Kicking it Olympic style

Master James Beasley reclined in a booth in Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and sipped on lemonade on a cool and lazy Sunday in April. Beasley, the instructor of the UC Martial Arts Club, sported a navy blue jacket with the Olympic logo on the sleeve. Underneath the colorful linked circles were the words "Tae Kwon Do 2008."

In his 64 years, Beasley has witnessed what many have experienced in life. He saw his two children grow up to be adults. He saw his grandchildren grow from babbling babies to driving teens.

However, unlike some people, Beasley participated in activities that others could never imagine. He saw the Tae Kwon Do matches in Seoul, Korea during the 1988 Olympics. He also witnessed the Judo matches in the 1996 Atlanta Games.

As Master of the University of Cincinnati Martial Arts Club, Beasley's newest adventure will be traveling to China this summer for the 2008 Olympic Games as a goodwill ambassador for Tae Kwon Do.

"We're of course promoting Tae Kwon Do," Beasley said between sips of lemonade. "We're going to meet the Chinese delegation and meet their national Olympic team for dinner. It's kind of a big deal."

Beasley and 19 others form a delegation he hopes will bring good fortune and friendship overseas.

After taking in the sights in China, Beasley and the delegation are scheduled to travel to Seoul and visit the World Tae Kwon Do Headquarters. There, he is set to enter the Kukkwon, the central gymnasium, and train with the Korean Olympic team.

Unlike some sports that require an expensive field or a pool filled with gallons upon gallons of water, Tae Kwon Do and Judo don't require much and are low-maintenance sports.

"Tae Kwon Do will not be in the actual stadium itself," Beasley said. "It'll be in the gymnasium. All they really need is a basketball court."

Until 2000, Tae Kwon Do was only a demonstration sport - awarding no medals - in the Olympic Games. With the turn of the century, it became a full-medal sport. The same year Tae Kwon Do was designated a full-medal sport - urged by public interest - the Olympic Games adopted a rule that when one sport is added to the full-medal roster, another must be taken away. "They just took out softball and synchronized swimming," Beasley said.

According to Beasley, achieving full-medal status for a sport is a coveted position. "There are only two martial arts in the Olympics and that's Tae Kwon Do and Judo," Beasley said. "Karate wants in and Kung Fu wants in, but Kung Fu will be a demonstration sport because it's from China."

It's uncertain if Tae Kwon Do will be seen in the Olympics in 2016, but it is scheduled to be involved in 2012, according to Beasley.

Beasley said he hopes the 2016 Olympics will be held in the States again, but he said it all depends on which multi-million dollar companies will foot the bill.

"They've never had [the Olympics] in South America or Africa because they are too poor. It's all about the bucks," Beasley said.

Beasley said he doesn't understand why the Olympics aren't focused more on the athletes. He said athletes from certain countries are unable to find their own sponsors, like in the United States, but instead, the athletes are sponsored by the country itself.

When Beasley enters China, he and his delegation want to promote athletes of all nations. They want to convey the message that it's not about the politics.

"It's about the athletes," Beasley said. "The guys that are training Tae Kwon Do, track and field or boxing, they don't care about the politics. They're just going to do their thing - try and win a medal for their country."

Beasley is a peaceful man and chose two sports that are peaceful in nature and offer him a way to deal with stress. He said Tae Kwon Do originated in Korea and means "way of the hand and foot." Judo means "gentle way."

His interest in Tae Kwon Do began 34 years ago, when he was 29. Beasley trained rigorously for years and is now a seventh-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a second-degree black belt in Judo. He's also certified by the United Tae Kwon Do Association and has 15 years of full-contact Olympic-style sparring beneath his cloth belt.

Beasley is also the head instructor for the UC Martial Arts Club and has been with them for 12 years.

"I like to bring some international flavor to [the club members]," Beasley said. "These kids aren't going to see this kind of action."

Beasley said it isn't about winning when he takes his club to tournaments. It's nice when a winner is able to hold up a trophy, but he said he's happier knowing he's provided his students with a defense against physical attacks and a way to deal with the stresses of being a student.

The UC Martial Arts Club has put on demonstrations for the UC community, most recently on-campus at Relay for Life on April 25.

Sometimes, his days are filled with what his wife affectionately calls "Tae Kwon Do crapola." He stays busy with demonstrations and tournaments; being on a short list of qualified international referees also keeps him occupied. Regardless of the busy schedule, he gets together with his family every Sunday for a home-cooked meal.

For more information on the UC Martial Arts Club and Master Beasley, visit ucmartialarts.org.