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Most recent events are towards the top from previous academic years
Taekwondo Team 2012-13 Yearbook Article
Cadets bring National Tae Kwon Do event to Colorado Springs
The Academy Taekwondo Club played host to nearly 400 competitors, including two of its own, at the 2013 Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships April 12-14at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
“This competition allowed each athlete to test his or her skill based on how diligently the individual worked until this day of reckoning,” said C4C Young Hong, a 2nd degree black belt in the sport and one of the Academy’s entrants.
Hong fell short in a well-fought match against an opponent from Duke University. His teammate C2C Sam Saltamachia defeated her first round opponent from UC Davis but lost her next bout by one point.
“The Taekwondo Collegiate Nationals brought in Duke, Stanford, MIT, and a diversity of other colleges from all over the nation. The club began the process of organizing the event during the 2012 summer upon being contacted by the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association presidents.
“It was really exciting to fight at this major event and even more so watching and coaching my training partner, Young. I think we put on a great show of determination and perseverance, and the event has forged a foundation that has motivated us even more as a club and team to continue our dedicated training in the sport,” exclaims C2C Saltamachia, reflecting on the event.
Heading the project were MSgt. Vincent Villanueva, club non-commissioned officer in charge, and Saltamachia, the club’s cadet in charge.
“[We] learned how challenging and difficult planning a national event can be. It was a complete success because of cadet and community involvement,” Villanueva said. “We have extremely talented athletes who are well respected among their competitors.”
Taekwondo is a martial art combining combat and self-defense techniques in sport fighting. The Academy Taekwondo Club was revamped in the last three years, taking on a more competitive turn and practicing four times a week rather than strictly traditional and recreational. - Courtesy USAFA Taekwondo Team
The Academy Taekwondo Club played host to nearly 400 competitors, including two of its own, at the 2013 Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships April 12-14at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
“This competition allowed each athlete to test his or her skill based on how diligently the individual worked until this day of reckoning,” said C4C Young Hong, a 2nd degree black belt in the sport and one of the Academy’s entrants.
Hong fell short in a well-fought match against an opponent from Duke University. His teammate C2C Sam Saltamachia defeated her first round opponent from UC Davis but lost her next bout by one point.
“The Taekwondo Collegiate Nationals brought in Duke, Stanford, MIT, and a diversity of other colleges from all over the nation. The club began the process of organizing the event during the 2012 summer upon being contacted by the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association presidents.
“It was really exciting to fight at this major event and even more so watching and coaching my training partner, Young. I think we put on a great show of determination and perseverance, and the event has forged a foundation that has motivated us even more as a club and team to continue our dedicated training in the sport,” exclaims C2C Saltamachia, reflecting on the event.
Heading the project were MSgt. Vincent Villanueva, club non-commissioned officer in charge, and Saltamachia, the club’s cadet in charge.
“[We] learned how challenging and difficult planning a national event can be. It was a complete success because of cadet and community involvement,” Villanueva said. “We have extremely talented athletes who are well respected among their competitors.”
Taekwondo is a martial art combining combat and self-defense techniques in sport fighting. The Academy Taekwondo Club was revamped in the last three years, taking on a more competitive turn and practicing four times a week rather than strictly traditional and recreational. - Courtesy USAFA Taekwondo Team
2013 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships
Over the past weekend, April 12-14, the United States Air Force Academy Taekwondo Team hosted and competed in the 2013 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships. The event was attended by over 400 competitors from over 30 colleges around the United States. Included in the competitor list were USAFA's very own C4C Young Hong and C2C Sam Saltamachia.
C4C Young Hong had his first match against Duke University. Each fight had 3 rounds of 2 minutes each. Though C4C Hong came up short in the end, the fight went the distance and C4C Hong fought through the end, giving the Duke fighter a run for his money.
