March Newsletter

02 March 2026

Chestertown and Easton

Regular Class Schedules Monday through Thursday

Chestertown on Friday will have only 1 Class at 6:00 PM

• Friday 03/06: Tournament Prep at 6:00 PM

Easton on Friday will have Regular Schedule

• Friday 03/06: 5:00 PM Tiny Tigers
  • 5:30 PM Family Class
  • 6:45 PM Tournament Prep
• Saturday 03/07: Chesapeake Bay Tournament
  • Bothe Schools Closed

 

Weekly Outstanding Students

Chestertown

Leader of the Week – Hailey Dawson

Student of the Week – Martin Silva

Tang Soo Spirit of the Week – Oliver de Arriz

Easton

Leader of the Week – Audrey Pope

Student of the Week – Santos Lendechy-Lora

Tang Soo Spirit of the Week – Braedyn Stewart

 

Belt Tests and Promotions – Candidate Lists are Posted

• Weapons Testing: on Saturday went Terrific! We saw so much improvement from so many students and all the Instructors are very pleased with the progress. Keep Practicing! Tang Soo!!!
• Tiny Tigers Testing – Friday March 13 at 5:00 PM in Easton
• Belt (Gup) Testing – Saturday March 14 at 10:00 AM in Easton
• Tiny Tigers Testing – Friday March 20 at 5:00 PM in Chestertown
• April – Black Belt Pre-Tests/Re-Certs/Rank Tests at 10:00 AM
  • Saturday April 18^th at Eastern Shore Tang Soo Do in Chestertown
  • Saturday April 25^th at Synergy Martial Arts in Odenton
• Next Belt/Gup Test in Chestertown Saturday May 2^nd. Tang Soo!

 

Loyalty has No Grey Area – Unknown

 

Even if you don’t Win, you Learn…which is in itself Winning!

 

Chesapeake Bay Invitational

Saturday March 7^th, 2026

The Perfect Tournament to LEARN – PRACTICE – WATCH

Hosted at Synergy Martial Arts. Co-Hosted by Phoenix Martial Arts

This Tournament is a Great way to break into Competition and begin to understand Tournaments in general!

Competition Divisions consist of:

Forms                         Breaking

Sparring                                 Weapons

Competitors are further divided and matched up by age and rank, within each competition category.

Rules for Judging are explained before each event.

Medals are awarded for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Place!

Grand Champion Trophies (our 1^st time awarding Grand Champion) in 4 Black Belt Categories:

Women’s Sparring                Men’s Sparring

Junior Forms                         Adult Forms

This is a Fantastic first experience and a Great way to practice for All Tournaments for the coming year!

Pre-Registration Investment is $65 (Flat Fee) by Saturday February 28^th

After or At the Door is $75

Get your registration form NOW!

Chesapeake Bay Invitational, Hosted at Synergy Martial Arts

1360 Blair Drive, Odenton, MD 21113

Check-In: 9:00 AM               Start Time: 10:00 AM

 

Your Competition in Not with Other People…

It’s with your Procrastination.

It’s with your Excuses.

It’s with the Skill that you Neglect.

Compete against That and Conquer Yourself. – Unknown

 

10^th Annual Chesapeake Bay Invitational

The Perfect Tournament to WIN AND to LEARN

10^th Year! It’s Hard to Believe!

Saturday March 7^th in Odenton, MD

It started as a training seminar to help our students prepare for the upcoming Spring Tournament Season. In conjunction with Synergy Martial Arts, we wanted to provide a realistic feel for how competition works and to provide a way for parents to understand what happens at tournaments. As it grew, we began using it as a way to train judges, referees and scorekeepers as well. Then it became an Interschool tournament…and now, we realize that this has become an annual tradition and it has been going on for 10 Years!!!

This year, we will have commemorative T-Shirts, and we are introducing our 1^st round of Grand Champion Trophies!

Coffee and Food trucks will be available All Day!

We Thank You All for being a Part of this Annual Tradition!

Tang Soo!

 

Spring Tournament/Fun Dates

• March 7^th – Chesapeake Bay Invitational
• March 28^th – Garden State Championships**
• May 15 – Picture Day in Easton 3:00 – 8:00 PM
• May 16 – Picture Day in Chestertown 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• May 30?? – Saturday in the Park in Chestertown 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• June 5^th & 6^th – CS Kim Karate National Championships
• June 14 – Annual Picnic and Belt Promotions: Tuckahoe State Park
  • Sunday 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM

 

Basic Tang Soo Do Etiquette

Taken from the pages or our Student Handbook

7. All students entering the Do Jang (training floor) must come to attention, salute the flags and bow. Upon exiting the Do Jang, the student should bow then salute the flags. This shows proper respect, loyalty and patriotism.

 

There are many ways to train in Karate, but only One way to be respected…Work Hard. – Unknown

 

March 2026

February’s Outstanding Students

Chestertown

Leader of the Month – Hailey Dawson

Student of the Month – Martin Silva

Most Spirited Student – Mia Mancuso

Easton

Leader of the Month – Audrey Pope

Student of the Month – Oscar Jackson

Most Spirited Student – Madeleine Knudsen

 

Every Day is a New Opportunity to Think Positive and Change Your Life – Unknown

 

Happy Birthday – March!

