Colorbelt Extravaganza
Name, Belt, Wt. Div., Age Div., Result

Andy Foulke, Blue, 180.4 & over, 18-32, 1st Gold Sparring

Cliff Doran, Red, 167.3-180.4, 18-32, 3rd Bronze Sparring

Alex Haller, Blue, 140.9-150.0, 18-32, 1st Gold Sparring
Light Wt., 3rd Bronze Poomse

Michelle Rutten, Green, 147.5-160.6, 18-32, 1st Gold Sparring

Ultra Senior

Jim Chambers, Red, 182.7-193.6 53 & older, 2nd Silver Sparring
Heavy, 1st Gold Poomse

Sara Irish, Blue, 134.3-145.2 32-36, 1st Gold Sparring
Light, 1st Gold Poomse

Jeff Bowers, Black, 149.7-160.6 37-40, 1st Gold Sparring
2nd Dan Light 1st Gold Poomse

Cheryl Bowers, Black, 112.3-123.2 41-45, 3rd Bronze Sparring
2nd Dan Light 2nd Silver Poomse

Ruth Haller, Black, 112.2 & under 45-48, 2nd Silver Sparring
2nd Dan Light 1st Gold Poomse
1st Gold Creative Poomse

Jon Culbertson, Black, 149.7-160.6 41-44, 1st Gold Sparring
6th Dan Light 1st Gold Poomse

Kathleen Fleming, Black, Light 53 & over, 1st Gold Poomse
2nd Dan

Jill Josselyn, Black, 49-52, 3rd Bronze Sparring
3rd Dan Light 1st Gold Poomse

Ron Schubert, Black, 193.7-204.6 41-45, 2nd Silver Sparring
5th Dan Heavy 1st Gold Poomse

Michael Noble, Black, 160.7-170.5 37-40, 1st Gold Sparring
2nd Dan Heavy 1st Gold Poomse

Senior

George Cortes, Black, Feather, 18-32, 3rd Bronze Sparring

Stephanie Beckel, Black, Feather, 18-32, 3rd Bronze Sparring

Cindy Null, Black, Heavy, 18-32, 1st Gold Creative Poomse

National Qualifiers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2004

HIGH PERFORMANCE EVENT PIPELINE RELEASED FOR 2005

Colorado Springs, Colo. - The United States Taekwondo Union (USTU) announces a new High Performance Event Pipeline Structure for 2005. USTU will conduct six (6) National Qualifier events on an annual basis beginning in March 2005 with additional events to be added in 2006 and beyond.

These events will be qualification events for those athletes interested in competing in the World Class Division at the Junior and Senior Nationals. Each of the top 4 athletes per weight division in the male black belt divisions and the top 3 athletes in the female black belt divisions at each qualifier will qualify for the World Class division at the USA Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships in Minneapolis, MN and the Senior National Championships in San Jose, CA. In addition, those athletes that medal in the World Class Division at the Junior Olympics and Senior Nationals also have a chance to qualify for development camps hosted by the USTU and further advance to international competitions. The World Class Division is an important element for the USTU in recognizing talent with the potential to represent the USA in future international competitions. This division will be based on the same format as the 2004 Olympic Games in which a repachauge format was utilized.

The 2005 Junior Olympic Championships will also host an Elite Open Division in which any athlete that satisfies the registration process by the posted deadline will be eligible to compete regardless of whether they competed at a National Qualifier event. The Elite Open Division also holds true for the 2005 Senior National Championships. The Elite Open Division will allow additional opportunities for those athletes at the grassroots level. The USTU reserves the right to incorporate an exceptional athlete in the Elite Open Division into the developmental pipeline.

The National Qualifier Events will not be regional in nature but instead athletes are able to participate in as many National Qualifier Events as they wish. However, if an athlete should qualify for the World Class Division in more than one qualifier, the athlete must accept the bid at the first qualifying event with the other bids trickling down to the next place finisher.

For example, if Athlete X places 3rd at National Qualifier #1 and places 2nd at National Qualifier #2, Athlete X must accept the bid from National Qualifier #1 and the bid from National Qualifier #2 will be presented to the 5th place finisher at that event.

Each National Qualifier itself includes three days of competition from Friday through Sunday. Competitors will compete on one of the days of competition, depending on the competition schedule.

The dates and locations of the National Qualifiers will be posted in the immediate future along with registration information. For questions, please don't hesitate to call the USTU Events Department at 719-866-4632.

EVENT STRUCTURE

As we move into 21st century sports delivery, we are excited about providing a model that will deliver Taekwondo to the country at the grassroots level and develop the high performance program. This model will help us achieve sustained competitive excellence.