The sport of traditions: U of A Taekwondo Club 

The University of Alberta Taekwondo Club started in 1974. According to head instructor Owen Hauck, there was little Taekwondo influence in Edmonton — and across Canada — before then. It was first brought to Edmonton by the late Grandmaster Su Hwan Chung. 

Hauck is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at the U of A. He started with the club in his first year. He holds a secondary black belt, and in the winter term of his first year, he was brought on as a mentor within the club. 

“It just felt like a natural fit and was such an easy thing to join and to be a part of. It felt like a home away from home,” he said. 

From training to belt testing

According to Hauck, late Grandmaster Chung was the founder of the Alberta Taekwondo Association and started the U of A Taekwondo Club, alongside other major clubs across Alberta. Back then, the club served as a place for training for university students who then went downtown to get their belt testing, Hauck said. 

After COVID-19, the club started competitions and registered as a dojang, enabling them to do their own belt testing. 2025 will be the first year that they promote members who started at the club to black belts. 

Due to its long history, when the club held its 50th anniversary event in January, the club and Hauck were able to learn much of their club’s history. They worked alongside the International Academic Center for Taekwondo to host the event. 

“Unless you seek out [information], you really don’t get to know a whole lot. It was quite enjoyable to work alongside university professors, philosophers, and people way smarter than me in the field,” Hauck said.

Although a team effort, Hauck said that once he joined the club, he wanted to incorporate partnerships, belt testings, and community engagement. According to Hauck, the club is now the second biggest club within U of A Club Sports, with about 100 members.

“We’ve expanded so much and taken on so much. It’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. It gives people that haven’t experienced it before the opportunity to try these new things for so little money,” he said. 

Anniversary event re-ignites partnerships

The anniversary event allowed the club to celebrate its history and the sport, Hauck said. It was a full weekend of competition and presentations, making it a mix of a conference and tournament. 

The event gave them the opportunity to meet with their Korean counterparts at Yong In State University in Korea, who were founded at a similar time. Hauck said that in the 1980s, they had multiple exchange programs with different fighters. 

“We had Grand Master Yung Sun Kim who’s the chief instructor at the Yong In State University Taekwondo club. He came out and presented us with a ceremonial cup,” Hauck said. 

At the anniversary celebration weekend, the first day had several events that aren’t typical at technical tournaments. They were also able to work alongside Olympians and Hall of Famers. The second day was designated to research presentations about the sport.

“There’s so much ongoing research, even though it’s a century old martial art. It’s really cool to see that kind of enthusiasm never really died down,” Huack said.

Their next steps involve forming a Canadian Collegiate League Association for Taekwondo across Canada, similar to that of the United States and those in Europe.

“There’s still room to grow and change in Taekwondo. It’s not always the same thing on a different day, and I’m hoping people have more goals that aren’t just sparring or patterns.”