November 10, 1999
Right, not winning attitude
Taekwon-do students earn medals, self respect at state tournament
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
After years of driving by the Karate Institute on her way to and from her work, Jennifer Buchan decided one day this summer to stop by and see what it was all about. She was immediately intrigued and signed up for beginning classes. Since that fateful July day, she has not looked back.
Now the Blair Township resident is an insurance biller by day, but at night - watch out! She leaves work, changes into her do bok and practices her form, fighting and board breaking techniques. During the past four months, she has found her pursuit of this ancient Korean martial art very rewarding, for mind, spirit and body.
"I needed the exercise and as a woman I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to take care of myself," said Buchan, who practices faithfully at home on nights when she does not have class at the do-jang. "It has absolutely done what I expected, and more. I was worried when I first started that I could not keep up, but everybody drops their ego at the door and does their best."
While just a fledgling to the sport, Buchan already has one tournament under her (white) belt and three medals to show for it. On October 30, she and 13 other students at the Karate Institute attended the Annual Tournament of Taekwon-do Institutes of Michigan in Frankenmuth. A trip inconceivable just a season ago, Buchan was in her element at the tournament.
"The tournament was way fun, to see the blackbelts fighting was just breathtaking," said Buchan. "I broke three boards and took third place in my category. I had to go to the tournament because of the excitement we had in class about it."
In all, students at the Institute garnered 24 medals, seven of them for first place showings. Marty Alvarez, founder of the Karate Institute and the students' teacher, was proud of them, acknowledging their hard work leading up to the tournament and respect shown there.
She conducted an extra class for five weeks prior to the tournament to give students a taste of competition and how it differed from class. A Michigan Grand Champion winner for forms years ago, she knows how important it is to have confidence while under a judge's scrutiny. But she also made clear to her students beforehand that winning is not the real measure in Taekwon-do.
"Tournaments are fun, but it is the competitive aspect of the sport, not a measuring stick," said Alvarez, who was one of the judges at the tournament. "If a tournament is done in the right way, the students gain a lot of confidence and it is an excellent asset for their training. But winning is not the ultimate goal."
. She is clear with her students, however, that it was not the winning that matters. She is most proud of the fact that they tried so hard, studying and practicing for weeks leading up to the tournament, and conducted themselves so respectfully.
"We have a lot of talks in our do-jang about having the right perspective, not about winning" noted Alvarez, a fifth degree black belt who has been studying Taekwon-do for 21 years. "In our school, the most important thing is an inviting, relaxed atmosphere. That teaching method will bring the body and mind into one, and then the students have fun and do well. Here, my students are very respectful because they learn self-respect by respecting others."
Joel Webster sees these as crucial lessons to inoculate his son, Cody, 13, against the perils of adolescence. Cody began studying Taekwon-do more than two years ago and is now an intern helping to teach at the Institute. Both father and son attended the tournament, bringing home two first place and a third place medal between them. The two frequently work out together and both have decided that Taekwon-do is more than a sport but a way of life.
"I'm so happy he's in this, not football or wrestling," said Webster, who studied Taekwon-do while in high school but was out of the sport for 15 years. "It's a great sport and it teaches so much more than they teach at regular school, like respect, self-respect and self-discipline. I can't say enough about it."