CYNTHIA ROTHROCK HALL OF FAME SM Guy E. Larke

The 1st Cynthia Rothrock Premier Hall of Honors

By Sr. Master Guy Edward Larke

Halls of fame seem as common as finding a Starbucks near your office. There are events for every discipline, system, and state. The vast majority are in large urban centers and cater to superstars, world champions and the like. There is nothing wrong with that per se. Many people flock to these events so there must be a demand for them. A few them make a strong effort to take the norm and make something new and unique.

Among the many entrepreneurs in the industry, was a hometown boy by the name of Eric Kovaleski from a little place called Dixon City in the state of Pennsylvania. Through a combination of sweat, charm and sheer luck he successfully launched The Legends of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2009 with the amazing Cynthia Rothrock. He wanted to bring the legends of the past to his back yard, so to speak, to allow regular people to meet action starts and Korean martial arts grand masters face-to-face. Celebrities or “Legends” included Hwang Jung Lee, Bruce Lai, and Billy Blanks, in addition to GM Rothrock of course! The 2nd one was held in collaboration with a close friend of Eric’s Dan Allebach. The 3rd brought in Joseph Mertz. The 10th anniversary event unknowingly was to be the last hurrah for the event. In 2020 GM Kovaleski passed on. To make matters worse the world was experiencing COVID.

Towards the slowing of COVID in 2022, Rothrock, Allebach and Mertz wanted to restart the annual event under the same name one last time as a tribute to their lost compatriot. However, they wanted to institute a number of substantial charges to the point that it became a whole different event all of its own. All agreed upon the new name, the Cynthia Rothrock Premier Hall of Honors. They wanted to relocate it to New Jersey for logistics and so the people in Allebach and Mertz’s area could more easily take part.

In addition, the focus was changed from focusing on martial arts action stars or world champions to focusing on the silent majority of the arts as they are the present and the future. Not everyone is a champion or an action star. A lot of people can get frustrated or intimidated when faced with intense competition. Sometimes a moral boost such as this can give them the inspiration they need. Lastly it had to be AFFORDABLE. Post COVID America is still recovering so the events had to be something an or family could easily fit this into their budget.

The 1st event was held at the Cherry Hill Holiday Inn in New Jersey. It ran October 7th to 9th and was a phenomenal success!

There was a FrightDay Night Halloween Party on Friday night from 7:00 - 9:00pm. Everyone jumped in on the craziness, as is evident in the photos. With all the chaos going on in the outside world, the hosts figured the guests needed to blow off some steam! As is evident, GM Rothrock loves dressing up as well.

Early the next morning, the Halloween Havoc Martial Arts Tournament began. It started at 10 am sharp and ran till 5 in the afternoon. All styles, ages, and ranks had a chance to shine. A fine example of Master Mertz’s vision.

Shortly afterwards, The Cynthia Rothrock Premier Hall of Honors Dinner was on from 7:00 – 11:30. As promised the focus was on “the people” not the top tier of the industry.

The next day was their Super Seminar Sunday from 10:00am -

2:00pm. Olando Rivera taught a kickboxing and fitness seminar. Grand Master John Pellegrini introduced his Combat Hapkido to seminar participants. Soke Bobby S. Briggs educated comers to Kidokime-Ryu Karate-Do. Last and definitely not least, he Lady Dragon herself, Grand Master Cynthia Rothrock gave a phenomenal Tang Soo Do seminar.

To say the least, the event far exceeded expectations and will see many more years of success!

I heard about the Hall of Honors event through Cynthia Rothrock’s Martial Arts Association. I jumped at the chance to meet and train with some of the best martial artists in the world but wasn’t sure if I would join the tournament. That all changed when I met the students and teachers from Cherry Hill Martial Arts. As an outsider (I’m neither from NJ nor study Taekwondo) I received an incredible welcome and felt like part of the family immediately. The Halloween party was super fun and a great way to kick off the weekend. The tournament was very well organized and fun - lots of events for all ages. Competition was fierce but everyone was extremely supportive of each other. The level of talent across the board was a marvel, from youngsters coming to their first tournament to world class grandmasters. It was a privilege and a delight to compete.

The dinner and awards show were a great cap to a hectic day and felt very genuine, recognizing people at all stages of their martial arts journey, setting it apart from other such awards galas. No one had the chance to be bleary eyed for long the next day with four incredible seminars showcasing a variety of skills from highly engaging and knowledgeable masters. I could not recommend this weekend more - it was such a perfect mix of hard work and fun. Can’t wait to see what’s on the schedule for next year!

