I started Jung's Taekwondo in February 2011. I was a very shy kid that spent most of my days playing video games. I didn't really hang out with my class mates. I have always felt that I was different than them, not
better, just different. I was never interested in sports that were offered through the school system. Sports are such a large part of the life of many people in high school. As a small shy person it’s very hard for me to socialize. Most of the kids in my class are twice my size. They all think of me as a little kid and not a peer. After starting at Jung's and learning about taekwondo, my life has changed. I realized when I did taekwondo it didn't matter if I was small. Today I am honored to say I am a strong and roud Black Belt!!!!! When I walk into the dojang I am not the shy kid and not the little kid. I have made so many friends here at Jung's taekwondo in Grinnell. I meet new people every time I come back to Cedar Rapids. It will be 3 years in February that I have been learning and growing at Jung's taekwondo. I am still small for my age and still a little shy but not as small and not as shy. I may not look that tall but I feel 6 ft tall. My favorite thing in taekwondo is doing the flying side kick. I love it. One day doing a flying side kick on the bags, I landed wrong. I had hurt my knee not a major injury but one that caused me pain none the less. I still continued to go to class and worked through the pain in my knee. It would start to feel better and then I would injure it again. I soon realized I had to give it more time to heal. My mom got me a wrap for my knee and Master Gibson told me to wear it the whole time I was in class. That has helped. The funny thing is the person I was 3 years ago, I would have given up on taekwondo. The way I am now I persevered and would not let it stop me. I will be doing flying side kicks for many more years. June 2013, I tested for my temp black belt. It was a lot of work and a lot of studying. My family helped me. Every night we studied the meaning of my forms. I
guess I spent so much time getting ready for the test that I didn't have time to get nervous. Then June 8th came and I suddenly found myself more nervous than I have ever been in my life. I had several family members that had come to watch me test. I looked at the crowd all watching; the judges table seemed fuller than it had ever been before. I was so scared. My mom handed me a bottle of water and I was shaking so much that I could not put the lid on the bottle. But once the test started I calmed myself and began to do what I had spent the last 2 1/2 years studying for. I realized the true reason for teaching the 5 tenants of
taekwondo. It took all 5 of them to help me thru the test. The following Thursday June 13th, I was promoted to temp black belt. My picture is hanging on the wall with all the other black belts. I am really proud of
myself. August 12, 2013 was the first testing since I had become a temp black belt. My mom asked me if I wanted to sit with her like I had done before. I was able to say I am supposed to stand with the black belts.
That felt so good. Later on that day Grand Master Jung came up to me and said I should come eat pizza with the black belts. Wow, that was so amazing. A few weeks later I was able to attend my first black belt
meeting at a tournament. My first promotion night at my dojang in Grinnell was August 15. I stood up front with the black belts and shook the hands of the newly promoted students. One of those students was my
dad. He had just tested for his orange belt. I was able to shake his hand. Pretty cool for a small, shy kid.
