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HOMETOWN PROUD -
Hometown proud
A tough pair of moms and their kids are set to represent the United States and roundhouse kick their way through a martial arts competition in England this summer.
Jennifer Giles, head instructor at Warrior Martial Arts and a fifth-degree black belt, said she is proud that her own daughter, Jadyn, won a spot on the national team that will head to the 2024 UTA British Championship in July.
Jennifer said, “I’m going to be proud of her no matter what, but I think that she’s going to really feel a sense of pride with representing our country.”
Currently working on her first-degree black belt, Jadyn has been under her mother’s tutelage since she was five-years-old. Like many kids, Jadyn said she struggles with anxiety and that Taekwondo has helped her become more confident and motivates her to keep improving. She hopes that this competition will serve as another stepping stone in her growth.
“When it comes to Taekwondo, I want to improve my forms. I’ve also never been out of the country before, so I think it’s going to be really different for me,” Jadyn said.
The tryouts for the national team took place in Rockwall, back in February. According to Jennifer, there were a few hundred other kids of different ages who showed up for the tryouts. Jadyn fought her way through speed sparring and beat many other contenders in forms.
And Jadyn isn’t the only young Titus County resident to compete on the international stage. Ilee and Isiah Morales will also be hopping on the plane to the United Kingdom. Their mother, Lydia Morales, is also an instructor at Warrior Martial Arts.
Lydia, who began her martial arts career in 2003, originally trained under Jennifer. Now a third-degree black belt and teaching alongside Jennifer, Lydia said she loves instructing and that it’s in her blood.
“It’s not just about teaching the art,” Lydia said, “It’s everything positive that comes from it. And to see that change with the kids, seeing them grow in confidence is awesome. Seeing them conquer those individual goals and maybe they thought they couldn’t, but they really develop strong character.”
Isaiah, 17, and Ilee, 15, both say they’re excited and nervous about the upcoming competition.
“It’ll definitely be interesting”, Isaiah said. “At tryouts, the other guys were much bigger. I’m around five-foot-eight and these other guys were at least six-feet tall.”
His younger sister, Ilee, said that martial arts has ingrained her with important lessons and she hopes that the competition in England will teach her even more about integrity, perseverance, self-control, and victory.
“I think I’ll do Taekwondo for a long time,” Ilee said. “I know I’m going to go to college, so I might take a break then, but I want to go back to it.”
Both Lydia and Jennifer have experience with competing on an international level. Jennifer has represented Team U.S.A. in Scotland and Lydia has also gone to England to compete in the UTA British Championship. Both say that the trip was a valuable experience and further encouraged them to continue pursuing martial arts.
“It completely changed my life,” Jennifer said. “Watching my Taekwondo instructor with his kids and with students in general taught me a lot about being a mother. I had no confidence when I started and it gave me some of that, helped me learn how to be a mother and encourage my girls.”
Lydia echoed similar sentiments with excitement. She said, “We’re putting in the work. It’s the experience of a lifetime. Martial arts is more than just learning the art. I’ve seen what it has done for my life and in kids’ lives. It instills so much character in them. The courtesy, learning to treat people with respect and kindness, doing the right thing even when somebody is not looking at you, perseverance when life is hard.”
To help the Warriors fly to England, they are asking for sponsors. If you’d like to be a sponsor, you can visit the Warriors Martial Arts’ Facebook and send a message. You can also call or text Jennifer Giles at 903-563-4316. Every business that sponsors for $500 or more will get a business name on the kids’ uniforms.
Lydia is also holding a number of fundraisers, including a self-defense class for women and teens in April. She plans to share the details of that class publicly from her personal Facebook page.
The 2024 UTA British Championship is set to happen on Sunday, July 14 in the United Kingdom. The United Taekwondo Alliance plans to air a Facebook live of the event.