Good evening Master Brian, Master Joyce, Master Bryanna, Master Benecia, taekwondo friends and parents.
My name is Charli and thank you for being here for my black belt grading.
My first experience with Taekwondo was watching my brother doing kicks in class, it was something for him to do when I was dancing. When we came to Mitcham class Master Joyce invited Chloe and I to have a go, and it has changed my life forever!
I always remember the first time I participated in sparring. Guess what happened? I got kicked in the face and got a black eye. I cried and wanted to stop, but I am so happy that I didn’t. Since then I got to do more training and got to learn better sparring techniques and now I really enjoy it. I have had the opportunity to take part in competitions in the club, and against other kids from other clubs at the Victorian Championships, and have won many medals which has made me work harder to improve my skills.
Apart from the physical skills I have learnt, Taekwondo has taught me a lot about respect. I respect my teachers by listening, by following instructions and by training regularly, and I respect myself by keeping fit and doing the best I can. Taekwondo can be hard work, like getting up early every day during Summer holidays to train and running 3km, but it is also fun as I get to train with my friends and rewarding because it made fitter and do better at competitions, as well as all the sports I do at school.
Thank you Master Bryanna, Master Benecia, Master Joyce and Master Brian for being patient and teaching me and always encouraging me, even when I don’t kick the mitt in the right place. Thank you Mr Les Wynn for giving me extra advice, and to Jason and Jess for training with me.
I would like to especially thank my Dad and Mum for driving me to training even when they are tired. And lastly thank you Chloe and Matthew for training with me and making sure I have someone to compete with so I can improve.
I am looking forward to getting my Black Belt as I continue on this amazing Taekwondo Journey. It has become a big part of my life, and I can’t wait to see what interesting challenges lie ahead.
