November 29, 2013 8:00 am
I was practicing and preparing for the Taekwondo
Championship coming up in December. It had been two years since the last
Championship I have competed in. I was facing my coach in a sparring match, and
so far, it has been a good day. All my defense strategies were working and my
offense strategies have not been avoided with ease. I successfully held back a
laugh as my coach’s foot missed my knee guard and slammed into the wall. As my
coach was about to roundhouse kick the side of my head, a sudden, past memory
of mind flew through me like a ghost. I could not help but stare at my coach
while a tear fell from my tired, sweaty face. My coach apparently knew what the
memory was and quickly took my head gear off and gave me a bottle of water.
Before he left me to rest in privacy, he told me, “You are still the same
student I have trained since you were five. Nothing has changed besides the
fact that you are older, stronger, and less stubborn. Nothing can change who
you are, even if your eyesight is not the same anymore.” I sat on a comfortable chair be sipped my
water as I thought of that that faithful day…
December
22, 2007 (Las Vegas, Nevada. U.S Open Taekwondo Championship)
I
walked toward my female opponent and shook hands with her saying, “Good luck
and may the best fighter win.” She shook my hand and said, “You are no
competition.” As the referee blew the whistle, I immediately caught my opponent
off guard with two sidekicks to her left side followed by a flying back
spinning kick to the right of her head. She landed some kicks to my right side,
but were not as painful due to my advantage in speed. We had a good match that
that last six minutes. I ended it by knocking her down with a forceful push
kick on her chest area. I finally relaxed and turned to smile at my coach,
family, and friends. Everyone smiled in return, until suddenly, they panicked
and motioned me to turn around. As I turned around, I suddenly saw blackness
surrounding me and a sharp pain on the side of my head…
I could not help but remember the faithful accident that
caused the loss of my vision. Many people have asked why I have not quit
Taekwondo as a sport and move on to something else. Well, ever since that
faithful day, the only emotion I ever felt was determination. Of course, it is
still painful for me to remember the accident, but I have learned to forgive my
opponent and move on. Everyone expected me to fall into a depressed state and
let anger run my actions, but I did not allow it to happen. Ever since I began
Taekwondo, I have learned that perseverance and indomitable spirit lived within
me. I have learned to rise to challenges and to never give up without a fight.
I believed that eyeglasses were meant for me and that it symbolized my
perseverance and indomitable spirit.
I stood up and put my water bottle on the counter and got
ready to have another match with my coach. Before I headed out, I got a clean
cloth and started cleaning my eyeglasses. As I cleaned it, a sudden smirk came
across my face. I instantly remembered that I was going to meet my old opponent
again face-to-face at the competition. I made a strong promise to myself that
if we sparred face-to-face again, victory was going to land upon me along with
my trust eyeglasses. As I headed out, a small voice in my head suddenly
reminded me to never turn my back on any opponent…EVER AGAIN.
I never knew the danger that goes along with the sport Taekwondo. Of course it is fighting so there will be injury, but I simply assumed that the sport was pretty safe due to rules and the referee. A person could have easily given up sports all together if they lose their sense of sight. This sense is one of the most important factors while playing a sport. If you can not see it is impossible to know where your opponent is to be able to defend yourself and strike a target. Continuing on with Taekwondo even with your impaired vision reflects your inner strength and determination, as well as your love for the sport. Very motivating story!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an inspiring and amazing story. The sport of Taekwondo seems very intense and its so interesting that you take part in it. I am so glad that you were able to continue Taekwondo despite what you've experienced. You turned a downfall in your life into something positive and a lesson to learn from. I like how you take ownership and sense of pride of having your eyeglasses. I really enjoy that. This is such a well written story. Great job.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised to find out that your opponent was such a coward, that she couldn't even get you face to face, but instead back to face. I really enjoyed your story, mostly for your will and determination of your beloved sport. It shows true skill and will to go in a sport that you've been injured in. Great Job.
