Let’s delve into the remarkable events of March 15, 2025, a day that will be remembered for the 80th TTCA Tae Kwon Do Tournament held at the Central City Convention Center.
First and foremost, the reference to “80th” in the title deserves attention. Traditionally, the TTCA has hosted two tournaments a year, but there have been occasions where the frequency varied. Given that the organization was founded in 1996 and is only 29 years old, claiming an “80th” tournament raises intriguing questions about its history.
The assertion of a storied legacy is noteworthy; however, since Grandmaster Choi passed the torch to the Cresulis, it would be more accurate to consider the TTCA’s timeline as beginning in 2022. Interestingly, both the TTCA and MCTKD, now under Mr. Edwards, face similar historical challenges. Following the passing of their beloved head instructor, MCTKD sought the expertise of an outside instructor, transforming it from Mr. Johnson’s MCTKD to what should be recognized as Mr. Edwards’. Yet, the overarching influence of the TTCA remains palpable. This reality was vividly illustrated by Mrs. Cresulis’s actions and remarks during this very tournament, further emphasizing the shifting dynamics at play!
As soon as the tournament was announced, we publicly expressed our support for an event that we knew we would not be invited to compete in. Many of us even responded to the Facebook event, indicating that we would be attending. That’s okay; the TTCA has always been somewhat “xenophobic” in their invitation policies.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach, especially for a large, well-established organization. The ATA Martial Arts (formerly known as the American Taekwondo Association) used to hold closed tournaments, but at their peak, they had over 900 dojangs and 300,000 members! Their tournaments were massive, and you rarely faced the same opponent more than once outside of local or regional events. In contrast, the TTCA consistently draws the same set of competitors; this was one reason my oldest son (black belt) lost interest in competing at their events, as he often faced the same black belts on multiple occasions.
For several months, we consistently promoted our intention to cheer on all martial artists, especially those from MCTKD, whom we truly consider our brothers and sisters in martial arts. I hold no ill feelings toward Mr. Edwards, their head instructor, or the MCTKD students. This sense of camaraderie is why my entire school felt it was important to attend and support them. They did not indicate that we would be prohibited from cheering for our local brothers and sisters, as our posts were public, and we tagged MCTKD on Facebook.
Mr. Edwards, Mr. Spicer, and everyone involved with MCTKD and TTCA have my contact information. They didn’t post anything on their page indicating that we would not be allowed to support them as members of the general public. We understand they are facing challenges with low membership, and the tournament might not be well-attended, given that there are only two TTCA schools and two TTCA clubs, which seem to have few, if any, students.
Our first signal about the unfolding situation didn’t come from Mr. Edwards, who was identified as being in charge of the tournament, but rather from Mrs. Crecelius on their TTCA Facebook page on March 10, 2025, at 1:28 PM.
In her post, she stated: The phrasing Mrs. Crecelius chose, “We will have people posted at the doors to maintain safety for our competitors and attendees,” struck us as quite peculiar. It seemed an odd thing to say, yet it aligns perfectly with her modus operandi. Earlier, in a text, she had claimed that one of the groups that departed would show up “wearing their shirts to fill the stands in retribution.” However, the Master of that school has categorically denied her claim, stating that it is entirely false.
Our posts remain public for all to see, and it’s clear that we issued no threats whatsoever; instead, we expressed our unwavering support for every martial arts event. An additional curious incident transpired: several parents, along with my own personal Facebook page, found themselves blocked by Mrs. Crecelius around 2 PM on March 10. This decision didn’t cut off our access to the TTCA Facebook page. Thankfully, thanks to the safeguards we have in place, we were notified of this block and could still view the page. Moreover, at 4:11 PM that same day, Mrs. Crecelius quietly updated her original post, removing the unsettling line about having people stationed at the doors for safety, acknowledging that it was indeed a threatening and ominous statement.
Our posts convey that we had no intention of causing any disruption; instead, we were there to wholeheartedly support our “sister schools.” Below are public statements, readily available for review, expressing our commitment to MCTKD and, by extension, TTCA. On the day of the tournament, I rallied those students and their families eager to attend, and we met at our school. A total of thirteen of us traveled to the tournament together.
Upon our arrival, we positioned ourselves at the back of the upper deck, deliberately blending into the crowd, as our primary goal was to cheer on the competitors from MCTKD and give my students—who had yet to experience a tournament—the opportunity to witness the excitement firsthand. We settled in around 11:30, enjoying the dynamic display of talent from both local and distant martial artists. Engaged in lively discussions about how this tournament might differ from our upcoming events, we were pleasantly surprised when Miss Elizabeth Kidd, the daughter of Mrs. Onoalee Kidd—both adult 3rd-degree black belts at MCTKD—approached Mrs. Crecelius’s ring to let her know we were there.
PART THREE (3) CLICK HERE
