A Welcome Visitor

by Danielle Uchitelle

In advance of the historic HwanGap celebration honoring Sabumnim’s 60th birthday (more on that in a separate post), WMAC welcomed back many who trained in years past, and some from the not-so-distant past. One of these was Chungsanim Jill Burdick, who traveled from upstate New York to attend the celebration, and also to catch up on some WMAC classes.

The Chungsanims are among our most senior martial arts instructors, deeply experienced and highly trained leaders of the WMAC family. They are few in number and highly respected, and when a Chungsanim travels from afar to return to the dojang it is a special moment.

Chungsanim Jill attended multiple classes during her brief visit to Brooklyn, and I had the opportunity to train with her early on Saturday. Her energy and knowledge of the curriculum made this a morning on the mat that I won’t soon forget. But this memorable morning left behind a tinge of sadness for me. The Chungsanims are more than just senior instructors; they’re a vital part of the living fabric of our WMAC family, and when one of them is no longer around to train with us, it feels like a phantom limb, a presence I can vividly sense, yet when I look, it isn’t there.

Life takes us in all directions, white belts and Chungsanims alike; arrivals and departures are part of the natural order of the universe. But we miss you, Jill, and I hope that the future somehow holds more Chungsanim Jill sessions for all of us.