C2C Sam Saltamachia had her first fight against a U.C Davis fighter with C2C Saltamachia finishing on top at the end of the three rounds. C2C Saltamachia then had another fight in which she came up short by one point at the end of the third round.
The USAFA Taekwondo Team and Club are very proud of their competitors for representing the team well and fighting till the end.
C4C Young Hong had his first match against Duke University. Each fight had 3 rounds of 2 minutes each. Though C4C Hong came up short in the end, the fight went the distance and C4C Hong fought through the end, giving the Duke fighter a run for his money.
C2C Sam Saltamachia had her first fight against a U.C Davis fighter with C2C Saltamachia finishing on top at the end of the three rounds. C2C Saltamachia then had another fight in which she came up short by one point at the end of the third round.
The USAFA Taekwondo Team and Club are very proud of their competitors for representing the team well and fighting till the end.
2013 Pikes Peak Daedo Competition
Three members of the USAFA Taekwondo Team, C4C Young Hong, C3C Calvin Llarena and C2C Sam Saltamachia competed at the Pikes Peak Daedo Competition Saturday, January 19th 2013. The competition utililzed the Daedo Scoring System, the same system that was used in the 2012 Olympic Games. The team was coached by C2C Saltamachia and the club OIC Lt. Col Novotny.
C3C Llarena had the first fight of the afternoon, and after three outstanding, dominating rounds, beat his opponent 13-0.
C4C Hong had the second fight of the afternoon versus the Iraqi Olympic Team Member. C4C Hong stayed toe to toe with his opponent, fighting with determination. However after a hard fought match, he came up short.
C2C Saltamachia had the final fight of the day. After 3 hard fought rounds, the fight ended regulation in a tie, sending it into sudden death. However, after holding her opponent to 1 point, C2C Saltamachia came up short at the end of the final round.
All three USAFA fighters fought with heart and determination in each of their fights. At the end of the day, the team left with 1 Gold medal (won by C3C Llarena) and 1 Silver medal (won by C2C Saltamachia)
C3C Llarena had the first fight of the afternoon, and after three outstanding, dominating rounds, beat his opponent 13-0.
C4C Hong had the second fight of the afternoon versus the Iraqi Olympic Team Member. C4C Hong stayed toe to toe with his opponent, fighting with determination. However after a hard fought match, he came up short.
C2C Saltamachia had the final fight of the day. After 3 hard fought rounds, the fight ended regulation in a tie, sending it into sudden death. However, after holding her opponent to 1 point, C2C Saltamachia came up short at the end of the final round.
All three USAFA fighters fought with heart and determination in each of their fights. At the end of the day, the team left with 1 Gold medal (won by C3C Llarena) and 1 Silver medal (won by C2C Saltamachia)
USAFA v. Michigan
The USAFA Taekwondo Team competed at Michigan this past weekend. Team members included C1C Tunji Fisayo, C2C Sam Saltamachia, C3C David Williford and C3C Gina Biagetti. The event consisted of a 2 hour practice followed by individual fights. Both Cadet Williford and Cadet Fisayo had 2 fights and Cadet Biagetti had 1. Though the fights were not scored officially, the USAFA fighters dominated their opponents. Following the Taekwondo event, the team attended the USAFA v. Michigan football game. The team was also accompanied by their NCOIC MSgt Villanueva and want to thank him for attending and his complete support throughout the weekend. The team also would like to thank the Michigan TKD Team for hosting this amazing event.
Competitor Wins Gold at State Games
Fighter Cosmo Novonty takes Gold at the Rocky Mountain State Games, which took place at the Olympic Training Center in C. Springs, after defeating his opponents in two fights. Novotny has now qualified to fight at the National Event said to take place in Pennsylvania. The Rocky Mountain State Games is a multi-sport festival for Colorado citizens of all ages and athletic abilities including physically disabled, visually impaired and Paralympic athletes. The 2012 RMSG offered competition in 34 sports. Competition took place along the Front Range with venues including the U.S. Olympic Training Center, U.S. Air Force Academy, Memorial Park, Fort Carson, Colorado College and other venues in Colorado Springs.
