West Side Taekwondo

International Athletes and Coaches of West Side Taekwondo

The principals of West Side Taekwondo believe firmly that excellence in competitive Taekwondo is just a step in the larger quest of personal achievement and success in all aspects of life. Through their own educational and professional achievement, each of the principals of West Side Taekwondo has set an example applying the principles of martial arts toward achievement outside the Dojang, and have encouraged the development of our elite athletes as more than just Taekwondoin who excel in the sport, but as complete human beings who embody the ideals of Taekwondo. An overview of West Side Taekwondo’s elite athletes throughout the years illustrates this point:

Chinedum Osuji, Ph. D. Dr. Osuji represented Trinidad & Tobago as Welterweight at the 2004 Athens Olympics, having secured a berth for his nation with a Silver Medal at the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers. Master Whang Jr. coached Dr. Osuji at both the competitions. In addition, Dr. Osuji represented Trinidad & Tobago at almost every other elite international Taekwondo competition including the World Championships (2001 Korea, 2003 Germany, 2005 Spain), the Pan Am Games and the Caribbean Games (2006). Dr. Osuji completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 3 years, and received his MA and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and conducted his Post-Doctoral fellowship at Harvard University.  He is currently a professor at Yale University.

Dorian L. A. Alexander. Dr. Dorian Alexander is a long-time member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Taekwondo Team.  He has competed in numerous international competitions representing his country, such as at the 2008 Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Puerto Rico and the 2009 World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.  He won a Silver at the 2009 AAU Nationals and Gold at the 2009 AAU National Team Trials, making the 2009 AAU National Team.  Dr. Alexander won Silver at the 2010 CAC (Central American and Carribean) Games.  Dr. Alexander finished his medical studies in 2010 and is currently a resident at Maimonides Hospital.

Lenn Hypolite. Lenn Hypolite is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Taekwondo Team, and moved to New York and began training at West Side Taekwondo in 2008.  In October 2008, Mr. Hypolite won a Silver Medal at the prestigious Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Puerto Rico.  In 2009, Mr. Hypolite competed at the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.  In 2009 and 2010, Mr. Hypolite won Gold at the AAU Nationals in the Welterweight division; he is the AAU National Team Welterweight for he 2010-2011 year.  In January 2011, Mr. Hypolite won Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships in Chennai, India.  In March 2011, Mr. Hypolite qualified for the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico by finishing among the top 8 in his weight class, and competed there in October 2011.  In August 2011, Mr. Hypolite won Silver at the Costa Rica Open in San Jose, Costa Rica.  In January 2012, Mr. Hypolite was named Trinidad and Tobago Taekwondo Association’s Sr. Male Sporstman of the Year.  Mr. Hypolite is currently a student at City University of New York.

Christina Park Born November 3, 1980. She began her Taekwondo training at age 10 in Alameda, California, and is currently a 4th Dan Black Belt. With Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, Ms. Park founded the MIT Sport Taekwondo Club and served as its President, Instructor, Captain and Coach. Christina is a 4-time middleweight champion at the National Collegiates, a 5-time captain of the Collegiate National Team, and a medalist at the World University Championships. Ms. Park is also a 2-time USA National Champion, and has represented the National Team at the 2004 and 2006 Pan Am Championships, with a bronze in 2004. In 2011, Ms. Park represented the USA on the  National Poomsae 3-person Female Team in Vladisvostok, Russia.  Mr. Park is currently an Engineer working in Hydro-Mechanical Power Generation.    USAT Profile

Lisa Linwen Zhou.  Born in Linhai, China, Lisa started taekwondo as a freshman in the UPenn (University of Pennsylvania) WTF Taekwondo Club, which she became co-president of senior year.  As a color belt, Lisa won silver in green belt sparring, bronze in red belt sparring, and gold in red belt forms at the 2007 and 2009 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, respectively.  After college, Lisa moved to New York and began training at West Side Taekwondo, where she earned her 1st degree black belt.  In July 2011, Lisa competed at the World Poomsae Championships in Russia as part of the US National Poomsae Team’s 3-person female team alongside Master Christina Park and Rene Chen.  Professionally, Lisa is a management consultant at Oliver Wyman.  She holds a BA in International Studies and a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.  <USAT Profile>  <USAT Athlete Q&A >

James Cadogan, Jr., Esq. Mr. Cadogan represented the US as Middleweight at the 2004 World University Taekwondo Championships in Patras, Greece, and at the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School, and currently works at the US Department of Defense as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the Air Force.  Pior thereto, Mr. Cadogan was an associate at the New York City law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

 

Tom Lynn, Jr. Mr. Lynn represented the US as Lightweight at the 1998 World University Taekwondo Championships and at the 2001 World Cup, whereupon he was ranked 8th among Lightweights in the world. Mr. Lynn received his BA from Wichita State University, and his PA (physician’s assistant) degree from the State University of New York, Stony Brook.  He is currently a P.A. in Miami, FL.

 

William Palmieri Mr. Palmieri represented the US as Middleweight at the 1998 World University Taekwondo Championships and at the 2001 World Championships after winning the 2001 US Team Trials. Mr. Palmieri is a gradute of Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey.

 

Jennifer Huang, M.D. Dr. Huang represented the US as Featherweight at the 1995 World University Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was a long-time ranked female Taekwondo athlete. Dr. Huang received her BA from Cornell University, and MD from the Touro College of Medicine in San Francisco. She completed her residency at the prestigious University of San Francisco Emergency Response Center, and is a practicing doctor in Iowa.

 

Masters Whang have also devoted considerable time and effort to coaching elite athletes at the national and international levels. Master Whang Sr. has served on the coaching staff for both the US National Team and the US National Collegiate Team. Master Whang Sr. was co-Head Coach for the US National Collegiate Team at the 2004 World University Taekwondo Championships in Patras, Greece. Master Whang Sr.coached the Trinidad & Tobago National Team at the 2009 World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark and at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships in Chennai, India. Master Whang Jr. coached at two consecutive World Championships, in Korea in 2001 and in Germany in 2003. One of the highlights of West Side’s history, and of Masters Whangs’ coaching career, was Master Whang Jr.’s participation in the 2004 Athens Olympics as Olympic coach for Trinidad & Tobago, where he coached long-time student and athlete Master Chinedum Osuji.

While competition fighting is not required for West Side students, it is a large part of modern Taekwondo. Students practice their sparring techniques in class, and are encouraged to enter into tournaments. There are a number of annual tournaments held in the New York City area, affording our students the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of our internationally recognized elite Taekwondo athletes!