Hidden in the second multipurpose room in Slaughter Gym is one of the University's most unique organizations: the tae kwon do club.
Tae kwon do is the national sport of Korea, where it was developed as a military tactic so soldiers could continue to fight hand-to-hand when their weapons were knocked out of their hands. It was streamlined into a sport, becoming popular across the globe. Tae kwon do came onto the Olympic stage in 1988 as a demonstration event, becoming a full-fledged medal sport in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The sport of tae kwon do is divided into two main categories, the first of which is forms, which link different sequences of moves within a scripted framework. There is an open division competition in tournaments, in which fighters can make up their own forms.
"This can be quite difficult to judge," club member Bobby Marriott said, noting that "it can get so subjective." The more popular category, at least in the University's club, is sparring, which is a free fight between two competitors.
"It's a free fight, with a lot of strategy involved," said club vice president Carl Sparacino. "It involves a lot of controlled aggression. There's a lot of rules on where you can hit to make sure no one gets hurt badly."
Sparring is divided into two subcategories, point sparring and Olympic sparring. In point sparring, forms are used when fighting, and the objective is simply to tap the other person lightly in a certain place on the body to score points. In Olympic sparring, the two fighters have 3 minutes to score as many points as they can, with 30 second breaks between every minute. A kick to the head is worth two points, while a kick to the torso is worth one point. To score points, a fighter must give a "staggering blow."
"Olympic sparring has more strategy to it," Sparacino said, "It's more about tricking your opponent, trying to figure out what he's going to do and when."
Though some may think tae kwon do is the same as any other Asian martial art, the sport has its unique aspects as well. It focuses more on kicks and moving around than karate -- a Japanese art that focuses on punches -- or judo, another Japanese art that concentrates on throwing an opponent to the ground.
Virginia's team has grown rapidly, doubling in size during the past two years. Practices are much more fast-paced and intense than when the club first formed in 1992. It also has more experienced fighters this year than perhaps any other year. Nearly half of club members are black belts, and many come from many different parts of the world. A few of the club members, such as demo team captain Justin McCarthy, have trained in Korea. This is a great asset for first-timers.
"It's my first year in the club," member Linda Le said, noting that "it's been a really welcoming environment. The black-belts are really good teachers."
The club has performed demonstrations at events such as the Student Activities Fair, and plans to do more to increase the visibility of the club.
"Everyone ends up really close in the end," Sparacino said, "We make a lot of great friends, it's like a big family"
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