Fighter Cosmo Novotny and Coach Sam Saltamachia
"Blue Rush" Club Day 2012
The Cadet Clubs Extracurricular Activities will is host Club Day “Blue Rush” on Saturday 18 August 2012, from 1300-1700 in the Arnold Hall Student Center. Visit with over 80 different Extracurricular Activities Clubs: Sports, Recreational, Mission, and Professional Club to include the Taekwondo Club and Competitive Team. There will be team and club members out at a table to talk and provide information along with displays of equipment and club uniforms and apparel.
Team to Attend U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang
The Team will be attending The U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang on Friday, 13 July 2012 by invitation. Unfortuently due to scheduling conflictions, they will only be able to attend the Opening Ceremonies portion of this event. Those members attending include: C2C Tim Park, C2C Sam Saltamachia, C3C H.D Nguyen, C3C Gina Biagetti.
"The U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang has been created to maintain the martial arts traditions of Taekwondo. The U.S. Open provides an opportunity for Taekwondo practitioners of all ages to participate in an international competition against others of their age and skill level, and to push themselves to higher levels of excellence. Instead of fighting events, the U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang includes competitions in formal and creative forms (poomsae), power and creative breaking, and team demonstrations."
"The U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang has been created to maintain the martial arts traditions of Taekwondo. The U.S. Open provides an opportunity for Taekwondo practitioners of all ages to participate in an international competition against others of their age and skill level, and to push themselves to higher levels of excellence. Instead of fighting events, the U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang includes competitions in formal and creative forms (poomsae), power and creative breaking, and team demonstrations."
USAFA Taekwondo Team Qualifies for National Championships
The USAFA Taekwondo Team competed at the 2012 Colorado State Taekwondo Championships this past Saturday, 31 March. All three competitors, including C4C David Williford, C4C Taylor Amundsen and C3C Sam Saltamachia qualified in their respective weight and belt divisions to compete at the 2012 USAT National Championships, which will take place this coming June in Dallas, TX. Cadet Williford took a Gold Medal, and both Cadets Amundsen and Saltamachia took Silvers. I big congrats goes out to the team. This is a BIG accomplishment.
USAFA Taekwondo Team to Fight at Colorado State Championships
The USAFA Taekwondo Club will provide 3 competitors to fight at the 2012 Colorado State Championship, C4C David Williford, C4C Taylor Amundsen and C3C Sam Saltamachia. Medaling at this competition will qualify the competitors to compete at the 2012 National Championships this coming June in Dallas, Texas. In addition, the 3 competitors are competing at this event in lieu of Spring Break Leave. The State Championship is the first step on the long road to the 2016 Olympic Games.
USAFA Taekwondo Team Exhibition Fights at 2012 Olympic Team Trial Finals
The USAFA Taekwondo Team was invited to take part in a series of exhibition fights before the 2012 Olympic Team Trial Finals this past Saturday 10 March 2012. C3C Sam Saltamachia and C4C Matthew Nicholas participated in the event that utilized the Daedo Electronic Scoring System against the ARMY WCAP Taekwondo Team and the ALL Army Taekwondo Team. Both competitors represented USAFA in a positive light. After the event, both fighters along with C4C Williford, C4C Biagetti and C4C Amundsen watched the 2012 Olympic Team Trial Finals. The event provided the cadet team with a beneficial experience.
USAFA Taekwondo Team Patches
All,
The official USAFA Taekwondo Team Patches are now in. If you ordered or want one please contact C3C Saltamachia. These patches have been APPROVED to be put on the right shoulder of you USAFA issued A-Jacket!
The official USAFA Taekwondo Team Patches are now in. If you ordered or want one please contact C3C Saltamachia. These patches have been APPROVED to be put on the right shoulder of you USAFA issued A-Jacket!
