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U.T.I. PRESIDENT

Grand Master Scott Luther Kopperud

9th Degree Black-Belt Promotion

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• Celebration Speech - Alfred Wallraf, National Representative (Germany)
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• Photo Highlights from the Event

 

Celebration Speech

By Alfred Wallraf, National Representative (Germany)

In this globalized world there are many ways to send our congratulations to somebody from one continent to another: We can send a letter, fax or email. We can make a telephone call or we can send a video message.

However, if you take one whole week's time to fly thousands of miles by plane to congratulate somebody in person, to stand happily in front of him, to heartily shake his hand, perhaps to thankfully embrace him, there are two reasons for this: First, the occasion must be extremely meaningful and, Second, everything is about a magnificent personality.

I am standing here today to celebrate both reasons: a unique occasion in the life of a unique person.

Let us start with the first reason, the occasion. The number 9, which is also on the backs of our uniforms, is the last figure, the highest in the circle, until it closes again. The life-clock of a TaeKwon-Do Master therefore, has not twelve but nine figures. To have reached the last figure means to have climbed a peak and suffered many setbacks, disappointments and physical trials. This journey, however, is also full of successes, positive surprises and happy moments. This kind of peak is reached by only a very few. Even the creator of our martial art, General Choi himself, died without reaching a higher degree.

The 9th Degree is an expression of the highest acknowledgement from a community which is thoroughly convinced about the achievements of your life to date. To reach this peak, numerous trials have to be mastered in this life, and I do not mean the challenges in sport. A certain age is also required, and so, for example, the life of a twenty-five year old would be much to short to have reached this peak, conquering the difficulty of the 9th Degree. Even achieving great great successes like the World Championships or Olympic Medals would not qualify one for the 9th Degree.

Furthermore, people frequently express the unfounded opinion that the 9th Degree is the peak of a sports association functionary, just as the offer of a high political office is often an expression of thankfulness from a political party. Although the career, sports and/or administrative bodies can give certain direction, the crucial factor for promotion is your "Way of Life". The honor of the 9th Degree is, therefore, first and foremost, the result of the integrity of your character, with which you have worked for the good of the TaeKwon-Do Community for decades. This work has led to the peak of today's tribute. Now the view is free to a wide, untouched field.

The figure 9 also marks the beginning of a new circle ... the end of which is known only by God.

For this cycle of life, the TaeKwon-Do Community confers an office upon you, Scott L. Kopperud, and knows in retrospect of your life up to now, that you will fill it with responsibility, dignity and honor.

As one of the most able TaeKwon-Do Sportsmen in Canada, Kopperud created later as a teacher, an exemplary international training system, and his didactic abilities, especially his memorable and humorous way of teaching even the most difficult TaeKwon-Do techniques, show him as one of the world's best TaeKwon-Do instructors. He created a system of Forms and succeeded for the first time in integrating both of the internationally accepted styles into an attractive and challenging composition. This new system not only overcomes technical differences, but also the ideological barriers built by the Koreans. My wish would be for this system, this curriculum to spread quickly throughout the whole world, but it would likely cost most of the Korean functionaries a big effort to accept that a TaeKwon-Do genius does not come from Korea.

In addition to his creative powers, his sharp intelligence and his joviality, which make his seminar so incomparable, his athletic abilities also inspire everyone over and over again, even at an age where such physical high performances are not expected. It is usually a rule, as an example, that the 8th Degree is awarded by an association for administrative accomplishments in a ceremonial meeting. It was very uncommon when, for example in 1999, a number of Grand Masters of the ITF and WTF as well as a great number of functionaries and Black-Belts from Germany and abroad were invited to Koln, Germany to witness an impressive demonstration by Grand Master Kopperud, and to enthusiastically celebrate the new 8th Degree with standing ovations at the end. We are fortunate that such a test has not become the international standard, in which case, I am afraid; the world would have very few 8th Degree Black-Belts.

As the Head Coach for our National Team, I accompanied our students and competitors to the University Olympic Games in Bangkok last year. By coincidence we travelled in the same bus as the Canadian Team. A Canadian athlete sat beside me and we had a short talk. I asked her, if she knew the TaeKwon-Do Master Kopperud. "Oh yes" she said, "He is a well-known Grand Master from Saskatoon". I was proud to add: "He is a good friend of mine".

the last six years I have been able to gather a lot of international experience, and everytime I came back home I was happy to be a member of our UTI community and to have a friend like our president, Scott L. Kopperud.

On behalf of our German Association, especially Grand Master Morris Ala Rashi and his wife Diana, my wife Leea Wallraf, the international instructors of the German team, Gotthard Kunish, Olaf Nöhring, Martina Thomas and Catrin Wagner, and all other Black and Color Belts who are all sorry not to be here today, I congratulate you, dear Scott with all my heart, on your greatest celebration day.

 

Photo Highlights from the Event

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