Kungfoolss
07-24-2003, 12:21 AM
Farm injury has not crippled Edel's success
Lisa Lynch
July 17, 2003
A master in Songahm Taekwondo, Larry Edel has accomplished a great feat. Even more impressive is the fact that Edel received his mastership after suffering a farm injury in 1990 that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Edel, with a sixth degree black belt, is the only Songahm master in the world with a physical disability. There are less than 100 Songahm Taekwondo masters throughout the world. Taekwondo emphasizes movements of the hands and feet and focuses on personal development of the body and mind. Edel explained the word Taekwondo means 'way of the hand and foot.' Songahm Taekwondo started in 1969 and has grown to be the world's largest Taekwondo organization. Edel lives in Colo with his wife Amy and their two sons, Logan, 16, and Colby, 13. Edel is originally from the Zearing area, later moving to Colo in 1993.
He currently works for Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield in Des Moines, in addition to instructing Songahm Taekwondo at his martial arts school, Nevada ATA Black Belt Academy, where he has taught as a certified instructor since 1985. "We have students starting as young as 5 years of age to students currently in their 40s, who are active in the school. The people in our classes are here for the self-defense, strength and flexibility Songahm Taekwondo offers." Edel became involved with Songahm Taekwondo in 1980 at a school in Iowa Falls after a friend invited him to join the class. The instructor for the class was Michael Plagman, and in 1983 Edel began teaching the martial arts class with him. "Teaching is one of the reasons I enjoy Taekwondo as much as I do. I just enjoy passing what I've learned on to others."
When Edel first established his Taekwondo school in Nevada, he shared a space with an aerobics class. "I worked out an agreement with the aerobics class there where we could use the area one night a week." He is pleased that since that time, his school has grown to have its own facility and now holds classes three times a week, each Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Since his spinal cord injury, Edel has learned to incorporate new teaching methods into his classes. "Before my accident I taught more by demonstrating the moves and techniques. Now that I'm in a wheel chair I've brought in a lot of new ways to teach - I've had to alter my teaching technique from demonstrating to explaining," said Edel. "It's easy to get up in front of the class and demonstrate how to do the moves and just say 'now you do it.' I've become a much better instructor." In his school, hanging on a wall alongside a framed summer 1991 Taekwondo World magazine edition that features Edel on the cover, is a photo of Edel breaking 10 boards simultaneously with both hands. "That's when I was able-bodied," Edel pointed out. "Those 10 boards would have been the equivalent of breaking a man's two legs at the same time." Edel credits his family, as well as his Taekwondo family as a big support and inspiration for him to staying involved in Songahm Taekwondo after his accident. "The Grand Master of Songahm, Haeng Ung Lee, called me more than once during my six-month stay in the hospital telling me to never give up.
That was really a unique thing - receiving a personal phone call from the Grand Master." Lee, who introduced the Songahm teaching and training method of Taekwondo, passed away in 2000 and is now known as the Eternal Grand Master, Edel explained. The current Grand Master of Songahm is Lee's brother, Grand Master Soon Ho Lee. Edel added another motivation for him was the mental aspect of Songahm Taekwondo, which stresses setting goals and the process of working toward them. After his return to teaching, Edel has taught hundreds of black belts, he has had several students go on to become top 10 competitors and has had two students, Tim Miltenberger and Jo Ann Hinson, continue on to become world champions. "Both became world champions after my accident occurred. It was one of their goals to become a top 10 competitor and to become a world champion. Those were their goals, and I helped them achieve it." Miltenberger now has his own Taekwondo school in Marshalltown, and Hinson is an instructor at Edel's Taekwondo school in Nevada. Last October Edel received a letter of acceptance to participate in master training to become a master of Taekwondo. He had his first master training in January and additional training session in March of this year. Edel was dubbed a master of Songahm Taekwondo during the opening ceremonies for the World Championship in Little Rock, Ark., this June.