Natasha Tyers

It was amazing watching the competitors train for weeks and bond as a team as they did. They helped each other tremendously, with guidance from the instructors, but also on their own. They worked together even as they competed head-to-head, and you don't often see that in other athletic programs.

You don't often see the black belt tournament division ages 35 and older as competitive as it was at Halloween Havoc. We had grandmasters who were retirement age yet performing amazing patterns, both weapons forms and empty hand. If this happens next year, that division will be run early so that all the contestants, even the youngest ones, can see what a lifetime in the martial arts can accomplish.

Cynthia Rothrock has a fun personality and Halloween is her favorite holiday, so there were a lot of celebrations both at the costume party and the formal banquet. But don't forget that she's a tremendous martial artist and her seminar worked everyone hard. She spent an entire hour just on side kicks alone, and you don't often get a chance to train with the best in the world on such a granular level.

I (Soke Bobby S. Briggs) and my wife Sensei Mary Beth Briggs was invited to the Cynthia Rothrock Premier Hall of Honors Awards 2022. This event was held at the Holiday Inn Philadelphia – Cherry Hill on Oct 7-9, 2022. The event was put on by Cynthia Rothrock of Ca, and Joseph Mertz & Dan Allebach of Cherry Hill, NJ and Cherry Hill Martial Arts. The event was a “Class Act”. We drove up from our school in NC, Kidokime-ryu Karate-do Hombu Dojo of Sparta, NC to take part in this outstanding event. We also brought a few students up from our school to participate in the Martial Arts tournament during this weekend.

On Oct 7, Friday night, a Halloween style costume meet and greet party was at the hotel. Saturday morning, Oct 8th, was the Martial Arts tournament at the hotel. Many different schools and styles were at the tournament. A great time was had by all while we competed and fellowshipped with each other. Sat night at the hotel in the banquet room was the Cynthia Rothrock Premier Hall of Honors. The room was full of Black Belts, Masters, and GrandMasters from all over the world, most receiving awards. My wife was honored by receiving the Instructor of the Year Award, and I was honored by receiving the Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award. What a great night it was. Then, starting on Sun morning Oct 9th, kicked off a series of four Martial Arts Seminars taught by; Olando Rivera, GM John Pellegrini, myself (Soke Bobby Briggs), and finishing up with the Dragon Lady herself…GM Cynthia Rothrock. The seminars were a huge hit also. Very informative, and a good time had by all. I would have to say this was one of the best martial arts weekends that I have EVER seen or been a part of in my 55 years of my Martial Arts career. I would highly recommend it to ANY serious martial artist regardless of rank, style, or experience. Osu! Soke Bobby S. Briggs, Ju Dan Kidokime-ryu Karate-do

Presented by Grand Master Cynthia Rothrock in association with Grand Master Dan Allebach and Master Joseph Mertz, the Premier Hall of Honors is an elite martial arts event celebrating and honoring martial artists from around the world. Throughout the weekend, over 225 martial artists competed in the tournaments, attended the honors banquet or participated in training sessions with celebrity martial artists. Cynthia Rothrock said, “It is such a privilege to honor these up-andcoming martial artists. I’m inspired by their dedication and perseverance to strive to improve themselves in mind, body and spirit.” Grand Master Cynthia Rothrock

For more details:

Sa Bum Nim Joseph E. Mertz Chief Instructor - Cherry Hill Martial Arts The 2nd Annual Cynthia Rothrock Premier HOH 856-904-8466 - cell

https://association. cynthiarothrockofficial.com/ https://www.cynthiarothrockofficial. com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100063532298164 Instagram/ Twitter/ Facebook (856) 872-7164

cherryhillmartialarts@comcast.net

cherryhillmartialartsandfitness.com

https://hallofhonors. cynthiarothrockofficial.com/

Sr. Master Guy Edward Larke has dedicated his life from a young age to the pursuit of the martial arts, Asian culture and hoplology. It led him to Korea in 2000 and has lived there since then. He lives in Seongnam city with his wife Gi-Ryung and son Alexander. He holds black belts in Teuk Gong Moo Sool, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Taekgyeon, Bon Kuk Kumdo, Korean kickboxing, Karatedo, Wushu, Cheonji-muye-do, and various other arts. Currently he teaches Taekwondo, Karate and Cheonji-muye-do full time in addition to writing for various magazines and running Kisa-Do Muye & Marketing. He can be contacted at kisadomuye@gmail. com .