February Promotion Testing:  We have testing scheduled for Tuesday, February 17^th which is a scheduled class night.  The length of the testing will depend on how many are testing.  We are evaluating all the students and passing out testing forms to those ready to test.  You must know all your new requirements and be able to demonstrate them without assistance, you must be actively training (a minimum of 7 classes per month), your tuition must be current, and you must demonstrate the correct attitude.  If you not able to meet all of these requirements then you are not ready, and will not be asked to test.  Keep training hard and you will get there.

USTF Initial & Annual Membership Fees:  It is time again for the Annual USTF Maintenance Fees.  The Initial Fee for USTF first time memberships is $50.00.  The Annual USTF Maintenance Fees are determined each year and for 2015 the fees are $75.00.  This fee is due no later than Thursday, February 26^th, payable to Mr. Bushor.   The Annual USTF Maintenance Fees for 2015 remained the same this year. The fees allow the USTF to operate a full time office.  In order to continue to help our Taekwon-Do families, the following discounts apply:

  For family discounts;   1^st family member is $75.00

                                     2^nd family member is $50.00

                                     3^rd family member is $25.00

                                     4^th family member is Free

As the USTF Nebraska State Director, Mr. Bushor, 6th dan, is responsible for collecting, tracking and working this program for Axe Taekwon-Do.  All students Green Belt and above must be members of the USTF.  We collect your initial fee when you test, typically for Green belt, but students can join sooner.  The appropriate forms and fees are forwarded to the Headquarters in Colorado. We pass out the USTF and ITF patches and membership cards when they are returned to Mr. Bushor.  Students who recently joined the USTF (since October) will not need to pay the maintenance fee this year.  If you have any questions please ask Mr. Bushor kbushor@cox.net. 

USTF Internationals Fund Raiser:  On March 9th we have scheduled a Fundraising event to support and students going to the USTF Internationals in Boston this summer.  The USTF Internationals is open to ALL Axe Taekwon-Do students.  The Fund Raiser will be at the Pizza Ranch restaurant on 72nd Street in Papillion.  We will be clearing tables and cleaning between 4 pm and 8 pm.  We will need at least 8 (again all students and/or parents are invited to participate) people to volunteer to help with the fund raiser.  We will receive 10% of the day's profits plus any tips we get.  The more customers they have that day, the better donation we will receive, so tell your family and friends to come and enjoy dinner at the Pizza Ranch on Monday, March 9th.  They have the best fried chicken in town and a great selection of pizza and salads.

USTF Instructors Course: USTF Class C Instructors Course, April 18th & 19th in Broomfield, Colorado.  This course is open for all students but you must be a red belt black stripe or above to certify for the Class C Instructor.  No students can test for 2nd degree black belt until they successful passed this course.  The course is taught by Grand Master Winegar, the USTF Director of Technique.  The course is 8am-6pm (sometimes later) both days.  We will leave Bellevue on Friday, April 17th and return Monday, April 20th.  The cost is $200 for certification and $75 for refresher.  Again you should attend these courses after initial certification whenever possible to learn as much as you can.  This course covers every aspect of Taekwon-Do from white belt through black belt.  The course is designed to make you a better black belt.  Written tests are only administered for initial certification.

USTF Tournaments:  (By Sr. Master Todd)  There will be plenty of opportunities to sharpen your skills and enjoy friendly competition in 2015.   

March 21 - Maestas Tournament, Arvada, Colorado.  This will be our first trip to this tournament.  This is their 15th annual tournament and Master Martin & Master Pettijohn have a great school.  I have the flyer loaded on the Axe TKD website.  The tournament features breaking, patterns & sparring.  There is also a competition for the school that earns the most 1st, 2nd or 3rd place awards.  It should be interesting.  We are compiling a list of anyone wanting to attend so we can plan rooms/rides.  We sent home the tournament flyer.  Your forms and payment need to be turned into Sr. Master Todd by March 3^rd.  For this tournament we will leave Bellevue on Friday and return Sunday.

May 16 - Axe TKD tournament, Offutt Youth Center. This will be our 8th annual tournament.  Remember all students are required to attend at least one tournament per year.  While I hesitate to make anything mandatory, I would like to see all students of Axe Taekwon-Do attend this tournament.  We will have competitors from Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Missouri who have already inquired about our tournament.  It will feature breaking, patterns and sparring.  The flyer loaded on the Axe TKD website.

July 25/26 - USTF Internationals, Boston, Massachusetts.  This will be the largest USTF tournament in the past 15 years or more.  USTF has invited schools from Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and South America.  I personally know there will be competitors from the following states:  Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Alaska, NEBRASKA, Kansas, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.  If you are interested in attending this event, Axe TKD is renting a 15 passenger van and driving whoever would like to attend.  If we get more than 15 people we will rent a second van.  We will plan rooms to keep the prices down.  Please contact Sr. Master Todd for more information, either in class or at ustfneb@cox.net.  We will have a flyer and registration details posted soon.  We are planning fund raisers now to defer some of the cost for Axe competitors.  We will hold an informational meeting soon.

Sept 12 - USTF Tournament in Casper, Wyoming.  This date has changed in the past month, so check your calendar for availability.  We will also be compiling a list of anyone wanting to attend so we can plan rooms/rides.  For this tournament we would leave Bellevue on Friday and return Sunday.

Sept - USTF Tournament in Kirksville, Missouri.  The exact date is unknown at this time but we will announce the details when we have them.  We will also be compiling a list of anyone wanting to attend so we can plan rooms/rides.  For this tournament we would leave Bellevue early Saturday morning and return Sunday.

