Master Pamela Neidig
Board Member
No. A-8-27
“My goal as a board member is to serve by giving of my time and talents in the capacity that is needed to promote, grow, and strengthen the ITF America membership. “To whom much is given, much is required" Luke 12:48. I have been given such an amazing opportunity to train and teach in Taekwon-Do and have gained a lifetime of “treasures”. It is my pleasure to share them with you.”
Merits
Since October of 2018, Master Neidig holds the ITF certified rank of 8 th Dan(A-8-27). She began her Taekwon-Do journey in 1980 participating in a Women’s Self Defense class where the passion to continue training in martial arts brought her to Sereff Taekwon-Do. Between 1981 and 1987 Master Neidig and her husband opened and taught three ITF Affiliated schools. All three schools became collectively Trinity Taekwon-Do. Master Neidig served as Assistant Instructor until testing to 1 st Dan in June 1984. She then took on the role of Head Instructor alongside of her husband at Trinity Taekwon-Do and continues to this day.
Master Neidig has been successful in navigating the Taekwon-Do world as a female martial artist even though there were very few women in the Art when she first began. Master Neidig has made it her passion to mentor and promote The Art of Taekwon-Do to women, both young and “wise” and enjoys seeing a large female presence at Trinity TKD.
Achievements
Master Neidig has trained and taught in ITF Taekwon-Do since 1980. In June of 1984, she was promoted to 1 st Dan. Master Neidig certified in February of 2001 as an ITF Class A Umpire and recertified again in September 2021. She also certified as an ITF International Instructor in April 1997. She has had the pleasure of attending many International Instructor Courses, both nationally and, all over the world. By far, her most memorable IIC was taught by General Choi Hong Hi in Denver Colorado in April of 2002. It was the last time the General taught before he passed away.
Master Neidig had the privilege of umpiring as a center referee for the Black Belt Women’s sparring division in 2003 at the World Championships in Australia. After returning to Australia a few years later to help teach a seminar, Master Neidig was approached by a few of the women who had competed in her ring. They shared with her that they had pursued becoming umpires because seeing a woman as a center referee had inspired them. Master Neidig has competed in many local and National tournaments over her Taekwon-Do Journey. She earned numerous medals in women’s sparring and patterns and enjoyed traveling all over the US to compete in both ITF and Open style tournaments.
In 1988 at the USTF Nationals in Denver, Master Neidig competed in Team and Individual Sparring. She competed
just two and a half months after delivering her second son and took 2 nd place in individual sparring after an intense overtime round. At 28 she was one of the two “eldest women” competing. She wanted to demonstrate that being a mother does not have to end your career as a martial artist but can be the very reason that you train harder.
Career
Master Neidig started her Taekwon-Do training in a Women’s Self-Defense class in 1980 and then began to train ITF style Taekwon-Do under the instruction of Grand Master C.E. Sereff, and then Grand Master Neidig. Along with her newfound love of Taekwon-Do training, Master Neidig continued her education in Industrial Psychology at MSU in Denver Colorado and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in May of 1981.
Also in 1981, She and husband GM Neidig co-founded Wheatridge Taekwon-Do, an ITF affiliated school In Colorado. Between 1981 and 1987 they opened a second ITF affiliated school, YMCA North TKD and inherited a third ITF affiliated school, Westlake TKD when the instructor retired. All three schools were combined and registered under the name Trinity Taekwon-Do where you will find her training and instructing today.
In June of 1984, Master Neidig tested to 1 st Dan (A-1-3443). Her test board consisted of General Choi Hong Hi, Master Park Jung Tae, and Master Charles E Sereff. She fondly remembers it being the most stressful testing in her career!
In 2012 Master Neidig co-founded Rocky Mountain Taekwon-Do Alliance with GM Neidig and Master Charles Avila, as a non-profit organization. Under this organization she has helped organize annual tournaments, providing opportunities for competitors who could not afford to compete, and in 2021 RMTA held a very successful post covid free tournament. Master Neidig has had the privilege of umpiring in many local, national, and international tournaments. She has served as a corner judge, on patterns boards, as center referee, as a breaking judge and on Jury panels. She has taught many Women’s Self Defense courses and has been invited to teach at Master Seminars in Colorado with other Grand Masters and Masters.
As one of her most significant successes, Master Neidig considers it both and honor and a privilege to have trained up numerous white belt students into becoming Black Belts. She believes that our most precious asset in Taekwon-Do is the white belt student, because without them Taekwon-Do has no future.