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Sister Linda Sim Featured in The Korea Times of 22 July 2011

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Sister Linda Sim Featured in The Korea Times of 22 July 2011

Sister Linda Sim to show off her taekwondo techniques

The Korea Times 22 July 2011
By Yoon Chul

When people imagine a nun they imagine someone calm, noble and serene.

Sister Linda Sim generally fits that image. Unless the 55-year-old Singaporean nun is practicing taekwondo, a traditional Korean martial art and an Olympic sport.

Sister Linda Sim of Singapore takes part in a taekwondo demonstration in this undated file photo. / Courtesy of WTF

I may be the only kicking nun in Singapore. I consider myself fortunate to be one of the more agile and supple members,” Sim was quoted as saying in an interview with Prime Magazine.

Initially, her parents were not sure about her taekwondo activities, which she began practicing in earnest when she was 17 and signed up for classes at the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in 1971.

“My father didn’t want me to fight and my mother was the chaperone. When I got hit on the head, it was too late and I had to fight. My mother closed her eyes,” she was quoted as saying in the interview.

The brave Singaporean didn’t receive much support from her family to pursue martial arts and gave it up in 1978 as she wanted to become a sister of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood.

Sim will, however, compete in Vladivostok but this time she wont’ have to worry about any possible physical damages because she will be taking part in the WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships from July 29 to 31 in Vladivostok.

Poomsae is a combination of basic actions and movements performed on an imaginary opponent. The athletes demonstrate various offensive and defensive taekwondo skills. Nevertheless, the black-belt nun is expected to show the passion she holds for the martial art.

In 2006, the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) started offering taekwondo lessons to children with cancer and other life-limiting conditions at the Assisi Hospice Children Day Care Centre and Sim participated as a coach.

The nun said that she was overjoyed at having the privilege of coaching the Assisi Hospice children as well as for the opportunity to learn from the STF coaches.

Through this program, the children led by Sim as manager have even entered competitions including the 1st National Taekwondo Poomsae Competition in 2007 and won six gold medals, two silvers and a bronze.

Participation in International Competitions

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Singapore will be represented in two international competitions.  They are the 6th World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships which will be staged from 29 to 31 July 2011 in Vladivostok, Russia and the World Hanmadang 2011 which will be held from 10 to 13 August 2011 in Namyangju City, Korea.

The following will carry Singapore flag.

World Taekwondo Poomsae

  • Ng Lee Noi (Team Manager)
  • Tan Cheng Hui (Coach)
  • Sister Linda Sim (Athlete)
  • Joyce Lim Soon Yi (Athlete)
  • Sherman Wee Li Sheng (Athlete)

Wong Liang Ming will also be at the championships.  She will be participating in the ‘exhibition’ event for all NSA Presidents and Secretary-Generals.  It is to support the WTF initiative.

World Hanmadang

  • Leon Koh Wee Kiat (Team Manager/Coach)
  • Jeric Ang Shi Cheng (Athlete)
  • Dixon Ho Wei Kit (Athlete)
  • Tan Shi Ying (Athlete)

For the World Poomsae, the STF sent Joyce Lim, Sherman Wee and Samuel Lee to Vietnam for 2 months of intensive training.  Vietnam has produced world champions for poomsae and our athletes have benefited from the exposure.  Unfortunately, Samuel Lee had to pull out because of knee injury sustained towards the tail end of the training stint.

Singapore will also be represented at the World Youth Camp which will be held from 1 to 6 August 2011 in Muju, Korea.  The following were selected for the camp.

  • Sister Linda Sim (Official)
  • Soh Hong Ray (Athlete)
  • Inshera Diana Lim An Na (Athlete)

Going for International Qualifications

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Three first-class national referees will be sponsored by the Singapore Taekwondo Federation of the 67th Kyorugi International Referee Seminar which will be held from 13 to 16 September2011 in Gold Coast, Australia. They are

  • Michael Ho Kee Khoon
  • Tan Kok Heng
  • Tan Kok Seng

All the three national referees have long refereeing experiences which will stand them in good stead during the course.

They will be joined by Wong Liang Ming who will be attending the 80th Kyorugi International Referee Refresher Course. The course will be conducted concurrently with the seminar.

The STF wishes all the participants an enriching and successful experience at the seminar and course.  

Important Announcements – Introduction of Taekwondo in Schools

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More than 70 schools have indicated interest to introduce taekwondo as part of its program for their uniform groups.

The Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) will assign coaches to the respective schools to run the activity in due course.

Coaches who are interested in helping out in the school program may register with the STF by submitting the following personal particulars by email at tkdf@pacific.net.sg by 3 August 2011.

  • Name
  • Contact No
  • Preferred Area (eg. Schools in Ang Mo Kio, etc)

For those who are already teaching in schools, please submit the list of schools you are teaching by 3 August 2011 so that we can assign you instead of another coach to the school. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that the school has no taekwondo activity.

The STF will not entertain any complaint for sending another coach to the school if it is not aware that you are already conducting classes there.

Participation in Non-Sanctioned Events

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While the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) encourages its affiliates to enhance the experiences of its members by participating in club championships or activities organized overseas or locally, it has to again remind them NOT to be involved in any events organized by clubs or associations not recognized or affiliated to the respective national sports bodies.

Affiliate leaders and coaches invited by their friends or organizers are advised to check with the STF before agreeing to accept their invitations if they are not sure if the events or activities are recognized or sanctioned by the national associations.

Recently, one of our affiliates has correctly checked with the STF regarding its intention to participate in a competition in Malaysia. The club has been advised against participation because the event has not been sanctioned by Taekwondo Malaysia which is the national body for the sport in Malaysia.

