Taekwondo Tournament March 2008

Matthew, Star Bear (preschool
project for a week) & Mr. Dang

Matthew’s first Taekwondo tournament in mid-March was the first event for us. He did great through warm-up session, but was shy and nervous when it was time to show the panel of judges a series of moves. He still earned an Olympic-style medal for his effort.  

Mr. Dang runs an awesome program at Lake Norman Taekwondo. he really makes it fun for the little guys and emphasizes manners and obedience. Really, they are only four years old right? How much board-breaking do you want these toddlers to do anyway? (None, they are dangerous enough at this stage).

Right now, Matthew is working on earning his second belt, which I think he needs eight stripes – he’s about half-way there. He’s earned stripes for knowing the five tenants (courtesy, indomitable spirit, integrity, perseverance and self-control), knowing his RIGHT and LEFT and using self-control (standing still, being quiet when necessary).

I’m not sure why he earned the others — sometimes this stuff comes at us faster than we can keep up – but we’ll upload more photos as he works his way to earning another stripe.