Our decision to see as many Olympic Trials as possible was made in November of 2010. As serendipity would have it, a few days later I noticed a small article in the paper about the first Taekwondo Olympic Trials being held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. So off we went (from the Denver area) to watch our first event!
I knew a little about the sport as a result of having worked with a few Taekwondo athletes, but I most assuredly wasn’t a super knowledgeable spectator. Luckily we ran into long time friend Ron Brant, High Performance Director for the USOC, and he was able to fill us in on a lot of the rules & procedures for qualifying. A complicated procedure, this competition was the third of eight qualifying phases. Definitely a long and stressful process for the athletes.
The highlight of the competition was getting to watch the first family of Taekwondo, Steven, Diana and Mark Lopez fight. The three have competed and medaled in multiple Olympics and are coached by older brother Jean. At the end of the day Steven and Diana won, with Mark losing in the final fight.
It was interesting watching the family dynamics, although they’ve fought and won and lost in various combinations hundreds of times over the years. But it still can’t be easy to be the “odd man out.” They’re obviously a very dedicated and intense, yet close knit and caring family.
The winners in each weight category would be attending various international competitions in attempt to qualify the USA’s spots to the 2012 Olympics. I won’t attempt to try and explain (mainly because I don’t understand) but the road was going to be a lengthy and challenging one.
So while many spectators don’t start getting interested in the Olympics until a couple weeks before, these athletes were already fighting for a spot 20 months prior to Opening Ceremonies. A definite example of the persistence and patience it takes to become an Olympian.
Stay Tuned for the Final Trials Results.
In Celebration of Sport!