First-ever Tour will honor retiring Grand Master Soon Ho Lee and introduce Grand Master Nominee In Ho Lee to thousands during 2010-11
The American Taekwondo Association, the world's largest martial-arts organization, announced today an ambitious multi-nation tour to coincide with preparations for a new Grand Master of Songahm Taekwondo in 2011.
The Songahm Vision Tour is an unprecedented outreach effort to the Masters, ATA school owners, instructors, students and supporters around the world who comprise the ATA Family.
In March 2010, Grand Master Soon Ho Lee announced his plans to retire in 2011 after what will have been a decade of distinguished service in that position. The announcement set in motion an extensive review and selection process led by the ATA's Masters Council.
Chief Master In Ho Lee was announced as Grand Master Nominee on June 25, 2010, during the Opening Ceremonies of the World Songahm Taekwondo Championships. Grand Master Nominee In Ho Lee has already begun the extensive twelve-month period of training, study, fasting and reflection necessary to earn the title of Grand Master and serve as Songahm Taekwondo's "Instructor of Instructors" worldwide. He will become only the third Grand Master in the organization's history, following in the footsteps of Grand Master Soon Ho Lee and the ATA's founder, Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee.
The sites for the Tour were selected with regard to historical significance, the ATA's tournament schedule and the geographical diversity of the ATA, both within the U.S. and across continents.
The Tour will officially kick off in Omaha, Nebraska, the city where the ATA was founded in 1969. The other scheduled Tour Stops are: Mendoza, Argentina; Orlando, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dallas, Texas; Sheldon, Iowa; Las Vegas, Nevada; Southern California; and Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock is the site of the annual World Songahm Taekwondo Championships, during which Grand Master Nominee In Ho Lee will officially assume the duties of Grand Master in June 2011. Each Tour Stop will include a special training class, ceremonial elements for ATA Masters, and the opportunity to meet and interact with the current and future leaders of Songahm Taekwondo worldwide.
There are also additional and unofficial stops planned, including in Canada and Korea, during which Grand Master Soon Ho Lee and Grand Master Nominee In Ho Lee will meet with area ATA school owners and students.
The sequence of the Songahm Vision Tour was designed to complement the traditional nine-step journey to Grand Mastership. Those elements include the collection of petitions by the Songahm membership supporting the Grand Master Nominee, four periods of fasting (for a total of 21 days), extensive physical training and a three-day period of silent reflection in a Korean temple. The nine-step journey will culminate in a martial arts display and Grand Master Inauguration Ceremony during the 2010 World Championships in Little Rock, AR. Songahm Taekwondo's Grand Master Inauguration is the only ceremony of its kind in the martial arts industry. There is no other step-by-step procedure or ceremony that walks a student from white belt, to Mastership. The ATA's Founder, Haeng Ung Lee was the first to publicly elevate to the position of Grand Master, only after completing the nine-step journey. The ATA is proud to continue this tradition during the Inauguration of Songahm's 3rd Grand Master on June 24, 2011 in Little Rock.
By inviting thousands of Masters, Certified Instructors and others to take a personal role in the process, the ATA is using this historic transition as a means to teach life skills. Each series of events during the ATA Songahm Vision Tour will draw upon a specific life skill. The nine themes to be highlighted are: Vision; Respect; Loyalty; Knowledge; Gratitude; Honor; Humility; Nobility; and Mastership.
The ATA will also use a wide range of communication and social-media tools to bring the lessons of the Songahm Vision Tour to its worldwide ATA Family. Videos, photos, reports and feedback will be combined across the ATA's websites, its quarterly magazine ATA World and its presence on Facebook and YouTube.