The STF will be compelled to take disciplinary action including, but not limited to, suspension of any club which has knowingly or unwittingly participated in activities that the STF does not or will not endorse.

Please email the STF at tkdf@pacific.net.sg if clarifications are required.  

Five Earns International Poomsae Referee Qualification

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Five Earns International Poomsae Referee Qualification

The STF sponsored five local poomsae referees for the International Referee Seminar which was held in Bangalore, India from 4 to 8 June 2011.

The Singapore Five who were among 119 participants, were

  • Tan Kok Heng
  • Wong Liang Ming
  • Steven Soh Eng Hwee
  • Lee Thiam Poh
  • Lee Thiam Huat

At the seminar conducted by Mr Kim Kyung Chan, WTF Poomsae Committee Vice-Chairman, they learned the rules and regulations for poomsae competition and the factors that contributed to good refereeing.  In addition to that, they had to perform basic movements and poomsae from Taegeuk Sa-jang to Hansu several times while being taught the finer points of some of the movements.  At the end of each training day, they were tested.

The course would not have been complete without the participants learning how to use the electronic system.  Every participant was given sufficient opportunity to practice.

One day was devoted to the assessment of the participants. They were evaluated on their theoretical knowledge, judging ability and performance competency.

After more than a month and a half of anxiety, the five participants were relieved to learn that they were successful.  With their achievements, the STF now has seven international poomsae referees.  The other two were Lim Teong Chin and Tan Cheng Hui who also attended the course as a refresher.

Extension of Closing Date

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The closing date for the Singapore Youth Olympic Festival Taekwondo Championships has been extended to Friday 22 July 2011 by 4.00pm.

Affiliates whose members are between 12 to 16 years old may submit their applications if they are interested to compete in the inaugural tournament.
More information can be obtained from http://www.stf.sg/modules/news/article.php?storyid=854.

For further enquiries Mr Lee Thiam Poh, Tournament Chairman, at 9106 4421.

Referee Promotion 15 July 2011

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The Singapore Taekwondo Federation is pleased to announce the promotion of the following referees.

POOMSAE

(Class 3P to Class 3)

  • Koh Bee Kian
  • Lai Hai Mei

KYORUGI

(Class 3P to Class 3)

  • Ronald Lim Yu Qin
  • Tay Xiong Sheng

Congratulations to the above on their promotion.

All referees are encouraged to apply for promotion as soon as they have fulfilled their requirements. This is important because their next promotion will not be affected

38th National Taekwondo Kyorugi Championships

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The 38th National Taekwondo Kyorugi Championships will be on 3 & 4 September 2011 (Saturday and Sunday) and 10 & 11 September 2011 (Saturday and Sunday) at Toa Payoh Sports Hall.

Documents pertaining to the competition are attached.

For this year’s competition, please note the following information.

  • The organizers will not accept incomplete submission. Submission after the closing date – that is, 6 August 2011 (Saturday) after 1630 hours – will be rejected.
  • Every participating team must provide at one referee for the duration of the championships to qualify for participation. The referee may not be the same person. For example, it is acceptable for a club to submit four referees, one each for every competition day. A club will be barred from future participation if its referee fails to fulfill his or her obligations without the approval of the Tournament Chairman.
  • Each affiliate is allowed to field in only one player per weight category per division.
  • The eligibility grade for the national championships shall be based on July 2011 grading or the player’s last grading before July 2011 if he or she did not take his or her grading in that month.
  • New rules without video replay shall be adopted. This means, among other things, that points will be awarded on a graduated system.
  • Weigh-in shall be conducted on the competition day . During Weigh-in contestant shall wear T-shirt & short. However , weigh-in may be conducted in the nude if the contest wishes to do so (Inside room). There will be only one weigh-in. Players who are over weight or under weight shall be disqualified. A weigh-in machine similar to the one used for the official weigh-in shall be provided for the players to check their weight before they are officially weighed. No weight allowance will be given.
  • Male and female players are required to wear the following equipment on entering the arena: head gear, trunk protector, forearm guard, shin guard groin guard, gloves and mouth piece.

If you require any clarifications, please do not hesitate to call be at 9106 4421 or any of the Secretariat staff at 6345 1491.

We look forward to your continued support and co-operation for a smooth, successful and memorable tournament.

National Poomsae Championships – A Great Success

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More than 1,300 participants from 39 clubs congregated at the Yio Chu Kang Sports Hall on 25 and 26 June 2011 to stake their claims on the numerous titles at stake. 

The event: National Taekwondo Poomsae Championships 2011.

The annual tournament proved to be exciting and attractive to the competitors.  They enjoyed the competitive atmosphere and performed their best to impress the judges.  The pressure of the competition saw some of the participants fumble where many others performing better than expected.

There were some heart-stopping moments.  When Eugene Selva Rasaiah (Induk TKD)  and Ng Wei Liang (Assisi Hospice), both with disadvantages, there were complete silence.  The spectators were rooting for them to complete the set movements.  You could hear a pin drop with every step Eugene and Wei Liang made.   When they took their last step, it was greeted by thunderous applause.  Evidently, the spectators were delighted and relieved that both of them made it with determination and courage.  For that, the two participants were awarded the ‘Fighting Spirit’ Award.

The third fighting spirit award was presented to 75-year old Johnny Ang.  Johnny showed that age was of no barrier to his will to compete.  His performance had indeed shamed many of the younger exponents who did not have the guts to step into the arena.

The Singapore Taekwondo Federation would like to put on record its appreciation to all officials, club leaders, parents, participants and spectators for their support which had resulted in another memorable championship.

The results of the competition are enclosed.    

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