Oct 18 - USTF Tournament in Broomfield, Colorado.  The exact date is unknown at this time but we will announce the details when we have them.  We will also be compiling a list of anyone wanting to attend so we can plan rooms/rides.  This tournament is typically held on a Sunday so we would leave Bellevue Saturday morning and return Monday.

I understand that students and families may not be able to attend all events.  The May tournament is easy since we don't travel.  I would suggest you look these events over and decide what you want to do.  All are USTF events and will be run safely.  The Boston event will probably be the most exciting. 

Sparring Gear:  You will need sparring gear to spar in class or at any of the tournaments we will be attending. Everyone is required to wear head gear, hand gear, foot gear, and a mouth piece; additionally all male competitors must wear a protective cup.  Shin pads and arm pads are allowed and are encouraged but are not mandatory.  If you would like to order a set of sparring gear (head gear, gloves, and boots) for your very own, please let Mr. Bushor know as soon as possible.  The cost is $69 for the entire set of sparring gear.  There is an assortment of colors and sizes.  You can purchase a mouth guard and protective cup at any major sporting goods store or at Walmart.

Weather:  Remember the Youth Center weather policy.  We will have class as long as the Youth Center is open.  If the base closes due to weather, the Youth Center will close.  We never close class on our own.  Use your best judgment with your safety in mind; if it’s slick out, use your individual judgement to drive to class or not.  In the event the Youth Center closes, we will post the closure on Facebook, and attempt to email and/or everyone.   In the past, the Youth Center has closed with very little warning, so on stormy weather days make sure you can get into the Youth Center before your ride leaves.

Testing Changes for 2015:  (By Sr. Master Todd)  Prices will remain the same for color and black belt testing.  Test board changes:  The testing board will be comprised of  me (Sr. Master Todd), Mr. Bushor, K., and Ms. Bowing.  I will rotate the testing director between Mr. Finan and the other black belts.  Dress:  If you are testing you will wear your dobok.  If you are just watching, I will announce the dress for the black belts.  Color belt students will wear doboks at testing, if testing or not.  If we have one person testing for a black belt rank all black belts will wear their USTF "blues".  Again I will make an announcement in advance. Currently I have tests scheduled for:  Feb 17th, Jun 4th, Aug 27th and Nov 19th. 

Class Size:  We encourage all students and their families to help us spread the word that we have Taekwon-Do classes and encourage others to join the class.  We have flyers and brochures we can provide you if needed.  Our overall size is about the same as usual but we have a lot of inactive students right now.  We would like to increase our overall size in 2015.  We would appreciate your assistance with recruiting new students.

Security Tips in a Digital Age: (By Evaine Mansfield) There are dozens of companies selling data on individuals.  It is important to remember this, because anything you post online is there forever.  These companies collect what you post on various sites and create a profile.  This can be used for marketing purposes, but it can also be used nefariously to steal your identity.  Here are some tips to help keep you secure:

1. Do not post anything online that you would not want the entire world to know, especially future employers.  Potential employers do internet searches on candidates.  If they want to delve deep, then they can acquire items about you that you have “deleted” by acquiring your profile from a data acquisition company.

2. Have secure passwords!  The longest it takes to break a 4 digit pin on a phone is 16.6 hours.  A 6 digit pin can take up to 1660 hours.  If you really want to be secure, then a 10 digit pin can take a hacker up to 1902.2 years.  You see that length matters more than complexity.  It is even better to have a program on your phone that backs up your data and will reset your phone to factory settings in case of multiple incorrect login attempts.

3. Avoid using free Wi-Fi areas.  With only a couple hundred dollars’ worth of equipment, a hacker can set up their own Wi-Fi system that looks like the real one.  They will intercept your data and then send it on, so you do not notice an impact.  They can see everything you transmit, potentially insert malware, and acquire other information from your system.  Only use free Wi-Fi areas if you have a VPN that you use to tunnel into a secure internet.

4. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your phones when not using them.  If you leave them on, then your phone is constantly searching for the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth networks it has memorized.  Again, with not a lot of expense, a hacker can set up a system that will imitate a network that your phone is searching for.  For example, if your home Wi-Fi is remembered in your phone and you go out, then your phone is constantly sending out a signal to see if your home network is within range.  A hacker can pick up that signal and the equipment will imitate your home network.  Your phone will connect to it, because it looks like the network it is expecting. 

5. Delete old accounts!  If you still have a MySpace or Hotmail account floating out there that you do not use, a hacker can gain access to that and use information garnished there to hack into your other accounts.  Chances are that you reuse passwords and the hacker will try the password they discovered on your other accounts.  To keep my complex passwords more secure and less used, I have a couple of simple passwords that I use on websites that do not contain any personal data.

6. Only shop at secure websites (begin with https and not just http).  This ensures your credit card is encrypted when sent electronically.

7. Be wary of clicking on unexpected links from friends and especially do not click on links from unknown senders.  Assume the link is malicious until you verify it with the sender, since their account may have been hacked.

8. Never provide your usernames, passwords, or other private information in an email or phone call unless you initiated the call or email.  If they called you or emailed you first, then it may not be authentic even if it looks or sounds real.  Tell them that you will address the issue through the company website or that you will call them back later.  Do not call a number they provide, but instead call a known number for the company.

Small tidbits of information can add up quickly into a larger picture, so keep as much of your personal information private as you can.  This will help protect you from identity theft and scams.  Individuals under 18 are a prime target for identity theft, because these individuals do not regularly check their credit scores.