USAFA Taekwondo Team Warmups
The USAFA TKD Team Warmups have arrived. If you ordered one, come down to practice to retrieve it.
USAFA Taekwondo Team to Take Part in Exhibition/Test Event Fights Before 2012 Olympic Team Trial Finals
The USAFA Taekwondo team has been invited to take part in the exhibition/test event fights that will take place prior to the 2012 Olympic Team Trial Finals. The three cadets that will be competing at this event against the WCAP Team are C3C Sam Saltamachia, C3C Derek Rath, and C4C Matt Nicholas. The team has also been invited to watch the team trials that take place after the event.
USAFA Taekwondo Team Wins Big at Pikes Peak Daedo Competition
A BIG CONGRATS to those who competed at the Pikes Peak Daedo Competition this past Saturday in Aurora, CO and was attended by numerous colleges to include CU and many other local Taekwondo Clubs . The team had three cadets compete, including C3C Tim Park, C4C David Williford, and C4C Taylor Amundsen and were coached by C3C Sam Saltamachia. The competition utilized the Daedo Sensor Scoring System, the same scoring system that will be used at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
C4C David Willford brought home the first GOLD MEDAL of the day winning a GREAT MATCH against a Blue Belt (which may i add is 4 ranks above his current belt).
C4C Taylor Amundsen had two fights during the course of the day, both of which he won by a 12 POINT GAP, which is an amazing feat in itself, and bringing home the SECOND GOLD MEDAL of the day.
C3C Tim Park fought an great match, landing a SOLID HOOK KICK on his opponent, however did not advance to the next round.
GREAT JOB TEAM, and let's keep working so we can continue to represent the United States Air Force Academy in such a positive way! Pictures and Videos to come shortly.
C4C David Willford brought home the first GOLD MEDAL of the day winning a GREAT MATCH against a Blue Belt (which may i add is 4 ranks above his current belt).
C4C Taylor Amundsen had two fights during the course of the day, both of which he won by a 12 POINT GAP, which is an amazing feat in itself, and bringing home the SECOND GOLD MEDAL of the day.
C3C Tim Park fought an great match, landing a SOLID HOOK KICK on his opponent, however did not advance to the next round.
GREAT JOB TEAM, and let's keep working so we can continue to represent the United States Air Force Academy in such a positive way! Pictures and Videos to come shortly.
USAFA Taekwondo Uniforms are IN!
Thank you to the Team for waiting so patiently, but the uniforms are finally in. If you received an email be sure to pick yours up down in the practice room!
USAFA TKD Team to Compete at Pikes Peak Daedo Competition
This upcoming month, 11 Feb 2012, the USAFA Taekwondo Team will be competing at the Pikes Peak Daedo Competition held in Aurora, Colorado and presented by A-Team Taekwondo. The members competing at this event includes C3C Tim Park, C3C Sam Saltamachia, C4C David Williford, and C4C Taylor Amundsen. This competition will be utilizing the Electronic Daedo Scoring System, the same system that will be used during the 2012 Olympic Games this summer. Wish the team the best of luck!
Belt Test 2012
On Wednesday, 18 January 2012, cadets in the USAFA TKD Club participated in the clubs first Belt Test since 2007. The Test went off amazingly, with the participants being tested on Basic Stances, Blocks, Strikes, Kicks, Poomsae, Sparring and Board Breaking. C4C David Williford tested successfully from White Belt to Yellow Belt, Gina Biagetti tested successfully from Orange Belt to Green Belt, and Taylor Amundsen tested successfully from Green Belt to Blue Belt. The Club sends its biggest congratulations to these three members for being 100% motivated and giving their all during the Belt Test. The participants would also like to thank all that showed their support during the test.
Rocky Mountain Open Video and Pictures Now Uploaded
The available videos and pictures from the 2011 Rocky Mountain Open at the Olympic Training Center have now been uploaded. Check them out!
