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#Post#: 297--------------------------------------------------
CEO Report on Nationals
By: Ladytkd Date: July 16, 2014, 11:17 am
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CEO Perspective of Nationals
HTML http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Taekwondo/Features/2014/July/15/2014-National-Championships-CEO-Retrospective
HTML http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Taekwondo/Features/2014/July/15/2014-National-Championships-CEO-Retrospective
By most accounts, the 2014 National Championships in San Jose,
Calif., were a resounding success. Participation exceeded our
estimations in the number of athletes, coaches and spectators. A
hearty ‘Thank You’ to all who helped to make this event a
success.
While the event was, in many ways, a great success, there are
some areas in which we should all work to improve. I will share
with you my thoughts regarding those areas:
SPECTATORS
It is very unfortunate that we had several confrontations
between spectators while in the bleachers. Some of these were
physical confrontations; others were verbal confrontations.
There is no place in USA Taekwondo events—or in taekwondo in
general—for actions such as these. Taekwondo preaches/teaches
self-control. This is not just on the part of our athletes, but
also for our parents, friends, and others as well. What message
are we putting out to our young taekwondo athletes when
parents/spectators engage in confrontations in the stands?
We also witnessed a spectator (parent of a young taekwondo
athlete) who expressed displeasure of a match with a physical
display of attacking the barricades. Again, there is no place in
taekwondo for actions such as this. We teach our young athletes
to accept defeat gracefully. Parents should learn to do the
same. Every match will have a winner and a loser. Sometimes the
outcome may seem unfair, mostly due to human error. We all must
learn to accept even those decisions with aplomb and
self-control.
The San Jose Convention Center offered non-legal access through
doors that remained open when people would depart through them.
Of course, it is human nature to take advantage of free
entrances to a venue, and I understand that. From an
organization perspective, it would be better if all entrances
were made through the proper doors that allow for credentials
checks, wrist bands, etc. I am sure that USA Taekwondo lost
revenue from spectators who streamed in through doors that were
left open. Though I do not expect human nature to change in this
regard, I would simply remind us all of our tenets of taekwondo
that include integrity.
CLUB OWNERS/COACHES
It was brought to my attention by a couple of parents that,
while sitting in the stands watching a match, they experienced a
club (that shall remain nameless, though I know which school it
was) that was very loud and using profane language while
castigating an athlete who was competing against an athlete from
their club. When asked by a parent to please refrain from using
profanity, the club proceeded to curse at the parent that was
sitting there with young children. Not only did they remain
boisterous and use profanity, they also cheered when the
opponent of their club’s athlete suffered an injury. This is
probably the most terrible display of a lack of sportsmanship,
lack of respect, and total lack of taekwondo attitude exhibited
by this school and their instructor. There is no place in
taekwondo for actions such as this. I was appalled to hear of
something like this taking place at our National Championships.
Hopefully this will never happen again. Needless to say, it is
not okay to exhibit this kind of behavior for any reason. As
human beings we are taught to respect others, especially women
and children. Taekwondo should be teaching us to be even more
respectful than ‘ordinary’ people who do not practice the sport.
USA Taekwondo urges our taekwondo family to be better citizens
and to exemplify the behaviors that display our understanding
and adherence to the tenets of taekwondo.
COACHING MATTERS
There is a recurring matter of coaches who send their students
into an elite competition like our National Championships with a
different belt color than what is truly earned by the student. I
have no problem with a coach who allows a student to move up in
belt rank, due to a recent promotion after having qualified at
state events. It is the opposite that causes concerns for us
all, especially because of the safety concerns raised. It is not
acceptable for coaches who have higher belt-ranked students
competing at a lower belt level in order to increase the chance
of winning a medal. Some coaches might argue that they do this
because they feel that their student is not sufficiently
qualified to compete at nationals at their high belt rank, so
they allow them to compete at a lower belt level for the safety
of their competitor. In most cases, however, it is a coach who
allows, as an example, a red belt athlete to compete in the
green belt division, or a black belt to compete as a blue belt.
This is unethical and should stop. Again, what lesson are we
teaching our athletes? That it is okay to be dishonest and to
cheat in order to win a medal? Winning should be a reflection of
the hard work and dedication of the athletes and the coaches,
not some shortcut to the medal podium. Where is the honor in
that?
Coaches must invest in learning the latest competition rules so
that they can be better at the job of coaching their athletes.
It is unfortunate that some coaches, after a loss by their
athlete, complain about a loss when they are not aware of the
current competition rules. Are there cases of inconsistent
application of the rules from one referee to another? Certainly.
USA Taekwondo is working to educate and train referees to be
consistent so that this is less of an issue. In the meantime,
coaches should also make the effort to learn the current
competition rules. They change every year. I would argue that
the level of consistency between referees is better now than it
has been in previous years. Referees, like coaches and athletes,
are human and will make mistakes. Coaches and athletes learn
from mistakes made at a national event, and so do referees. The
expectation from many coaches and spectators is that referees
make no mistakes. Rarely do we hear a coach admit that a player
may have lost a match due to the coach’s mistake. We are all
human, and we are all working to improve the sport of taekwondo.
