A couple weekends ago my team traveled once again to Troy, New York for the AAU Adirondack, District Taekwondo Championships. I had the privilege of officiating at this tournament for the director, my friend, Master Joe Hasan. He ran a fantastic event this year incorporating breaking, KP&P scoring for Black Belt Olympic Sparring, Forms, Point Sparring, and Team forms. It was very well done.
As an official, you have to make sometimes some pretty hard calls. You get some fantastic athletes who are neck and neck sometimes in their technique for forms, or you have that one crazy coach you have to control during sparring, or you have to make sure everyone is accounted for in a huge division, there's so much to take into consideration.
Master Balon is the one who encouraged me to get into officiating and I rather enjoy it. I feel I have also improved very much as well. The AAU Program does a fantastic job at not only their events but producing some high quality officials as well. Very structured and uniform. I am proud to represent.
But before an official, before a coach, before anything else, I am a martial artist. What that embodies is the values and principles in which our arts stand upon to creating human beings to life a full life which affects our environment and community in the most positive way. As a martial arts master I will always choose the path of teaching and giving a beautiful lesson and experience before anything else.
There was a situation while I was officiating forms that such a circumstance presented itself to me. In the AAU Rulebook for forms, if someone messes up in their form, you are not allowed to restart it at all unless the other competitor makes a mistake and doesn't continue the form, in which case both competitors would be able to restart their form. If only one person messes up and doesn't finish the form, the other competitor will automatically win and the officials will claim the other person the winner.
It was the female 12-13 year old Black Belts form division. I bowed them in and told them to begin. One girl began strong and fierce. The other girl just stood there for a few seconds. Then a few seconds more. Then she held her head, tears coming down her cheeks and she just stood to the side. I waited a moment, and then walked over to her.
I asked if she was okay. She told me she just completely blanked and was so upset with herself. She told me the name of the form she was going to do earlier so I said the name to her. This didn't help. I then told her to look into my eyes for a second. She did and I smiled and looked at her and said "Everything you need to know if inside of you. Go out there and finish your form because you know it and you can do it." As I said it, she looked as though something just jolted her and her eyes got wide for a moment but she walked back to her spot and began her form.
By the rules you are not allowed the restart a form. But the truth is, she was NOT going to win because of that rule. Being an official was not the priority. Being a martial artist and allowing this young girl to at least finish her form so for her OWN self-esteem can leave with dignity was far more important. The outcome would not change, so any coach who had an issue with it could relax. The problem with competition sometimes is that we forget that in our field, there is a far greater purpose behind what we do.
The young lady of course lost, but she was proud she at least finished the form. It had nothing to do with the place she would rank or the trophy or anything else. It was about knowing she was worthy and capable. Self-Esteem governs everything we do. It takes a lot of self-esteem to do what these competitors do and goin out in front of people and peform and be judged. But it builds greater self-esteem that when a moment of failure seems to make you feel like you're not good enough or don't deserve to be there turn into a greater learning experience, and that our bumps don't bring us down, and that someone allowed an opportunity to let them feel like they are ENOUGH, that's what is more important.
To my fellow officials and coaches, remember the real goal of martial arts and what our real responsibility is as martial arts teachers. I know where my priorities stand, and never let outside circumstances erode from your values. Because then you erode from your own self-esteem and worth as a martial artist. Good job young lady, wherever you are! I am proud of you for finishing your form! (BOWS)
Yours in service,
MASTER A TRENTO
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