AMM's Blog

By Camron Staples, Student Services Coordinator

On April 21 Stonewall Jackson High School held the 2012 Virginia State Taekwondo Tournament. AIM Manassas’ Michael Terry had the opportunity to participate in this tournament. This was his very first tournament and he overcame a couple of exhilarating matches to earn the 1st place Champion title in his division. When speaking to Terry he explained what Taekwondo means, “tae” means foot, ”kwon” means hand and “do” means art, together it is “the art of foot and hand.” “To me Taekwondo is more than just a physical activity, it helps you think, calm down, breathe and see things more clearly under extreme pressure,” states Terry. After his outlook on the meaning of Taekwondo I asked him to tell me about his experience in his first tournament. “It was and will always be a memorable time in my life, there was so much action and excitement. I had never been more nervous” he said. He goes on to say “my first opponent was seven belts higher and 42 pounds heavier than I am but these were just a couple of obstacles in my way.” “After a couple of minutes his kicks took a toll on my body so I decided to pick my shots and watch his movement then a back kick to his stomach gave me the advantage for the rest of the match.” “I won 12 to 11.” Terry thought he would have a rest after his win but he was called back to the mat after 5 minutes for his final match. This time his opponent was a former Junior Olympics fighter, knowing this caused Terry to become somewhat intimidated. He also knew that Terry was tired and winded so he used this to his advantage by starting the fight with an aggressive attack. The two fighters battled, both giving their all, knowing that the 2012 champion title was on the line. The less experienced fighter showed that he was the better fighter and won with a final score of 11 to 4. With a huge smile on his face Terry told me “once I was announced as the winner I dropped to my knees in relief that all my hard work and all the time I put into training paid off. Still in pain, I received my gold medal which is an accomplishment that I will cherish forever.”


Michael Terry wearing his 1st place medal