4th degree black belt Grace Kim does her final ariel and walks over to her friends, hair pulled back and in her dobok, tired as ever. She’s exhausted from the school day, taking tests and doing homework. Finally, she’s getting a break with doing something she enjoys and escaping never ending school work, talking to her close friends in Tae Kwon Do.  

Freshman Grace Kim first started taking Tae Kwon Do at US Chung Ryong (USCR) in 2010, with her parents suggesting the idea so she could learn self defense and how to protect if given the circumstance. 

With going to Tae Kwon Do everyday, “I feel close with the cultural connection because Taekwondo originated from Korea and I’m Korean,” Kim says, ¨I’m closer to my friends in Tae Kwon Do just because it’s a daily thing, whereas at school I see certain friends at school every other day.” 

By learning these advanced skills and training her hardest, she won many awards for herself showing how determined she is to achieve perfection. Her achievements vary from many different places and in many categories.

¨[When I got my gold medals and when I got into team Dallas] I got three gold medals at AAU 2019, two at state 2019 for sparring and demo, two at Texas open championship for sparring and demo 2019, and at AAU 2020 for demo,¨ Kim said when asked her proudest achievements are.

With her progress paying off, she has shown her dedication to the competitive sport and what she’s most proud of. It shows her variety of skills and that she tries her hardest to achieve those awards. To get those awards, Kim went through the never ending tournaments.

“The tournament process usually takes awhile,” Kim said. “You start off with the youth, which is eleven years old or younger, and you move on to  the cadets, which are twelve to fourteen years olds, then you go to the juniors, which are fifteen to seventeen year olds, and finally you end with seniors, who are eighteen or older. Typically, you begin with floors, board breaking, and weapons. Second is when demo teams from multiple Tae Kwon Do gyms come to show off what they can do. Last is usually sparring because it takes awhile to set up. When you are ranked after your performance you go get you medal and then your continue to your next event.¨ 

The tournament process takes hard work. To Grace Kim it’s important to display your dedication to Tae Kwon Do.

 “My favorite thing about Tae Kwon Do is probably seeing my friends and learning the new acrobatic and gymnastic skills,” Kim said.