The Return of Team X?

outsider0506

Yellow Belt
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
20
Reaction score
1
Joseph Salim is coming back to the US after his successful year and a half coaching Team GB Taekwondo. Rumor has it he will settle back into the Burbank/North Hollywood area, but just not in that horrible warehouse location he had on Chandler!
 

msmitht

2nd Black Belt
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
838
Reaction score
69
Location
san diego
Is this confirmed? I spoke with hos brother not to long ago and was not confirmed yet.
 

mango.man

2nd Black Belt
Joined
Oct 27, 2006
Messages
817
Reaction score
19
Speaking as Team-X parent #1 (if we had been assigned numbers at the formation party) allow me to chime in.

When Team-X was formed it filled a need at the time. Kid's that had essentially been shunned by their "Traditional TKD" school due to their love of competition and those that were not happy with the politics and parental bickering at their current school and just wanted a place for their kids to go and learn how to beat the crap out of their opponents in the competition ring. Parents would drive as much as 90 miles (each way) to get to and from practice 5 nights a week and the kids would practice where ever they could just because they loved doing it. Places Team X practiced included, TKD schools that weren't in use by the students of that school, driveways, women's center dance floors, tennis courts, grassy areas in parks, just about any place they they could find until someone told them that they could not practice there. Practices were indoors or outdoors rain or shine or temps in the 40s to the 110+.

Team X was about the kids and nothing else. Tim Thackrey was a great coach and his only concern, was that the kids get their practice in and constantly improve. The team was small enough that he could give individual attention to each and every one. There was absolutely no favoritism, no politics, no treating anyone different than any other, costs were kept low for the parents.

Unfortunately for Team X (not for Tim) his CrossFit gym became hugely successful and he knew that he would not be able to manage that and Team X as well. Great for Tim and we were all very happy for him, but when he announced he was bringing Joseph in to help, the writing was on the wall that Team X (what it was meant to be at least) was about to become extinct.

It wasn't long after Joseph was brought on board before Tim started showing up at fewer and fewer practices and within a month he announced that he was leaving us in Joesph's good hands.

Please do not misunderstand, I think Joesph is a great coach (obviously since he was brought on by the host nation's Olympic team to be their high performance coach for the games). His philosophy though is much different from what Team X was set out to originally be. Somethings may have been out of his control but as the Team progressed under Joseph parental conflict grew and obvious signs of favoritism grew within the dojang. Maybe Tim didn't have to deal with that stuff but for some reason it started surfacing under Joseph and he either could not get it under control or chose to ignore it, or perhaps he even fed some of that.

That really went against everything that Team X was meant to stand for.

If Team X is really to be revived, than it would need Tim to come back. Yes the kids fought under the Team X name with Joseph, but it really wasn't Team X.

Nope, Team X is dead and gone. I hope that if Joseph does return and starts a new team that a different name will be chosen so that those of us that created Team X can remember Team X as what it was supposed to be about.
 

Dad of lady Taz!

White Belt
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
18
Reaction score
1
Well I guess I would be Team-X parent #2. We were the second to join after Mango Man. It was a fun ride while it lasted. Unless you were there in the early days it's kind of hard to explain the sense of purpose those kids had. Meeting at night practicing in the park next to the tennis courts...Priceless! And the kids were all good! I think it had a lot to do with Tim's management style. We tossed around quite a few names before we got to Team-X. Renegades, Outlaws, Team 360...But we managed to all settle on X. I then designed the logo, it was all about the kids. No dojang craziness or politics just training and having fun at it. Many of the top fighters in SoCal have trained at "Team X World Headquarters" as we used to call it LOL.

When Joseph took over, he inherited a great group of kids and athletes. But his management style was vastly different from Tim's and in many cases it didn't have a positive effect.
But most of all I think the biggest step toward the dissolution of team X, is that Joseph attempted to make the team a commercial enterprise. The problem was two fold.
1.There were not enough serious athletes to support the warehouse without each person paying $300 a mo, or bringing in some traditional students to help pay the bills.
2. Parents got fed up with what was perceived as favoritism and politics (include me in this one) Much of which Joseph could have stopped but chose not to. This was not what the spirit of the team was about.

Even though I believe both Tim and Joseph tried to make the transition as smooth as possible, it just didn't go well.

I think if Joseph starts a team from scratch, doing things his way from the beginning he will do well because he is a good coach. But team X? Let it rest in peace.
 

Markku P

Blue Belt
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
287
Reaction score
1
Location
Finland, Helsinki
It is VERY difficult to run a school with students who are focusing competitions. You need lot of "average" students who will cover all the cost. ( rents, salaries, competition expenses etc. )
 

Gorilla

Master of Arts
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Messages
1,759
Reaction score
44
Location
Las Vegas
It is VERY difficult to run a school with students who are focusing competitions. You need lot of "average" students who will cover all the cost. ( rents, salaries, competition expenses etc. )

No doubt about it!!!! I 100% agree...you can't make $ running a comp team!!!!
 

Latest Discussions

Top