Epic day for team Canada. Today we competed in the continuous sparring Black Belt divisions. The athletes did incredibly well; most won their first match and some went much further. The competition was at the highest level I have ever seen, and the divisions were enormous. There were at least 600 adult Black Belt competitors, from more than 25 countries on the 16 rings, which ran non-stop from about 10 am through 7 pm.
There were many on our team who experienced their first international competition, and I was overwhelmed with pride at their courage and fortitude. Just getting in the ring with players at this level is something to be proud of.
Certainly the biggest news was Jon Zaleski. He competed in the men's black belt heavyweight division with about 50 competitors. He beat players from USA, England (x2), Australia, and Argentina, on his way to winning the Gold. Each match was hard fought and he was almost knocked out in one match, and nearly forced out with a bloody nose. Luckily we convinced the medics to give him another minute to stop the bleeding so he could finish.
We had entered Jon as our heavyweight for the 5 man team, but he was too exhausted to continue, so we substituted in Jason Ayles from Trail. In the individual event Jason took his fighting to a new level, winning 2 matches before losing on a tie breaker on the 3rd match.
Our five man team had three different players than we had originally planned, due to one not making weight, one deciding not to compete, and Jon who was too played out. We ended up tying Chris Rowe's Black belt onto Carson Benedict and making him a "temporary Black Belt" so we could fill a team. We had Carson, Anthony Gibson, Mike Joblonkay, Michael Johnson, and Jason Ayles. They won their first match against England in a super-exciting event, and the crowd was totally going crazy cheering for their teams.
Michael took his sparring to a new level, while we were cheering "Toro, Toro, Toro," (bull), his nickname he picked in Dallas a few years ago. They were so happy with the win, it was amazing, you could just see the confidence rise in them all. The crowd was going nuts. They lost their second match to Poland, who went on to place 3rd.
After the tournament was over, some of us headed to the main hotel for the after party, and we finally shut down at about 2 pm because we had to get up at 6 to catch the plane. As I write this on the bus, most everyone is asleep (or passed out).
Personally the trip has been a highlight of my martial arts career. Seeing the competitors handle themselves with such integrity and indomitable spirit made me so proud to be their instructor. Getting to share that with Colin Nonomura after 20 years of hard work to build our school up to a level where we can compete with anyone in the world is frankly an indescribable feeling.
Seeing my son train so hard to prepare, and then enjoy the results of those efforts made me so proud as a father. Spending extended time with one of the Tae Kwon-Do pioneers was a rare treasure that very few people get the opportunity to experience. I think everyone will be going home with fantastic memories of this experience. Just seeing these young people experience Europe, and meeting people from different cultures, knowing that this will affect their world view makes all the preparations worth it. Everyone got along so well and supported each other, once again I am reminded of the good character Tae Kwon-Do builds in us.
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