BLUE WAVE TAEKWONDO - Key Persons
Dartmouth Taekwondo is a student-run organization that was founded in 1984 by two brothers, Master Sung Chul Whang and Jun Chul Whang, and their friend, Javier Arizmendi, a former member of the Mexican National Team. Dartmouth TKD practices the official South Korean and Olympic recognized form of Taekwondo led by the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), employing full contact sparring..
is a sixth degree black belt who began her Taekwondo training in 1979 with Master Chung K. Ma in Wappingers Falls, NY. She competed in local, state and two National competitions in both poomsae and sparring through 1985. From 1989-1994, Master Del Porte was a student of Grandmaster Dan K. Choi and assisted in teaching at Choi's Taekwondo in Mesa, AZ. She joined the Lebanon Blue Wave in 1994 as a student of Master Linda Smith-Blais.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Master
- President
Master Gordon W. White began training in Taekwondo in 1983 and became a student of Blue Wave founder Grandmaster Twing in 1986.
Master White is a former U.S. National Team member and international medalist. He lived and trained extensively in Korea, and between 1993 and 1996, he was a lightweight team member for USA Taekwondo. He represented the U.S. National team at such events as the World Games, World Cup, and the Japan Open. Some of his career accomplishments include placing 3rd at both the World Cup and the Japan Open in 1996.
He opened Burlington Blue Wave in downtown Burlington in 2000 and has been teaching students of all children, teens, and adults of all abilities ever since.
As president, Master White is responsible for the administration of the Association, and with the help of the rest of the executive committee, making sure Blue Wave members are provided with opportunities to learn and excel with the highest quality Taekwondo available. This includes instructor and black belt training, events and seminars, competitor and coaching training, and general curriculum development.
Hanover Blue Wave teaches traditional Korean Taekwondo in a family oriented environment. Master Linda Smith-Blais (right) and Master Stephen Hopkins (left) have been co-owners of the Hanover dojang since 2006. The school was originally opened in 1988 by Master Blais, and located in Lebanon, NH. In 2003, the dojang was relocated to the Richard Black Community Center in Hanover. With 60 students aged 6 to 70 years old, the dojang offers multiple classes in order to provide high quality instruction in a small group environment.
Master Linda Smith-Blais is the instructor of adult Family Class and assistant instructor in the children's classes at the Hanover dojang. She began training Taekwondo in 1978 under Blue Wave founder Master Bruce V. Twing and tested for her seventh degree black belt in 2009. She became an instructor in 1988 and has served in multiple positions in the Blue Wave Association , taught taekwondo at Dartmouth College with one of her student's Master Jean Bender and when not at class she is working as a physical therapist.
Master Stephen Hopkins is the instructor of Hanover's popular Junior and Advanced classes.
He began training in 1994 as student of Grand Master Yang Moon in New Orleans, Louisiana and tested for his 6th degree black belt in 2018. He has been teaching Taekwondo since 2002.
Master Linda Smith-Blais is a seventh degree black belt who began training in Taekwondo in 1978 under Blue Wave founder Grandmaster Bruce V. Twing. A former regional and national level medalist, she became an instructor in 1988 and ran the West Lebanon gym for eight years. Master Smith-Blais was instrumental in the development of the Blue Wave Association and actively pursues the latest training methods.
It was a strong desire to stay out of the youth gang environment where he grew up that inspired Michael Anthony to learn self-defense. He started martial arts training in New York prior to moving to the Boston area. He began his Taekwondo training in 1974 in Salem, Massachusetts under Chung Do Kwan Master Hak Joo Lee. It didn't take long for him to learn that the avoidance of a confrontation was superior to winning one.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Portland Blue Wave Instructor
Lyndonville Blue Wave LLC was started in 2014 by Master Delbert Reed, Master Reed has been involved in TKD for over 30 years as a student and instructor. His first dojang was in East Haven VT in 1986 after receiving his black belt. In 2011one of his black belt student Paul Barlow started a dojang in Sheffield VT. After 3 years of having separate dojangs the opportunity arose for the two to combine and start a dojang in Lyndonville VT.
After obtaining his 7th Dan Master Reed decided to step back from the day to day operations of the dojang and passed the duties on to Mr. Barlow. The Lyndonville Gym now operates under Mr. Barlow as the head instructor and under the watchful eye of Master Reed. Mr. Barlow has help with the gym from Master Masure, and other black belts in the gym. Lyndonville Blue Wave is dedicated to the principles of confidence, discipline, learning leadership skills and becoming part of something great.
Job Titles:
- Instructor
- Warren Blue Wave Instructor
Portland Blue Wave instructor Chang Lin is committed to creating a friendly, supportive atmosphere where the entire family can have fun while training. Portland Blue Wave began offering Kukkiwon Taekwondo classes with Olympic style sparring in 2009, providing an all around workout that brings together the mind and body.
Mr. Chang Lin, 2nd Dan, has been practicing Taekwondo since 2010. He earned his black belt in 2013 and started teaching Taekwondo in 2015. He believes in practice and discipline in learning. He is also very much dedicated to having fun at the same time. He's enjoyed the challenge of creating a fun family environment and community for his students.
"The confidence I have gained through Taekwondo training, has allowed me to be successful in all aspects of my life," Mr. Lin said of his martial arts experiences.
Master Hopkins sees teaching Taekwondo as a community service. He is committed to the spirit of volunteerism, having given his time to teach in such diverse settings as the local afterschool program to far away Kotun, Poland. When not teaching Taekwondo, Mr. Hopkins is employed as the Administrative Officer for the Children Hospital at Dartmouth.
Master Hopkins said, "Taekwondo is about much more than just forms and board breaking. It is about impacting people's lives. It's about giving of ones self, by mastering ego, living humbly, and seeking the perfection of character."
Master Tara Rebele began training as a young child and joined the Blue Wave as a black belt in 1990 to further her development as a practitioner and athlete. A former competitor, she represented the Blue Wave at numerous state qualifiers, opens and invitationals, as well as at sanctioned national-level events, such as the U.S. National Championships and U.S. Collegiate Nationals, where she was a medalist in Olympic sparring. Master Rebele previously founded and operated a Blue Wave Taekwondo School in Athens, GA.
After relocating to Richmond, she instructed for a local program, where she taught all ages and levels, trained students for competition, implemented her program for young children, led Masters' clinics, offered children's camps and activities, and contributed to the development and production of other events, such as in-house tournaments. Master Rebele is pleased to begin offering a full program in the Kukkiwon, Chung Do Kwan style of Taekwondo that she practices and teaches, and she looks forward to sharing her passion, knowledge, and experience with students of all ages in the new Richmond Blue Wave Taekwondo School.
"I am very excited to offer an accessible, comprehensive Taekwondo program to members of the local community who wish to train and I am especially excited to bring the exceptional qualities of Blue Wave Taekwondo to students here in Richmond."
"When I step onto the floor to teach, I not only step into my role as an instructor, I also become a student of my students. They teach me new things and new ways of approaching familiar things, so that while they are learning the art, I learn and grow as their instructor in the art. My students inspire me to be my best and to keep becoming better. Teaching expands me as a martial artist, and as a person."
Mr. Clark has competed and medaled in numerous tournaments in the United States and Canada. In addition, he has attended training camps with the US Olympic team couches.