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 Grand Master Pak and Master O’Riley at annual martial arts banquet in I ’ve always had a passion for martial arts. It began when I was a little girl and my family didn’t miss an episode of Kung Fu”. Little Sheila was learning life lessons right along with little Grasshopper. Then it was the Karate Kid movie. Young Daniel was up against horrendous odds, but under the instruction of Mr. Miagi, he was able to prove himself.Then when my sons were young, they were hooked on the children’s TV show, Power Rangers. They begged their father and me to let them learn a martial art. That’s how we came to begin learning taekwondo from Master Chuck Henry of Henry’s TaeKwonDo in 1994. In 1998, at the age of 40, I tested for and earned my black belt. From 2000-2003, I operated a school for Henry’s TaeKwonDo in Lenox. From 2004-2005, I was an instructor at Corning TaeKwonDo. In March of 2006, I received my third dan (degree) black belt and opened my own school in Lenox. For those of you who are impressed by medals, I’ve competed and medaled in many state tournaments including the Iowa Games. I competed in one national tournament and earned a gold medal in forms. From time to time, I lead taekwondo demonstrations
for the public and teach self-defense to various groups. I get a kick
out of teaching as I feel taekwonko and its ways make a positive difference
in people’s lives; young or old. It is very fulfilling knowing that I’m
enriching my students’ lives as mine has been enriched by taekwondo. One of my black belt essays was chosen from thousands to be included in a book with about 29 other essays by black belts entitled, Indomitable Spirits: A Collection of Martial Arts Essays. Part of that essay was a list of lessons I learned in my training. You can read these lessons at the right side of this page. |
EVERYTHING I
NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED IN TAEKWONDO
By Sheila O’Riley
Listen
carefully to instructions and watch demonstrations closely –
Yield to those of higher rank – If you
fail, hold your head high and continue on –
Respect others – Never give up – Just when
you think you know everything, there is more to learn – You can
conquer your fears -
Practice, practice, practice – Strive for
perfection – Stand in a straight line -
There is always someone who is better than you are –
It’s not fair to strike below the belt –
For everything there is harmony and balance: find harmony and balance in
everything you do or encounter – Focus –
Don’t take your eyes off of your opponent –
Concentrate – Use all of you energy when it is important and
conserve your energy whenever possible – Be
flexible – You learn a lot by helping someone else –
Be sharp – Work on now: the past is gone,
the future isn’t here yet – Think for yourself
– It takes a better person to walk away from a fight –
Keep physically fit – Be prompt –
Possess courtesy, integrity, perseverance,
self-control, and indomitable spirit. Henry’s TaeKwonDo, Creston Iowa www.henrystaekwondo.com Iowa State University – Grand Master Yong Chin Pak www.stuorg.iastate.edu/tkd State of Iowa Black Belt Association www.sibba.org
USA
TaeKwonDo
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| Lenox TaeKwonDo - You'll get a kick out of it! | |
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