On March 23rd, we had four of our team members compete in the USA Taekwondo National Qualifier in Grapevine, TX: Kyla, Logan, Will, and Rashid. All black belts 12 and older fought with electronic chest guards. The competition was difficult. Both Kyla and Logan fought much larger opponents who gave them a difficult time. Each fought hard but were not able to beat their opponents. Will and Rashid fought last. In order to be able to try for the USA team, Will and Rashid had to qualify for the worldclass division. They must place in the top four to qualify for worldclass. Will had six in his division and Rashid had five. As such, each had to win at least one match to qualify.
Will fought first and after a moment or two of not quite being on his game, Will tied the score in the last round. Regular time ended with a tied score. The match moved into overtime, a sudden death round. Will scored with a head shot but his opponent scored with a body shot just after. Because the body shots were scored electronically, Will's opponent's point went up before the head shot. Master De Los Reyes protested that the head shot was not scored and the referee polled the judges. They gave the three points to Will and after much consultation, Will was declared the winner. It appeared that Will's opponent's coach was going to protest the win but the opponent shook Will's hand and congratulated him on his win showing excellent sportsmanship. The match was over and Will advanced to the next round.
Rashid fought second. He handled his opponent will little trouble. Using excellent strategy and patients, Rashid gained the lead and maintained it throughout the match. He looked confident and in control.
Rashid's second opponent won his first match by knock out. This fighter is known for his spinning techniques to the head so one cannot "fall asleep" during a match with him or risk being knocked out. With a new game plan in hand, Rashid entered the ring determined to win. Keeping an eye out for spinning head shots, Rashid set up his plays and took advantage of openings with great timing and skill. Rashid won the match in regular time for the gold medal! After loosing several matches to people he was sure he should be able to beat, Rashid's confidence took a hit. Between his gold medal at the AAU Region 9 Qualifier and his gold at this tournament, he is ready to head to Chicago in July and make it to team trials!
Will entered his final match with great confidence. His opponent looked rather young and a bit on the smaller side. No one on our team had seen him before. Seconds into the match, Will's opponent scored the first two points. Will had a bit of trouble evening up the score until he pulled out his head shots. With a few head shots scored, Will quickly pulled ahead by 10 points. The cut kicks that Will throws can send an opponent flying. After eating a few of those cut kicks, Will's opponent was not fighting as aggressively as he was in the beginning. The match ended with Will up by 7 points for the gold medal.
Congratulations everyone!
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