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The Washington State Governor’s Cup Taekwondo Championship, the largest Taekwondo tournament in the state of Washington, will take place at Saint Martin’s University Marcus Pavilion, on Saturday, October 14.

Participants will be competing in World Class black belt poomsae, traditional individual poomsae, team poomsae, board breaking, sparring and World Class black belt sparring.

Competitors range from 4 year-olds to grandparents.

governors cup olympia
Grand Master Young-Hak Lee will be hosting Governor’s Cup. Master Angie Lee and Master Jason Lee of the U.S. Martial Arts Center are the tournament directors. Photo courtesy: USMAC

World Class is a more advanced level of competition defined by the same scoring and set up systems as the World Championships. In World Class sparring, electronic scoring is used, which is the same scoring used at the Olympics.

Governor’s Cup was founded in 1989 by Grandmaster Young-Hak Lee, founder of the U.S. Martial Arts Center. Originally called the Capital City Invitational, the tournament was officially renamed as the Washington State Governor’s Cup Taekwondo Championship in honor of then Governor Mike Lowry’s attendance. Grandmaster Lee presented Lowry with an official black belt. In exchange, Lowry declared a Taekwondo Day in the State of Washington.

The Governor’s cup is the largest Taekwondo tournament nationally and it “takes a village” of volunteers to get it done. “We have a little over about a hundred and twenty volunteers from the U.S. Martial Arts Center family,” says Master Angie Lee, one of the owners of U.S. Martial Arts Center. “That includes volunteers from parents, students, to our referees and black belts. We also have volunteers from several other schools that help out with reffereeing as well.”

Governor’s Cup also gives back to the community. “Part of our proceeds are donated to different charities throughout the years,” says Master Jason Lee, owner of the U.S. Martial Arts Center West Olympia location. “We’ve helped out and donated to the North Thurston Education Foundation, Mothers against Drunk Driving, Healing the Children. The last couple of years we’ve donated to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and American Cancer Society.” Donations have also been made to Timberline High School’s DECA club.

Poomsae and board breaking competition will begin at 8 a.m. Sparring will take place in the afternoon and evening time.

Over 700 competitors travel from throughout the northwest including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Canada, Hawaii, Korea and, of course, Washington State. In past years, competitors from Mexico have also competed.

“It was an honor to compete,” states Andy Francis, a junior at North Thurston High School. “I took this opportunity as a challenge and it helped me to grow as a Taekwondo student.” Francis won first place in the color belt poomsae division at Governor’s Cup in years before.

A lot of competitors from out-of-state stay overnight in various hotels in Olympia, impacting the community of Thurston County economically. The Ramada Inn on Martin Way is the headquarter hotel for Governor’s Cup and have sponsored the tournament for many years. It also attracts more attention to local business and restaurants with the influx of visitors.

“We try to make sure we keep things local,” Master Jason states. Various local teriyaki shops provide volunteers with lunch and after the tournament, all volunteers meet up at the Main Chinese Buffet for dinner. Governor’s Cup also brings a large sporting event, and it’s participants, to Olympia instead of being hosted in a bigger city, such as Seattle.

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The U.S. Martial Arts Center Demonstration team won third at the U.S. Taekwondo Nationals this past summer. They will give a special performance during the opening ceremonies of Governors Cup. Photo courtesy: USMAC

“In years past, we’ve had competitors who are former National Team members or current Jr. National Team members from U.S. national teams,” Master Angie states. There have also been Canadian National Team Members who have participated in Governor’s Cup. “We have also had some U.S. coaches that have coached players in world championship before bring players to Governor’s Cup,” she continues. A lot of Masters and instructors who bring students to compete are either former World Champions themselves or National Team Members from the United States, South Korea and other countries as well.

Governor’s Cup is open to the community and an exciting event to watch. General admission is $10 and children ages five and under are free.

The first events commence at 8:00 a.m. and the last events usually wrap up in the late afternoon and early evening. The opening ceremonies are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on October 14. Poomsae and board breaking will be in the morning while sparring will happen in the afternoon.

Not only will the United States national anthem be sung, but the Canadian national anthem will be also be performed to show respect to the competitors from Canada. Since Taekwondo was founded in Korea, the South Korean national anthem will also be heard. The South Bay Elementary School Choir will be singing the national anthems this year.

governor's cup
Divisions will host competitors that are age 4 all the way up to grandparent’s age. Photo Courtesy: USMAC

The U.S. Martial Arts Center Demonstration Team will also be performing a special demonstration during the Opening Ceremonies. This past summer at the U.S. Taekwondo Nationals in Detroit, the demo team was ranked third in the entire country.

“Everyone in the community is welcomed to come out and participate in this event and check out what Taekwondo is all about,” Master Jason shares. “It’s an Olympic sport, it’s a very dynamic martial arts form and it’s a very family friendly event. It’s a lot of fun for families to come out and enjoy. You’ll see a lot of great competitions and respectful students. It’s just a lot of fun, and we get to share what we love to do.”

Governor’s Cup Taekwondo Tournament
October 14, 8:00 a.m.
Saint Martin’s University

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