Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art. It is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, which makes it stand out from other martial art forms. It is also the national sport of South Korea and an Olympic sport with full medal status.
Cailin McDaniel geeks Tae Kwon Do. Her geek began even before she started taking classes at Tioga Tae Kwon Do about a year ago. She says she first became interested when Master Paul Mittan came to present at her day care’s summer program a couple of summers ago. After just a few demos, she was hooked. She learned to do a front kick and the first Basic Form. She began Tae Kwon Do in earnest when she received a gift certificate for classes for Christmas in 2013.
Cailin sat down at the Spalding Memorial Library in Athens recently to share her geek and how it has changed her life. A fourth-grader at Epiphany School, Cailin has always been a girl who doesn’t so much like to wear skirts but really enjoys sports. This spunky nine-and-a-half-year-old has tried her hand at basketball, softball, soccer and swimming. She signed up for wrestling last fall, but had to stop when her arm was broken in an accident during gym class in December. Her injury did not hamper her Tae Kwon Do progress, though. One of the things that Cailin appreciates about Tae Kwon Do is that every student gets to progress at her own pace. She only missed a few of her Tae Kwon Do classes when her doctor put her on restrictions. Her cast has just come off last week, and she is hoping to be back in full action in time for an upcoming tournament in the spring.
Competing in tournaments is something Cailin excels at. She has traveled as far as State College and Altoona to compete. At one tournament, she took first place for breaking boards. Her family was surprised because Cailin didn’t have a great amount of experience with breaking boards, and the ones she practices with are made of reusable plastic. The day that Cailin won her three-foot-tall trophy, she had to break ten wooden boards with spacers, located at four different stations. She had to use specific kicks, including a jumping front kick, a thrust kick, a side kick and a flying side kick. Now, breaking boards is one of Cailin’s favorite exercises.
Another of her favorite Tae Kwon Do exercises is sparring. At Tioga Tae Kwon Do, she practices contact sparring, which requires a lot of protective gear, including padded covering for the head, feet, and hands. During sparring, points are earned for each punch or kick that comes into contact with your opponent. Kicks are worth the most points. At one tournament, Cailin had to get new protective gear that covered her chest so that she could compete in Full-contact Olympic Sparring. At another tournament, Cailin came up against a very tall opponent who kicked her hard in the shins. “I fell down and could hardly get back up!” Cailin said. She had a huge bruise. Shin-guards are usually considered optional protective gear, but Cailin just got some for Christmas. She now has all the foam body-part covers she can wear! Students who do not have the appropriate gear do not do contact sparring. They can do non-contact sparring instead, or they can concentrate on perfecting their Forms, which are movements performed in a specific pattern that students must master in order to progress.
Cailin has progressed far in the year she has been involved with Tae Kwon Do. She is now a green-belt, which is two levels up from the yellow-belt she was when her geek photo was taken. Green-belt is known as the stage when “power begins to develop.” Cailin has developed in many other ways, too. “I am more confidant in school,” Cailin said. “Tae Kwon Do also helps with self-control. The main things you learn are self-control and focusing. Also respect, and courage.” The self-defense techniques she has learned help her to be brave in all kinds of situations, but she knows she is never to use those techniques with friends and family. Additionally, her grandmother, Margaret, notes that both Cailin’s self-confidence and reading comprehension have improved in the past year.
Reading is something that Cailin enjoys sometimes, especially when she gets to read books about sports. She has taken home many of sports books the Spalding Memorial Library has to offer. She has been coming to the library since she was three years old, when the only book she wanted was the same copy of Disney’s The Lion King, which she read over and over again. Now, she mostly reads just for school. But she still comes to the library and has exemplified herself there by being the best volunteer/helper for Pajama Story Time, which her little sister Regan attends. Cailin occasionally comes to Tween Craft Nights on Mondays, because in addition to sports she also likes to draw, bead, and do other crafty things. Cailin says she finds it hard to have the time for all the sports and other things she would like to be involved with.
But Cailin would like you to know that Tae Kwon Do is something that you can get involved with. She says, “You can always have fun, and you can join at anytime of the year. Everybody can do Tae Kwon Do!” Tioga Tae Kwon Do has classes for kids of all ages and also for adults. Cailin would like to stick with it and be a black-belt someday. In the meantime, she has been inspiring others to begin their own Tae Kwon Do training. She had a birthday party at Tioga Tae Kwon Do last May. The theme was “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and the guests all got colorful masks and tried some fun activities. Each guest also got a gift certificate for some free lessons, and one of her friends joined the school and is now a green-belt himself. But, Cailin’s favorite thing at Tioga Tae Kwon Do is “Parents’ Night Out.” Students’ parents get to drop off their kids for a few hours of fun, which includes watching a movie, eating pizza and doing warm-ups and stretches. And the parents get some time to themselves, so everyone goes home happy.
Cailin also wants you to know that the library is a fun place to be and not a place where you get shushed. And, “If you like sports, there are lots of books you might like!” The Spalding Memorial Library is located at 724 South Main Street, and the staff would love to help you get your geek on! Stop in today to learn more about what you love. And if you run into Cailin’s parents, Colleen or Michael McDaniel, or her grandparents, Margaret and Richard Zimmer, you should be sure to congratulate them on having such an impressive and winning green-belt in their family!