생일 축하  Saeng-Il Chuga 

Braedyn Stewart – March 01^st

Josh Edelen – March 06^th

Ben Rochon – March 07^th

Shawn Duckery – March 10^th

Jax Stenecker – March 20^th

Diego Cifuentes-Vasquez – March 20^th

Hayden Edelen – March 27^th

Cassidy Dawson – March 30^th

 

Discipline is not about showing others your Strength, it’s about Mastering Yourself Every Day. – Unknown

 

Master Mark Pagano Communications

SBN Mark Pagano has an Open Door Policy when it comes to communication for BOTH Schools

If you have Any questions at Any time about Anything concerning either the Easton or Chestertown schools please contact Master Mark Pagano directly. Thank You!

            Cell Phone: Text or Call – 410-708-9944

            e-mail: [email protected]

 

A Person is Great Not because they haven’t Failed, a Person is Great because Failure hasn’t Stopped Them

– Confucius (paraphrased)

 

Friday Night Advanced Classes

Beginning in March, with the high concentration of Tournaments and Belt Tests over the next few months, Friday Night classes at 6:45PM, (which already exist in Chestertown and will be introduced in Easton) at BOTH Schools, will be focused on Tournament Prep and Test Prep for 4^th Gup and Higher Ranks. Any students preparing to become Red Belts and Higher Ranks (especially those who have not made it to the recent clinics that were scheduled specifically for you) should make the effort to be in as many Friday Night classes that they can. Tang Soo!!!

 

FLASH Sale: Full Sparring Gear Sets!

We have a few Complete Sets of Gear, Ready-to-Go!

There are several unsold pieces that have been collecting dust in storage and SBN Pagano has completed these sets, making them ready for use immediately! Normal Bundle Pricing is $155 for a Complete Set (buying pieces individually can cost $215 or more).

**Sale Prices Based on number of pieces needed to complete the set

1. Purple Century Set: Ideal for Youth – Shoe Size 7/8 Sale: $95
2. Blue Pro Force Set: Ideal for Youth/Teen – Shoe Size 8-8.5 Sale: $95
3. Neon Green Century Set: Ideal for Youth – Shoe Size 7/8 Sale: $95
4. White Pro Force Set: Ideal for Tiny Tigers – Shoe Size ½: $95
5. Blue Century Set: Ideal for Youth – Shoe Size 5/6 Sale: $95

 

Accept Everything just the way it Is – Miyamoto Musashi

 

Garden State Championships

Saturday March 28^th, Thorofare, NJ

Champions Do what’s Needed regardless of how they Feel.

Their Discipline Overrides their Feelings.

• Allistair McCaw

“Experience is a Great Teacher…in Fact, the Best!”

“Competition with others is still competition with Yourself!”

“Enriching your Martial Arts Training with Tournament Participation is an important Experience in your development as a Tang Soo Do practitioner!”

I Personally Stand Behind Every One of these Statements…no matter how cliché they may be! Positive Reinforcement aside…our Choong Jae Nim (Master CS Kim) always attends this tournament (he and Master Yi trained together in Korea under Supreme Grandmaster Hwang Kee), and it is a Great excuse to get to see him and spend time with this Amazing Martial Arts Legend. If there were No Other Reason to go…this is enough. Bring your magazine and ask him to sign it, too!

TANG SOO!!!

 

The Secret of getting ahead is getting Started – Mark Twain

 

Grandmaster Chun Sik Kim Magazines

We all see his picture on the wall with the Flags!

He is Master Mark Pagano’s teacher, the Founder of our Federation and one of the most Notable and Respected martial artists in the World.

I know that magazines, actual “hold in your hands and read” magazines, are a thing of the past…but we have several editions, and multiple copies of these editions, featuring Grandmaster Kim on the covers and in the main articles for you to have. Black Belt Magazine and Tae Kwon Do Times were once the top 2 martial arts periodicals throughout the 1970’ until the 2010’s. They are available at both schools, so please feel free to take some home…maybe you can even get Grandmaster Kim to sign a copy at a training seminar or at National Championships this year!

 

Don’t Settle for Better Once, Strive for Better Always – SBN KT Pagano

 

DRINK WATER!

In the WINTER you NEED to maintain your water intake! It is all too easy to become dehydrated in the Chaotic Changing Weather and Heat running constantly in the Home, School or Business!

HOW MUCH SHOULD I DRINK?!   

Simple: (your body weight) ÷ 2 = the fluid ounces of water you should drink in a typical day  Example- 160 lbs. ÷ 2 = 80 oz. of water/day. This should be a minimum amount for a training day and this number should increase on the days you know exercise is in your schedule!  PLEASE STAY HYDRATED!

 

March/April – Clinics/Events

March 06 –Tournament Prep All Classes

March 07 – Chesapeake Bay Invitational Tournament

March 13 – Tiny Tiger Testing in Easton at 5:00 PM

                        Easton: Test Prep All Ranks at 6:15 PM

March 13 – JUDO Clinics in Chestertown

March 14 – Belt Testing at 10:00 AM in Easton

March 14 – Leadership Clinic at 1:00 PM in Easton

March 20 – Tiny Tiger Testing in Chestertown at 5:00 PM

                        Chestertown: Test Prep 4^th Gup and Higher Ranks at 6:15 PM

March 21 – Black Belt Clinic at 1:00 PM in Chestertown

March 27 – Tournament Prep All Classes

March 28 – Garden State Championships: Woodbury NJ 

April 03/04 – Easter Weekend: Closed

April 10 – ITF Training

April 11 – ITF Training

April 17 – TBA

April 18 – Advanced (CDB, Dan) Testing in Chestertown at 10 AM

April 24 – TBA

April 25 – Advanced (CDB, Dan) Testing in Odenton at 10 AM

 

Black Belt is a White Belt who Never Gave Up!

 

Just Don’t Quit!