Good afternoon, Masters, clubmates and parents, before I start, I promise that I did not use ChatGPT or any AI in this essay.

​

I’m grading here today because martial art taekwondo is something I enjoy doing. I find joy and happiness in many things in taekwondo such as sparring, self-defense and gaining friendship.

​

Through an adventurous journey in taekwondo, I have completed many quests that require me to acquire new knowledge of techniques whether it is kicks, strikes, blocks or even just self-defense. I really enjoy learning how to trip people as I think it is practical. Quests that involve me being exhausted have allowed me to earn XP points for my fitness and my mental strength increase my stats over time. I use the trial-and-error method to figure out how I could react to a certain situation. I acquire new knowledge on what works and what doesn’t work which increases fight IQ stats. Over the course of my years doing taekwondo, it wasn’t only about training and competing but also dieting, learning what should be eaten and at what time is a good time to eat it. I have learnt from my masters to eat carbs before training to have energy and protein for after training to recover muscles. 

​

As I understood more of competitions, I became nervous because I wanted to win but now, I think that treating competitions as fun and having the desire to win is better, Master Bryanna said during a training session “Treat sparring like a game, have fun with it.” If I remember correctly.

​

In my cadet years pain tolerance has been a tough thing to overcome, but as time passes, I feel like it’s getting better, at least that’s what I think. This reminds me of the time Master Benecia piggybacked me at the 2023 Sydney Festival competition after being kicked in the leg to receive my medal which I am extremely thankful for.

Recently I have started helping out on Wednesday classes and through this I have felt like I have built my confidence up even if it is a little. Confidence is a skill I have been hoping to develop and improve on. I’ve also thought about Master Brian saying, “Your voice doesn’t need to be loud, it needs to be more confident,” something along those lines.

​

In my first Junior competition (2026 Junior selections) I ultimately lost my first match, but it was a great learning experience for me to grow as an athlete or as an athl-eat. The year before (2025) I went to the cadet selections going through 3 tough matches, but my first match was definitely the hardest match. I was destroyed in the first round 15-3 but with the help of my Master Bryanna I was able to make a very unexpected comeback when all hope seemed lost. I ultimately win the -45kg and was granted the chance to represent Australia at Fujairah, where I was able to win the round of 64 before losing in the round of 32 to the Russian gold medalist. This was an achievement in my eyes plus a very valuable learning opportunity and experience.

​

There are a lot of people I would like to acknowledge, for helping me throughout my taekwondo journey. First, I would like to thank my parents for paying for my classes, competitions, equipment, also how they buy and cook plain veggies so I can make weight for my competitions. I would also like to thank all the masters, as I have gained so much, additionally I’m very grateful for providing an environment where I’m able to thrive, teaching me in a way that I can learn well. Even though my friends can be annoying (Totally not thinking of William) they are super supportive and amazing training buddies and this makes me feel really delighted to know that I’m part of some community. I’m grateful to Earnest, Charlotte and Geri for helping me during Wednesday classes. I also want to show my appreciation to Aunty Jessica, Aunty Joanne and Aunty Gloria for driving me too and back from taekwondo classes. I may or may not have forgotten to mention my friend Megan who can speak Korean for teaching me how to pronounce terminology correctly. I am extremely grateful to all of you. 

​

It’s a shame Master Joyce couldn’t be here, especially due to the fact that she has been with me since day one, always capturing our progress and achievements through photos. I hope she will get better soon and come back.

​

I hope I continue to get along well with everyone and learn more, get better in Taekwondo and being a better person. I still love you all - Master Brian, Master Joyce, Master Bryanna and Master Benecia. Thanks for listening everybody,