondo as a boy, often with his cousins and brothers. In 1976, following his year of military service, he joined Eternal Grand Master in the United States. As his training intensified, he soon joined several of his brothers in a successful cross-country demonstration tour that led to the ATA's early growth. American audiences loved the "Flying Lee Brothers," and Chief Master In Ho Lee became known for his jump round kick and lightning speed.
After the tour ended in 1977, Chief Master In Ho Lee moved to Little Rock, Arkansas shortly after Eternal Grand Master relocated ATA headquarters there. He has run multiple ATA schools (in Arkansas and Missouri), performed multiple leadership roles at headquarters and even served as CEO. Considering his breadth of talent, energy and experience, it is little wonder that the Masters Council nominated Chief Master In Ho Lee to become only the third Grand Master of Songahm Taekwondo in ATA history.
The exalted title of Grand Master – the "Instructor of Instructors" – is based upon traditional standards of performance and accountability. The institution of the title of Grand Master of Songahm Taekwondo was established in 1990, based upon the vision and example of Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee.
During the early 1980s then-Master H.U. Lee had introduced and perfected the Songahm style of Taekwondo. By 1990, following extremely rigorous training, fasting and self-denial, he tested for the rank of 9th Degree Black Belt – becoming the first Master in history to acquire that rank and honor under public scrutiny and documentation. A petition signed by more than 100,000 members of the ATA called for Master Lee to be honored with the title of Grand Master.
Upon his nomination to assume the position of Grand Master following his brother's passing, then-Master Soon Ho Lee completed the same Nine Steps to Grand Mastership that had been followed a decade earlier. Now Chief Master In Ho Lee is completing the same process. Those nine steps are:
| #1 | The Grand Master Nominee is chosen |
| #2 | The Masters Council and Board of Directors approve the nominee, who then passes a fitness test and vetting process |
| #3 | A petition for the new nominee is circulated to the Masters and members of Songahm Taekwondo |
| #4 | The nominee fasts for a total of 21 days during preparation, divided among four training quarters |
| #5 | The nominee spends three days at a Korean temple, engaged in rituals and three days of silent meditation |
| #6 | The nominee trains with each member of the Masters Council, and must practice the eighth degree form in its entirety 99 times during the year |
| #7 | The nominee performs the Eighth Degree form during World Championships, also demonstrating a weapon of choice and/or board breaking |
| #8 | The previous Grand Master and the Masters' Council preside over the coronation and inauguration of the new Grand Master |
| #9 | The new Grand Master is presented in his new ceremonial silk uniform |
Listen to the words of
the Eternal Grand Master
In order to begin any journey in life, a vision and goal must be established. Traditionally, the Sounding of the Gong represents the beginning of the Master Ceremony. It will sound 9 times slowly, once for each colored belt rank. The gong, a complete circle, represents the beginning and the end. The Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee will sound the gong nine times in Omaha, Nebraska to symbolize the beginning of the Songahm Vision Tour.
The remembrance of ancestors is a deeply honored tradition in the Korean culture. Traditionally, 3 full Korean bows are performed to represent mind, body, and spirit. The Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee will perform this element of Respect in Mendoza, Argentina, during the STF Pan-American Tournament. October 5th is also the anniversary of the Eternal Grand Master, Haeng Ung Lee's passing. In the Korean culture, "Jae Sah" is a ceremony to show respect to ancestors. It will be performed in Mendoza and respect to HU Lee will be symbolized by the Korean bow.
Video coming soon
Water represents knowledge in Songahm Taekwondo. In the Master Ceremony, there are 3 bowls. The small bowl represents the knowledge of the student. The medium bowl represents the knowledge of the instructor. The large bowl represents the knowledge of a Master. The Small Bowl and Medium sized bowls are full of water. They are emptied into the Large Bowl, partially filling it with the knowledge gained during the instructor's journey. The Large bowl is not yet full and may only be filled by the Grand Master. The Grand Master Nominee will perform this tradition at the 2010 Orlando Fall Nationals.
The flame of knowledge lives on through the fire of a candle. In the Master Ceremony, a candle is lit to represent loyalty to Songahm Taekwondo. The Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee will perform the element of Loyalty during the Pittsburgh Tour Stop.
A gift of appreciation is expressed to the Grand Master for all of the leadership and sacrifice that he has given. The gift is traditionally a gold coin. The Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee will express his gratitude to the Grand Master by presenting him a special edition gold coin. This gold coin will have the Songahm Vision Tour emblem embossed on it.
Honor is defined as "the adherence to what is right and just." During the Master Ceremony, Honor is symbolized with a ring and certificate. Grand Master Soon Ho Lee will present the Grand Master Nominee with a newly appointed Grand Master Ring. (Chief Master In Ho Lee will not be able to wear it until he is appointed Grand Master).
In the Master Ceremony, the "Oath of the Master" is recited. Witness the Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee as he performs the Oath of the Grand Master during the Leadership Camp at Okoboji in Iowa.
In ancient times, warriors and knights of nobility were dubbed with a scepter. In the Master Ceremony, the Inductees are dubbed with the BeeRyong Bong, the Staff of the Flying Dragon. During the Las Vegas Nationals, the Grand Master Nominee will ceremonially perform Nobility.
As the last step of the Master Ceremony, the inductees are announced as Masters. The Grand Master Nominee will perform a public demonstration during the Inauguration of Songahm's 3rd Grand Master during the 2011 Songahm World Championships in Little Rock.
Send a message of appreciation to Grand Master Soon Ho Lee for the lifetime of leadership he has given to Songahm Taekwondo. Or send your best wishes to the Grand Master Nominee, Chief Master In Ho Lee as he embarks on the destination of a lifetime!
