Master Michael Parker Jr.
EDUCATION
B.S. in Historic Preservation – 2012 Southeast Missouri State University M.A. in Public History – 2015 Southeast Missouri State University
TAEKWONDO EXPERIENCE
Sabumnim: Master William Winkler Started: May of 1997 Received Kukkiwan 1st Poom: 2002 Received Kukkiwan 2nd Poom: 2005 Received Kukkiwan 4th Dan: 2016 USA Taekwondo Class – C Certified Referee
COMPETITION EXPERIENCE
2000 Missouri State Championships – Bronze medalist (Sparring)
2000 U.S. Junior Olympic Games Competitor (Sparring)
2003 Missouri State Championships – Silver Medalist (Sparring)
2003 Missouri State Championships – Silver Medalist (Forms)
2003 World Martial Arts Festival Champion (Sparring)
2003 World Martial Arts Festival Champion (Forms)
2004 Missouri State Championships – Silver Medalist (Sparring)
2004 U.S. Junior Olympic Games Competitor (Sparring)
2005 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Forms)
2010 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Gold Medalist (Team Traditional Forms)
2010 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Silver Medalist (Jumping High Kick)
2014 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Gold Medalist (Team Traditional Forms)
2014 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Gold Medalist (Power Breaking)
2014 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Bronze Medalist (Creative Weapons Forms)
2015 Ozark AAU Championship – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
2015 Ozark AAU Championship – Gold Medalist (Forms)
2015 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Gold Medalist (Team Traditional Forms)
2015 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Gold Medalist (Power Breaking)
2015 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Silver Medalist (Creative Weapons Forms)
2016 Ozark AAU Championship – Bronze Medalist (Sparring)
2016 Ozark AAU Championship – Gold Medalist (Forms)
2016 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Bronze Medalist (Team Traditional Forms)
2016 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Bronze Medalist (Power Breaking)
2016 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Silver Medalist (Team Creative Weapons Forms)
2016 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Bronze Medalist (Individual Traditional Forms)
2016 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Silver Medalist (Speed Spin Hook Kick Breaking)
Suzanne Winkler – 4th Degree Black Belt
TAEKWONDO EXPERIENCE
Sabumnim: Master William Winkler
Started: May of 1997
Received Kukkiwan 1st Dan: 2002
Received Kukkiwan 2nd Dan: 2005
Received Kukkiwan 4th Dan: 2010
Attended 1st U.S. Kukkiwan Poomse Seminar: 2008
Attended 1st U.S. Seminar for Hanmadang Referee Certification offered by Kukkiwan: 2008
Master Suzanne Winkler with Grand Master In-Sik Hwang Kukkiwan 8th Dan Chairman of Education Committee of the Kukkiwan Attended the Master Instructor Licensing Seminar: 2009
USA Taekwondo Class – C Certified Referee 2016 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee of the Year
COMPETITION EXPERIENCE
1998 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
1998 U.S. National Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
1999 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
2000 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
2001 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
2001 U.S. National Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
2002 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Sparring)
2002 Missouri State Championships – Gold Medalist (Forms)
2002 U.S. National Championships – Bronze Medalist (Sparring)
2004 U.S. National Championships – Silver Medalist (Sparring)
2010 U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang – Gold Medalist (Team Traditional Forms)
REFEREE EXPERIENCE
2004 – Missouri State Championships Referee
2009 – 1st U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee
2012 – 4th U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee
2013 – 5th U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee
2014 – 6th U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Referee
2015 – 7th U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Ring Captain
2016 – 8th U.S. Open Taekwondo Hanmadang Ring Captain
Master Winkler – The Director of World Martial Arts Academy Crestwood
I began training in Taekwondo at 22, after graduating from Parks College of St. Louis University with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Without the constraints of homework every night I was able to focus my efforts in a new direction. I was always intrigued by the martial arts and decided to invest my time in the martial arts. I looked in the phone book and there were two martial arts schools in the small town I had taken a job in. I went to one and was tremendously impressed by the instruction I saw taking place and immediately signed up for classes. All I wanted was to compete in the martial arts and I had luckily entered the right place. My Sabumnim (respected instructor) was the U.S. team coach in Taekwondo, Sang Chul Lee. He was very instrumental in getting Taekwondo to become an Olympic sport and in fielding the U.S. Olympic team. I was so lucky to have gone to that dojang. In the early 80s Sang Lee’s dojang was the place to be. He regularly had the U.S. Taekwondo team visit our dojang to train under him. In fact members of the Egyptian, Spanish, German, Mexican and Canadian team were regular guests in our dojang too.
After training under his instruction for only twenty months I competed in the N.Y. State championships. I was only a blue 1st but in those days red belts were allowed to compete in the black belt division and I was only 2 weeks away from testing to red belt. Sabumnim allowed me to compete as a black belt and I won. After that I remained undefeated in New York until I moved to Tampa Florida with a job change. I competed at the national level and rose to the top 12 in the country in the heavy weight division and continued to compete in Florida. After two years in Tampa I moved back home to St. Louis with a job at McDonnell Douglas Training Systems. Once I arrived here I called my instructor and asked him who to see in St. Louis about Taekwondo. He strongly recommended Grand Master Rho. I have been with Grand Master Rho ever since, initially as a student and athlete, then as a director of World Martial Arts Academy Crestwood. During that time Grand Master Rho was the president of the Missouri State Taekwondo Association, a position I later took over for 8 years.
So if you are ready and willing to go the extra mile to become one of the best in Black Belt Excellence,