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Video: MSU information technologist Ron Southwick doubles as taekwondo champion

April 19, 2016

MSU information technologist Ron Southwick doubles as taekwondo champion

It's not the medals or the accolades that draws taekwondo professor Ron Southwick to the sport, it's the duty he feels to continue to pass along the knowledge and passion for taekwondo his teacher helped him find in the 1980s when he attended MSU. 

Southwick started doing karate in 1978, and when he came to MSU in 1982 he found his way to Jongoon Kim's taekwondo class, where he found a passion in the lessons of Kim, who Southwick said was great at motivating and inspiring his students. 

“It changed my life, I mean it honestly changed my life," Southwick said. "My teacher kind of empowered me to begin to think outside the normal realm of what I could and couldn’t do. Could I become a world-class athlete? Could I go to a world game? Could I do any of this stuff? You know, when you’re in your 18, 19, 20 years old you may think you could do that, but as soon as you start to get involved in the process and you find how difficult it is, reality kind of kicks you in the face. He had just a way to empower you to think past that so that you begin to believe in yourself.”

"It changed my life, I mean it honestly changed my life. My teacher kind of empowered me to begin to think outside the normal realm of what I could and couldn’t do. Could I become a world class athlete? Could I go to a world game?"

Southwick also took over Kim's class when he retired in 1999, because the class was going to be cancelled and Southwick felt he owed something back to the sport. He volunteered to teach the class for free, which he does to this day. 

Southwick said he takes great pride in teaching his class, and after having a teacher like Kim who helped Southwick find a passion for the sport, he said he felt it was his duty to pass his passion on and positively affect the lives of other young adults.

“I have a duty to this class, to my teacher," Southwick said. "(Kim) gave me some gifts that I don’t think anyone could ever be thankful for, and that is he inspired me to do something, and when he retired I wanted to make sure that I gave that back to the students, which is why I do volunteer my time to do that because if any of them can be inspired as I was inspired to do what I’ve done, that would be a payback right there."

"I have a duty to this class, to my teacher. Kim gave me some gifts that I don’t think anyone could ever be thankful for, and that is he inspired me to do something and when he retired I wanted to make sure that I gave that back to the students."

Ervin Batka, a mathematics sophomore, said Southwick's passion and willingness to help his students really sticks out and is what makes his class unique. 

Batka said his first real experience with taekwondo was in Southwick's class, and because of his teaching and enthusiasm about the sport, Batka is now considering continuing to practice taekwondo after the class ends. 

"(Southwick's) been amazing, he's been incredible," Batka said. "Very encouraging for the students, he always pushes us to do our best. ... This class made me care, I think that's the very unique aspect of it."

Batka said he is considering joining the Taekwondo Club at MSU as a result of the teaching he has received from Southwick. 

Southwick graduated from MSU in the 1980s and joined the MSU faculty right out of college working in a biotechnology lab. Today, Southwick does research as an information technologist for MSU while teaching his taekwondo class and being the director of the Taekwondo Club and the MSU Taekwondo Team. 

Southwick's primary category that he competes in is poomsae, which is the forms category of taekwondo. Southwick said poomsae is a floor routine and is all about strength, flexibility and talent. 

Samuel Bigley, an anthropology and Arabic senior, said he heard about the class when he was looking for another elective to take and said while the class seemed like a lot of work, he realized Southwick wanted his students to understand more about their bodies and their limits before focusing on the martial arts aspect of the class, which Bigley said is good because it increased his confidence in himself. 

"He's kind of borderline drill instructor in a lot of ways, but in that we understand that he cares and wants us to learn more about ourselves to really get in tune with ourselves and what we want as individuals and how to get that through fitness and through taekwondo," Bigley said.

Southwick most recently came in third place in the U.S. Taekwondo Open Championships, and said while he is happy with any medaling finish he can achieve, he said when competing at a high level nationally, getting third place can sometimes be a kick in the butt. Despite this, Southwick said he tries to not worry too much about what place he comes in as long as he is constantly improving. 

"For me it’s the next thing, what am I doing next, and really I ask myself, how did I perform? Did I do what I was supposed to do? If the answer is yes, then I really don’t care about my medal. I can look at my standing and try to improve that all the time, but it’s something I’m not obsessed with."

"Of course I’m happy with it, but I just bury the medal," Southwick said. "For me it’s the next thing, what am I doing next? And really I ask myself, how did I perform? Did I do what I was supposed to do? If the answer is yes, then I really don’t care about my medal. I can look at my standing and try to improve that all the time, but it’s something I’m not obsessed with.

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“To say it’s not about the medal, I’m not that altruistic, to say that. But it is more about my self-improvement and how I feel. I want to be going up, I want to be heading up, and as long as I’m doing that, a few dips don’t bother me at all.”

Southwick has been to numerous countries to compete in international competitions including China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Korea, Egypt, Spain and many more. Southwick said he has also become quite fluent in Turkish and Korean, and the places he has gotten to travel and the people he has been able to meet and form relationships is the highlight of his career.

Southwick said he currently trains everyday and hopes to be able to continue to practice taekwondo for his entire life.

"It’s not the art, there’s so many different martial arts that are out there right now that are amazing for people to do. But the one that you find that you love and you love it and you put the time in and the passion, you’re going to be good no matter what the art may be."

"It’s not the art, there’s so many different martial arts that are out there right now that are amazing for people to do," Southwick said. "But the one that you find that you love and you love it and you put the time in and the passion, you’re going to be good no matter what the art may be.”

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