Just something to consider…
I have noticed some coaches who berate their athlete in between
rounds. I would suggest that we learn a more positive approach
in addressing our athletes. There is a line between motivating
an athlete and abusing an athlete, especially by physically
abusing an athlete to make a point. Coaches play a very big part
in helping to police and to clean up the sport of taekwondo. Our
coaches are on the front line when it comes to teaching our
athletes respect, courtesy, good sportsmanship and also how to
accept wins and defeats gracefully. It is not acceptable to
throw temper tantrums because your athlete loses a match. Temper
tantrums are not acceptable from coaches or from athletes. Such
displays show total disrespect of what taekwondo stands for and
teaches: self-control, discipline, and good sportsmanship. USA
Taekwondo expects better from our athletes and from our coaches.
GENERAL
There were many good things that happened at our 2014 National
Championships. The overwhelming majority of our membership in
attendance showed great comportment and acted like the taekwondo
family that we are and that we aspire to be. For me, it was
great to see our audience and our participants having an
enjoyable experience. It is my hope that we build on the
positive experiences that were had by most people in attendance
so that future events will be even more enjoyable for all
participants. While I view our 2014 National Championships to be
a very successful event, I also temper that with the
understanding that we still have many things to work at
improving. Our USA Taekwondo staff is fully committed to
improving the event experience for our membership and also our
customer service to our membership.
Finally, I offer my sincere thanks to all of our participants
this year at the 2014 USA Taekwondo National Championships. We
look forward to seeing you next year in Austin, Texas!
Bruce C.K.W. Harris
CEO
USA Taekwondo
#Post#: 300--------------------------------------------------
Re: CEO Report on Nationals
By: TaekwondoDad Date: July 16, 2014, 7:06 pm
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Wow, did the CEO of the USAT really just call out parents
clubs and coaches and the venue? How about noting the lack of
brackets and other staff issues?
Sounds like someone taking his last shots at everyone because he
knows he is on his way out.
#Post#: 302--------------------------------------------------
Re: CEO Report on Nationals
By: TaekwondoDad Date: July 17, 2014, 12:03 am
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I am trying to make myself believe that someone hacked the USAT
website and posted Bruce Harris' name. With all of the feel
good positive posts going up about Nationals, I really can't
believe that the CEO decided to publicly slam the membership.
It is the NGB's mission to promote the sport. How does the CEO
publicly posting that the parents and athletes violate the
tenets of TKD and the coaches don't know the rules and cheat
promote the sport?
I know an awful lot of coaches who work year round to instill
ethics in their students. The CEO's post is an insult to every
one of them.
I know an awful lot of coaches who know the official USAT rules
don't allow for the new poomsae uniforms or hexagon mats. Seems
they know the USAT rules better that the CEO does. His post is
an insult to them.
Bruce Harris owes every USAT member an apology for the "CEO
Perspective on Nationals". About the only way it would be
sufficient at this point is if it were contained in a
resignation letter.
#Post#: 303--------------------------------------------------
Re: CEO Report on Nationals
By: Ladytkd Date: July 17, 2014, 7:28 am
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Frankly I am surprised he didn't do his usual and blame it on
the "malcontents." Parents fighting in the stands is not new.
Parents screaming and dumping tables happens too but those are
isolated events. I think the tone of the letter reflects his
dissatisfaction with his job.
#Post#: 304--------------------------------------------------
Re: CEO Report on Nationals
By: TaekwondoDad Date: July 17, 2014, 10:09 am
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My perspective on Nationals is there were a lot of athletes,
coaches and parents who traveled from around the country to
compete. Did I see some things that upset me from
parents/coaches? Sure. I personally heard some cheering that
was a bit over the top. I witnessed some coaches working some
very young athletes to lose weight in ways that I would never
let my daughter. I witnessed a parent so out of control that
several masters/coaches needed to surround him and escort him
away. But none of this forms my overall perception of the event
or the USAT.
From the lines to get in, to the bleachers, to warm up, to
staging, to holding I encountered some of the most courteous
people I ever meet at large events. Parents spending what is
often their one vacation herding younger siblings through a day
long event to support their child's ambition. Coaches
encouraging and praising not only their own athletes, but other
athletes as well. I saw some incredible matches. I saw hard
fought golden point victories. I saw athletes, win or lose,
overcome their own limitations and rise to new levels. Everyone
I interacted with was kind and courteous.
Mr. Harris and I have completely different perspectives on the
USAT.
His is about what it can do for him. How he and is masters can
use everyone else for their own glorification. He fails to do
his job and the national office is a disaster. The lack of
brackets hurt every athlete there. Saturday's schedule was a
complete disaster. These are the things that infuriate me and
that I, as a member, see need immediate corrective action.
Mr. Harris presents the membership, the athletes, the coaches,
the parents, as a bunch of lying cheaters you would never want
to be around let alone entrust your kid to. I view the
membership as some of the best people I know. I have made
friends with people all over the country through the USAT, the
kind of people that I respect and am happy to have as role
models for my young daughter.
Mr. Harris' letter was totally unprofessional. It is time for
the Board to decide if the USAT they want to serve and build is
a messed up office in Colorado Springs, with an incompetent CEO
and his cronies, or if it is the thousands of coaches and
athletes who strive to train, grow and compete with the dream of
representing the USA on the world stage. One is worth fighting
for. The other isn't.
#Post#: 306--------------------------------------------------
Re: CEO Report on Nationals
By: Ladytkd Date: July 17, 2014, 10:47 am
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I notice no apology for no brackets, those long days that saw
kids sitting in holding for hours and on and on.
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