We arrived in Little Rock late Thursday night. The girls were so wired after being in the car for 8 hours, that it was after midnight before we got them settled and to bed. Friday we headed downtown to the Statehouse Convention Center where the World Championships were taking place. We watched some of the competition, and bought t-shirts, then headed back outside to find the Korean gate.
The H.U. Lee Memorial Gate & Garden was built to honor the memory of the founder of the ATA, Haeng Ung Lee. The massive 80 ton douglas fir gate was handcrafted by Korean artists. It was an amazing piece of architecture, with a lot of intricate details. It really was quite beautiful.
Upon entering the garden you are greeted by two statues of Taekwando students bowing.
There is also a nine foot fountain and other sculptures.
We took a lot of neat pictures, but finally we had to go back inside because it was miserably hot that day.
After we were done downtown, we headed to my favorite retaurant, The Purple Cow, for lunch. The Cow is celebrating 20 years. My favorite milkshake is the Triple Treat Chocolate Malt. Yummmmm! After lunch it was back to my folks house for naps.
Friday night we attended the ATA World Championship Opening Ceremony at Verizon arena. The ATA is celebrating their 40th anniversay. We got to see sychronized team competition, learn about the history of the ATA, see a performance by the ATA World demonstration team, a special performance by the Grand Master Soon Ho Lee, and the impressive Masters Ceremony. This was the main reason for our visit, Rebecca's teacher was receiving his Senior Master title.
After the 3 hour spectacular event ended, Becca and I made our way down to the main floor to find SENIOR Master Berry to congratulate him.
After the ceremony, we went back to the H. U. Lee Memorial Gate & Garden to take some night time shots.
Saturday we spent the day in Clarksville visiting Allen's parents. Then the long drive home on Sunday. It was a fun trip, even if it was short. Maybe by this time next year Rebecca will be able to compete.
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