Army Videos and Pictures Now Uploaded
The videos and pictures from the fights with army back in Nov are now uploaded to the site. Be sure to check them out!!
USAFA TKD Patch
The USAFA TKD team patch has been decided, and is on its way through the approval chain.
The proposed patch will be a circular design, 3.5 inches in diameter. The patch will consist of a larger circle center surrounded by a thinner ring. The ring around the outside will be black, symbolizing a black belt, the rank for which all martial arts strive to achieve. The black belt signifies a maturity and proficiency in the art of TaekwonDo. This ring will also contain two sets of words. Around the top, off centered, left, will be "United States Air Force Academy" in white writing. Around the bottom, off centered, right, will be "Taekwondo Club." These phrases establish the club for which the patch will be worn to represent. The larger center circle will contain a Yin-Yang emblem incorporating the colors red and blue. The Yin-Yang emblem symbolizes how opposite ideas and forces are interconnected, a central idea in the art of Taekwondo. Four Poomsae trigrams, grey in color, and the Korean symbol for Taekwondo, black in color, rest on the Yin-Yang emblem. The closed lines of the Poomsae trigrams represent Yang, and the open lines Yin. Lastly, a falcon, USAFA's mascot, in a full Do-Bok (the uniform worm by those who train in the sport of Taekwondo) throwing a kick is overlayed on the patch.
The proposed patch will be a circular design, 3.5 inches in diameter. The patch will consist of a larger circle center surrounded by a thinner ring. The ring around the outside will be black, symbolizing a black belt, the rank for which all martial arts strive to achieve. The black belt signifies a maturity and proficiency in the art of TaekwonDo. This ring will also contain two sets of words. Around the top, off centered, left, will be "United States Air Force Academy" in white writing. Around the bottom, off centered, right, will be "Taekwondo Club." These phrases establish the club for which the patch will be worn to represent. The larger center circle will contain a Yin-Yang emblem incorporating the colors red and blue. The Yin-Yang emblem symbolizes how opposite ideas and forces are interconnected, a central idea in the art of Taekwondo. Four Poomsae trigrams, grey in color, and the Korean symbol for Taekwondo, black in color, rest on the Yin-Yang emblem. The closed lines of the Poomsae trigrams represent Yang, and the open lines Yin. Lastly, a falcon, USAFA's mascot, in a full Do-Bok (the uniform worm by those who train in the sport of Taekwondo) throwing a kick is overlayed on the patch.
USAFA TKD Competes at the Rocky Mountain Open
A BIG CONGRATS to the team that fought at the Rocky Mountain Open this past Saturday. Yall did an Outstanding job representing USAFA and yourselves. While the day went much longer than anticipated, with our fighters meeting to leave at 0630 in the morning and not fighting until after 2000, we came out of the competition 4 for 4 in medals!
C4C David Williford brought home the first of 2 gold medals after winning his fight!!! I would also like to add that this was his first fight ever in the sport of TKD!!
C4C Taylor Amundsen brought home the second gold medal of the night after fighting his exhibition match due to no one else being in his division. (I think they were all scared) Great Job!
C3C Tim Park brought one of two bronze medals in his weight class after fighting a WCAP team member. For those who do not know what WCAP is, it is the Military’s TKD Team. It is literally their job in the military to train and fight in TKD. (BA Huh?) He fought a great fight, however came up slightly short. Awesome Job Timmy!
C4C Matthew Nicholas brought home the last of the bronze medals after fighting a Iraqi National Team Member. He did an outstanding job in his match against this fighter!!
Now to our 5 volunteers that gave up over 14 hours of their day helping make this competition run. I talked to Coach K after the competition and he couldn’t thank you guys enough for working as hard as you did. Out of all the volunteers that were supposed to help, our team was the only ones that did. Coach K said, and I quote “The competition wouldn’t have finished, let alone started if it hadn’t been for the Air Force Volunteers”
THE FIGHT BRACKETS ARE IN: (see below file)
RMO USAFA Brackets
C4C David Williford brought home the first of 2 gold medals after winning his fight!!! I would also like to add that this was his first fight ever in the sport of TKD!!
