Oceanside Soo Bahk Do: Students

Students

The following highlight the achievements of a few of our students. This is not meant to diminish the value of other students that have not entered nor competed successfully in tournaments. The records listed here indicate only some measurement of skill attained by hard training and preparation. They are listed by order of Dan Number.

Howard Jackson #14416 (6/27/51 – 3/7/06)

Howard was a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton when he began training at the Oceanside Tang Soo Do Studio March 27, 1971. He began competing in local tournaments, taking 3rd Place at both the San Diego Naval Training Center Karate Championships and the Palomar College Karate Championships in San Marcos.

Howard gained National attention after he won the 1973 Grand Champion Top 10 Nationals in St. Louis. This was the first time that a lightweight had ever won this title. He was rated 8th in Black Belt Magazine’s Yearbook 1973 Top Ten and won the Grand Champion award at the “Battle of Atlanta” in 1973 and 1974. He was rated #1 in the U.S., was entered into the Black Belt hall of fame, was the Professional Light weight Champion, and was Pro Karate Champion per Kick Magazine.

After a long fight, Howard succumbed to cancer March 7th, 2006 at the City of Hope in Duarte, California. He will always be missed.

Keiko Mason #19023 Yuk Dan (6th Degree)

Keiko Mason Sa Bom Nim joined her husband’s school August 13, 1968 after her two children began training. She soon became her husband’s best student attaining green belt in nine months. She was of great help as an assistant instructor sharing her knowledge of Chinese Characters associated with the martial arts, and served as the interpreter during meetings with Grandmaster Hwang Kee.

She dominated local tournaments in the early 1970s winning both form and sparring competition in women’s divisions. As a red belt, she won third place in a 1971 form competition at the Naval Training Center in San Diego. This division included all ranks and she scored higher than many black belts.

Her last competition was at the 1987 National Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation Championships where she took second place in the Senior 3rd Dan Form Competition which she had won in 1985.

Grandmaster Hwang Kee with Keiko and Brenda Mason

Brenda Mason #19515 Sam Dan (Third Degree)

Brenda Mason began training at the age of eight, and won first place in form competition as a white belt competing against all ranks below black belt on April 13, 1970. This was the first tournament that she ever competed in. After that time she continued to excel in local tournaments taking first place in forms competition at the Long Beach Internationals in 1974. She had the following successes before retiring from practice and competition:

2nd place Form, National Championships Atlantic City, NJ Nov. ‘82
1st place Form Region 9 Championships June ‘83
2nd place Form Nationals, San Diego ‘83
1st place Form Region 9 Championships ‘84
3rd place Form Nationals, West Point Academy, NY ‘84
1st place Form Team Nationals, West Point Academy, NY ‘84
1st place Form Region 9 Championships, Santa Barbara ‘85
2nd place Form Nationals Anaheim ‘85
1st place Form Region 9 Championships, Torrance ‘86

Michael Mason #22082 Cho Dan

Michael Mason is considered Ted Mason's first student, and he began training at five years old. When he turned fourteen, he started competing in the adult men's sparring division. He won many contests at that age, and reached Cho Dan on June 20, 1981. While he did not compete following his attainment of Cho Dan, some of his competition resuts as a Red Belt include:

2nd place Junior Division Sparring Vista H. S., 3/31/73
3rd place Junior Div. Sparring, Southcoast Karate Championships, 5/6/73
2nd place Men’s Open Sparring (at 14 years old), Oceanside H. S., 9/9/73
2nd place Forms, Shorin Ryu Matsumura Tournament, 2/10/74
1st place Men Sparring, South Coast Championships, 5/5/74
2nd place Men’s Sparring, Miki’s Shito Ryu Shiai, 1/25/75
2nd place Forms, East San Diego Open (“Bushi”), 4/6/75
2nd place sparring, Lions Club Benefit Tournament, 6/75
1st place forms, Poway (San Diego County Martial Arts Alliance), 1/25/76
2nd place brown belt Korean form, Long Beach Internationals, 7/31/76
1st place form, 3rd place sparring, Lions Club Benefit Tournament, 5/23/76
1st Place sparring, 2nd forms, SDCMAA Interschool Tournament, 4/9/78
2nd place Brown belt form, Lions Club Benefit Tournament, 5/1981

Ricarda Hahn #23506 Sa Dan (4th Degree)

Was promoted to Cho Dan December 3, 1983, and has been the Oceanside Soo Bahk Do Dojang Assistant Instructor since 1998. Recent wins in competition include:

3rd place Sparring 1994 National Championships
3rd place Form 2001 National Championships
1st Place Form 2004 National Championships

Ted M. Mason #27655 Sa Dan (4th Degree), Sa Bom

Ted M. Mason was promoted to Cho Dan April 30, 1988 and often serves as an Instructor in the studio. Starting in 1993, he joined the Region 9 Sparring Team until his retirement in 2006, serving as Team Captain for nearly that whole duration. Since becoming a Dan Member, he has won the following places in Dan competition:

13 times first place Forms
25 times first place Sparring
10 times 2nd place Forms
12 times 2nd place Sparring
9 times 3rd place Forms
2 times 3rd place Sparring
9 times Grand Champion sparring
4 times overall champion (forms and sparring)
Team taking 1st place 2001
Team Sparring 2nd place 3 times
Team Sparring 3rd place 5 times

Manuel "Manie" Garcia #37266 Cho Dan (1st Degree)

Has won numerous contests since he began training in 1991 at the age of 12. His last Soo Bahk Do competition results while still practicing with the Oceanside Dojang are from the year 2001:

1st Place light/middle weight Sparring Region 9 Championships
1st Place Sparring team at the Federation’s National Championships
1st Place Sparring light weight Cho Dan at the National Championships

Neil Cohn #37278 Sa Dan (4th Degree) Sa Bom

Began training in 1993 at age 13 and was promoted to Cho Dan October 30, 1998. Currently a PhD candidate in Psychology at Tufts University, instructing the Tufts Soo Bahk Do Club. Some competition results are:

2nd place Red Belt Form 1998 Moo Duk Kwan Championships
2nd place Form and 1st place Hvy Wt Red Belt Sparring 1998 Region 9 Championships
1st place Form 2004 Moo Duk Kwan Championships
1st place Form and 1st place Middle Weight Dan Sparring 2004 Region 9 Championships
Grand Champion Dan Member 2004 Region 9 Championships
2nd place Form 2004 National Championships
Member of the 2004 Region 9 Sparring Team
1st place Form and 1st Place Dan 2007 Sparring Sidekick Foundation Tournament, Cambridge, MA
1st place Form and 2nd Place Dan 2009 Sparring Sidekick Foundation Tournament, Cambridge, MA

Mark Felker #40978 E-Dan (2nd Degree)

History Teacher San Marcos High School in San Marcos, California.
Placed the following at Region 9 Championships:

1st place Sparring and Form and Overall Red Belt Champion 2002
1st place Middle Weight Dan Sparring 2003
Qualified for the 2003 Region 9 Sparring Team
2nd place Dan Form 2005

Gerald Capps #43707 Cho Dan (1st Degree)

Began his training at the Oceanside dojang in 1994. He was deployed in 2003 as a Brigade Command Sergeant Major with the U.S.A.R. serving over 31 years with six and one-half years of active duty. He served in Japan, Korea, Germany, Kuwait, Iraq and almost every state in the U.S.

Lise Bennett #43711 Ee Dan (2nd Degree)

2nd place Form & 3rd place Sparring ’05 Moo Duk Kwan Championships
Grand Champion Red Belt 2005 Region 9 Championships
3rd Place Sparring and Forms at the 2006 Moo Duk Kwan Championships
1st Place Women Sparring 2006 National Championships
1st Place Women Sparring 2008 National Championships

Michael A. Diez #43660 Ee Dan (2nd Degree)

Michael was a student of Master Edward Frampton in New York since the age of 6. In 2005 he was promoted to Cho Dan at the age of 12 and began training at Oceanside Soo Bahk Do in 2007.

1st place Form & 1st place Sparring 2008 Moo Duk Kwan Championships
1st place Form & 3rd place Sparring 2008 Region 9 Championships
2nd Place Sparring 2008 National Championships

Angel Tolentino #43720 Ee Dan (2nd Degree)

1st Place Red Belt Sparring 2005 National Championships
1st Place Jr. Dan Forms and Sparring 2006 National Championships
3rd Place Red Belt Forms 2004 National Championships
1st Place Jr. Dan Forms and 2nd Place Sparring 2008 National Championships

Mario A. Diez #44393 Ee Dan (2nd Degree)

Mario began as a student of Master Edward Frampton and was promoted to Cho Dan at age 9 in 2006. He began his training at Oceanside Soo Bahk Do in 2007.

3rd place Sparring 2008 Moo Duk Kwan Championships
1st place Form & 1st place Sparring 2008 Region 9 Championships
Jr. Dan Grand Champion 2008 Region 9 Championships
2nd Place Forms 2008 National Championships