ReplyDeleteJose Mancillas
It shows your skill and determination that you will go on and still continue to play your beloved sport, which you have been injured in. I enjoyed that the story was an actual part of your real life, it was very inspiring and interesting, great job.
ReplyDeleteJose Mancillas
Wow, Adriene! I was enthralled by your captivating story. Your vivid imagery of your championship match made me feel as if I were there in the audience with your family, watching you compete! I am so proud of your perseverance and determination. You truly do have an indomitable spirit. Your story inspired me greatly, keep up the good work! Beautiful personal reflection, girl!
ReplyDeleteI love this Adriene! I was really interested and captivated and wanted to know how your story was going to unravel! Your incorporation of the time and date only made me get more involved in your story and be a spectator in your situation. Very motivating!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness Adriene! I never knew this about you. I always assumed that bad vision just ran in your family. Anyways...
ReplyDeleteThis was such an amazing piece to read! I always wondered where your determination came from and now I know. Your vivid descriptions of everything that was going on made me feel as if I was there, watching you at your Tae Kwon Do competition. I even flinched when it got to the part where your blacked out as a kid.
I'm glad you learned to be more determined from that point on. Fight on! I hope you teach that girl a lesson!
This is a great story! I liked the way you've formatted this piece, starting with the current setting, followed with a flashback and your conclusion. Your story is truly a prime example of perseverance and learning from your mistakes. Good job, and good luck with your tournament!
ReplyDelete-Ben Chang
Wow, I admire you so much for allowing yourself to pick yourself back up and return to the sport that you love so much, even after such a devastating setback. I'm sure, though, that you are a lot stronger now and cannot only apply what you learned in Taekwondo to any other aspect of life! And hey, glasses are a very fashionable accessory if you ask me. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing story! It shows how strong you are and that you'll never give up on something that you love. Keep fighting, and never give up! :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this story was so inspirational. Your descriptions were amazing; I felt like I was standing beside you at the tournament. I still cannot believe that your opponent hit you after the bell. I wish I could punch her in the face for you!!! Your willingness to continue you on is unbelievable and I admire your flawless sportsmanship. You go girl!!!
ReplyDelete-Christina Tapia
This is absolutely amazing! I cannot believe that you had to experience such a traumatic event and I am glad you still do what you love today! Your description of the occurrence is outstanding and I am so glad you shared this story with us!
ReplyDeleteTaylor Robles
Adrienne, I remember you telling us about that girl! I'm glad you used your past experience to help you become a stronger, wonderful person! This was very touching to read, considering you could have viewed your accident as a bad thing but you didn't. I liked reading the flashback and your use of descriptive language made me feel like I was watching your match. Nice job!
ReplyDelete-Alexandra Aguilar
I've had the pleasure of getting to know you these past few months. But in all the time we've known each other, you had not really gone into detail about the accident that led to your loss of eyesight. I now see how much Taekwondo means to you, enough for you to continue participating in the sport, despite the pain it caused you. You go girl! I liked your story very much. It was very well organized, and the insertion of the flashback was thought out very well.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a meaningful piece Adriene! I actually remember you telling me about what happened with your vision, though you didn't go into quite as much detail, but it was still really interesting to be able to read more about it and get the background information. I'm sorry that you lost your vision, but it's important to look on the bright side of things: you can still see (even if you need glasses) and you learned a very valuable lesson. Like you stated in your writing, never turn your back to an opponent. Great job! :)
ReplyDeleteI remember like two weeks ago, when you briefly described this incident to me and even then, the way you described it was vivid enough for me to imagine it. I've known you for a pretty long time but I didn't realize until recently how important Taekwondo is to your life. Although it sucks that things turned out they way they did, I'm glad that you aren't bitter and angry about it. Keep doing what you love.
ReplyDeleteP.S: If you ever have to compete with that girl again, I know you'll win.