The World Championship is an annual week long Taekwondo training and exposition. Becoming a master of Taekwondo requires a sixth degree black belt and is additionally based on the number of students instructors have at their school, including the number of students at schools started by their students as well. There are nine grades or belts, black being the final belt, that must be passed before receiving a degree in black belt. Moving from level to level requires a certain amount of time spent at that stage along with additional training and a promotional test that must be passed.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9859884&BRD=2033&PAG=461&dept_id=2 38871&rfi=6
Lisa Lynch
July 17, 2003
A master in Songahm Taekwondo, Larry Edel has accomplished a great feat. Even more impressive is the fact that Edel received his mastership after suffering a farm injury in 1990 that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Edel, with a sixth degree black belt, is the only Songahm master in the world with a physical disability. There are less than 100 Songahm Taekwondo masters throughout the world. Taekwondo emphasizes movements of the hands and feet and focuses on personal development of the body and mind. Edel explained the word Taekwondo means 'way of the hand and foot.' Songahm Taekwondo started in 1969 and has grown to be the world's largest Taekwondo organization. Edel lives in Colo with his wife Amy and their two sons, Logan, 16, and Colby, 13. Edel is originally from the Zearing area, later moving to Colo in 1993.
He currently works for Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield in Des Moines, in addition to instructing Songahm Taekwondo at his martial arts school, Nevada ATA Black Belt Academy, where he has taught as a certified instructor since 1985. "We have students starting as young as 5 years of age to students currently in their 40s, who are active in the school. The people in our classes are here for the self-defense, strength and flexibility Songahm Taekwondo offers." Edel became involved with Songahm Taekwondo in 1980 at a school in Iowa Falls after a friend invited him to join the class. The instructor for the class was Michael Plagman, and in 1983 Edel began teaching the martial arts class with him. "Teaching is one of the reasons I enjoy Taekwondo as much as I do. I just enjoy passing what I've learned on to others."
When Edel first established his Taekwondo school in Nevada, he shared a space with an aerobics class. "I worked out an agreement with the aerobics class there where we could use the area one night a week." He is pleased that since that time, his school has grown to have its own facility and now holds classes three times a week, each Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Since his spinal cord injury, Edel has learned to incorporate new teaching methods into his classes. "Before my accident I taught more by demonstrating the moves and techniques. Now that I'm in a wheel chair I've brought in a lot of new ways to teach - I've had to alter my teaching technique from demonstrating to explaining," said Edel. "It's easy to get up in front of the class and demonstrate how to do the moves and just say 'now you do it.' I've become a much better instructor." In his school, hanging on a wall alongside a framed summer 1991 Taekwondo World magazine edition that features Edel on the cover, is a photo of Edel breaking 10 boards simultaneously with both hands. "That's when I was able-bodied," Edel pointed out. "Those 10 boards would have been the equivalent of breaking a man's two legs at the same time." Edel credits his family, as well as his Taekwondo family as a big support and inspiration for him to staying involved in Songahm Taekwondo after his accident. "The Grand Master of Songahm, Haeng Ung Lee, called me more than once during my six-month stay in the hospital telling me to never give up.
That was really a unique thing - receiving a personal phone call from the Grand Master." Lee, who introduced the Songahm teaching and training method of Taekwondo, passed away in 2000 and is now known as the Eternal Grand Master, Edel explained. The current Grand Master of Songahm is Lee's brother, Grand Master Soon Ho Lee. Edel added another motivation for him was the mental aspect of Songahm Taekwondo, which stresses setting goals and the process of working toward them. After his return to teaching, Edel has taught hundreds of black belts, he has had several students go on to become top 10 competitors and has had two students, Tim Miltenberger and Jo Ann Hinson, continue on to become world champions. "Both became world champions after my accident occurred. It was one of their goals to become a top 10 competitor and to become a world champion. Those were their goals, and I helped them achieve it." Miltenberger now has his own Taekwondo school in Marshalltown, and Hinson is an instructor at Edel's Taekwondo school in Nevada. Last October Edel received a letter of acceptance to participate in master training to become a master of Taekwondo. He had his first master training in January and additional training session in March of this year. Edel was dubbed a master of Songahm Taekwondo during the opening ceremonies for the World Championship in Little Rock, Ark., this June.
The World Championship is an annual week long Taekwondo training and exposition. Becoming a master of Taekwondo requires a sixth degree black belt and is additionally based on the number of students instructors have at their school, including the number of students at schools started by their students as well. There are nine grades or belts, black being the final belt, that must be passed before receiving a degree in black belt. Moving from level to level requires a certain amount of time spent at that stage along with additional training and a promotional test that must be passed.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9859884&BRD=2033&PAG=461&dept_id=2 38871&rfi=6
