Tournament 2-13-21

Dear Dad,

I had planned to pick Mom up on Saturday to take her to Mattituck, but she was having a mass said for you on Sunday — the ten month anniversary of your death — and she wanted to go. So I told her I’d pick her up on Sunday instead. Since we were going to be home on Saturday, G3 competed in another virtual taekwondo tournament.

The tournament rings are small compared to what they used to be for live tournaments. Virtually, there have been anywhere from four to seven boys, whereas when they were live, there were sometimes twelve or thirteen kids competing. Considering the region is comprised of the entire Eastern part of the country, I expected there to be more interest. But I supposed most kids like sparring best, and since you can’t spar virtually, those kids have opted not to participate. G3’s strength has always been in forms. He has a natural rhythm and a memory for detail that has always impressed me. 

Since interest in the the online tournaments is paltry, G3 has competed against the same boys each week. One boy — a second degree black belt while all the other boys are first degree — has repeatedly placed first in both forms and weapons. It has been a source of frustration for G3 that the same kid wins all the time. I told him complaining about it wasn’t going to change the situation. If he wanted to beat the kid, he had to practice harder.

On Saturday, we got to the taekwondo school early and I made sure G3 warmed up. When he is warm, his kicks are high and impressive. His balance is also better. In the last tournament, his warm up left much to be desired. This time, I got on the mat and warmed up with him. Then he ran through both forms — traditional and oh-sung-do (one handed sword). He was ready.

As always, he was calm when he was called to perform. In contrast, my nerves were exploding. Did you ever get nervous before my games? I can’t believe that I get more nervous as the parent of a competitor than I ever got when I was competing. Anyway, G3 did well enough to tie for first. It was a three way tie — G3, the kid who always placed first, and another boy. In the tie breaker, G3 place second. He was ecstatic that he finally beat the second degree. When he stepped off the mat, he walked up to me, his smile reaching into his eyes. “Grandpa was definitely with me in spirit today,” he said. “I beat him because of Grandpa.” I laughed and cried. I’m glad he felt your presence, but oh how wonderful it would have been if you could have been there, watching on zoom. He would have loved to have you celebrate with him.

After taking second in traditional forms, he placed third in weapons. I think he needs to work more on building up the strength in his arm. If he can wield the sword with a firmer hand, I think he will do even better. But what do I know. 

I miss you!