C4C Taylor Amundsen brought home the second gold medal of the night after fighting his exhibition match due to no one else being in his division. (I think they were all scared) Great Job!
C3C Tim Park brought one of two bronze medals in his weight class after fighting a WCAP team member. For those who do not know what WCAP is, it is the Military’s TKD Team. It is literally their job in the military to train and fight in TKD. (BA Huh?) He fought a great fight, however came up slightly short. Awesome Job Timmy!
C4C Matthew Nicholas brought home the last of the bronze medals after fighting a Iraqi National Team Member. He did an outstanding job in his match against this fighter!!
Now to our 5 volunteers that gave up over 14 hours of their day helping make this competition run. I talked to Coach K after the competition and he couldn’t thank you guys enough for working as hard as you did. Out of all the volunteers that were supposed to help, our team was the only ones that did. Coach K said, and I quote “The competition wouldn’t have finished, let alone started if it hadn’t been for the Air Force Volunteers”
THE FIGHT BRACKETS ARE IN: (see below file)
RMO USAFA Brackets
USAFA TKD Team to Compete at Rocky Mountain Open Competition
This weekend, 12 Nov 2011 the USAFA TKD Team will be competing in its first USAT Competition. It will be held at the Olympic Training Center at 0900. Wish the team luck as they represent USAFA once again! RMO Info Packet
New Facebook Page up and running
Ok, we now have an official Facebook page! Please provide feedback on what you would like to see on it! www.facebook.com/USAFATKD
USAFA TKD v. Army
This past Friday 4 Nov, the USAFA TKD team took on Army. The event was hosted at the USAFA Community Center gym went off with a bang. A total of 12 matches were fought and the USAFA Team represented outstandingly. For many of the team members, this was the beginning of their Taekwondo fighting career and for others, it was a great experience. A big thank you goes out to everyone who made this event such a great success! (Pictures and Video to come soon) Results
USAFA TKD to take on Army
This upcoming Friday 4 Nov, the USAFA TKD Team will be participating with and competing against the Army TKD Team. See the below file for more information. COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR TEAM!
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USAFA TKD Team Featured in Academy Insider
The USAFA TKD Team was recently filmed and interviewed for the AIr Force Academy Youtube Show, "Academy Insider". The video is located under the "Videos" tab above! CHECK IT OUT!
Team Returns from Notre Dame
The TKD Team returned on Sunday, Oct 9 from its trip to Notre Dame. However, due to unforseen delays with the trip they were unable to participate with the Notre Dame TKD Team. Though this was a dissappointment, the team still had a great time and is looking forward to its next experience. (pictures and videos to follow soon)
Team Heads to Notre Dame!
The USAFA TKD Team will be heading to Notre Dame 7 Oct 2011 to participate and practice with the Fighting Irish TKD Team. The trip should be full of great experiences! The traveling team will consist of David Williford, Taylor Amundsen, Gina Biagetti, Elijah Delgado, Marcus Graves, and Sam Saltamachia.
The Team Returns From Its Trip To Navy
The team returned Sunday October 2nd from its first trip! Everyone did really well and represented USAFA very well!! GREAT JOB GUYS! Pictures and videos will be coming soon! The picture below is of the USAFA and Navy TKD teams sharing some good food and stories after a great practice and sparring session.
Team Heads to Navy!
Wish the TKD luck as they head to Navy on Sept 29th to represent Air Force! The team will be composed of Jennifer Carr, Taylor Amundsen, David Williford, Gina Biagetti, Jonathan Kim, Derek Rath, Dalton Miller, and Sam Saltamachia! Updates when they return!